“Active Duty Scam Alert” for Military Personnel
Now more than ever, it’s important to take preventative measures to protect your personal information from identity thieves. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), as many as 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year. The FTC calls identity theft one of the fastest growing consumer crimes in America. While this is certainly reason for concern, the last thing you want to worry about while on deployment is someone assuming your identity to commit financial fraud.
Thanks to amendments to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you can deter identity thieves by placing an “active duty alert” on your credit report. An active duty alert requires creditors to take steps to verify your identity before granting credit in your name. An active duty alert is effective for one year, unless you ask for it to be removed sooner. If your deployment lasts longer than a year, you may place another alert on your report.
You may place an active duty alert, or to have it removed, by contacting one of three nationwide consumer reporting agencies:
Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; www.equifax.com
Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742); www.experian.com
TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289; www.transunion.com
In addition to requesting an active duty alert, Springboard recommends the following additional prevention tips for military personnel:
- Safeguard your military ID
- Protect your Social Security number
- Avoid using obvious passwords
- Keep your personal information in a secure place
For more information identity theft, Springboard’s book, ID Theft: Protecting and Restoring Your Good Name, is available for free download.
Photo: soldiersmediacenter
I like the idea of having a verification step that creditors would have to take if placed on "Active Duty" status. Is there a way for non-military people, like me, to put a similar status on my credit report that would require creditors to verify my new credit requests?