Resources
Donotcall.gov takes you to a federal government site. Here, you can register your
home and mobile phone numbers. After about three months, most telemarketing calls should stop. To register by phone, call
888-382-1222.
Fighting Back Against Identity Theft is a government site
maintained by the Federal Trade Commission. This thorough site has answers to all your questions about identity theft, from
preventing it to recovering from it.
Ftc.gov/ftc/consumer.htm is another page of the Federal Trade
Commission's Web site. To learn about telemarketing scams, click on "Telemarketing."
BBB.org is the online arm of the Better Business Bureau. Click on "Business" to get an
immediate free report on any company through the BBBOnLine Reliability Program. This is a convenient way to check up on an
online business, since you can search by the company's URL (Web address).
Antiphishing.org is home to The Anti-Phishing Working Group, whose goal is to
eliminate identity theft and fraud that result from phishing e-mails and spoofed Web sites. Click on "Phishing Archive" to
see the latest phishing e-mail messages and the scam techniques they are using to fool e-mail readers.
If you're looking for software to block known spoofed sites, click on "How to Avoid Phishing Scams" under Consumer Advice.
Annualcreditreport.com Beginning in 2005,
the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act requires all three credit bureaus to provide you a free credit report, at your request,
every 12 months. Working together, the bureaus have established a single, secure web site and phone number to meet this
requirement. Do not contact the bureaus directly. Instead contact
www.annualcreditreport.com (877-322-8228). Note: You will be asked to provide your Social Security number.
Credit report errors. If you find an error in one of your accounts, contact the credit bureau in writing to begin the
dispute process. You can do this online--look for a link to "Dispute" on the homepage.
Fraud alerts. If you suspect your identity is being misused, contact all three credit bureaus and ask that a fraud alert be placed on your file.
- Equifax.com or 800-685-1111
- Experian.com or 888-397-3742
- Trans Union or 800-888-4213
