Identity Theft
Unauthorized use of personal identifying information to open credit accounts or commit fraud.
Identity theft is the unauthorized use of a consumer's personal identifying information — Social Security number, name, date of birth — to open credit accounts, file tax returns, or commit other fraud. Most identity-theft credit damage manifests as accounts on the credit report that the consumer never opened.
The fast-track FCRA remedy is §605B (4-business-day fraud block), which requires an FTC IdentityTheft.gov affidavit. Pair with: extended fraud alert (FCRA §605A, 7 years, free), credit freeze (free), police report (sometimes required by bureaus), and direct creditor notifications.
Also called
Related terms
FCRA §605B requires bureaus to block fraudulent identity-theft accounts within 4 business days of receiving the consumer's affidavit.
The federally-recognized affidavit consumers file at IdentityTheft.gov to invoke FCRA §605B fraud-block protections.
A free FCRA-backed restriction that prevents new accounts from being opened in your name without a temporary lift.
An FCRA-mandated flag on a consumer's credit file requiring identity verification before new credit is extended.
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