1. Check Your Credit Report
When you check your credit report you should check to make sure you know each account listed on your credit report. You should check to make sure that all of the accounts have the correct listing, and check to see if there are any errors listed such as incorrect late payments. Accounts that you do not recognize are one sign of possible identity theft, and you should begin dealing with this problem immediately.
2. Dispute an Incorrect Item on Your Credit Report
If you have an incorrect item listed on your credit report you will need to contact both the credit bureau and the bank that reported the wrong information. When you report the incorrect information to the credit bureau they will simply verify the information with the bank, so you need to have the bank correct the item.
3. Dealing with Identity Theft
If you discover that someone has stolen your identity you need to begin dealing with this immediately. You will need to contact the banks who opened the accounts, file a police report and contact the credit bureau You may also opt to freeze your credit for a short time. You can do this by contacting each agency and then when a bank makes an inquiry on your credit, they will receive a notice that you have requested a freeze on your credit and will not open a new loan.
