Question: In recent months I have received letters via U.S. mail rejecting applications for department store credit cards — applications that I had not submitted. The latest rejection is from Kohl’s, which said it rejected the application because it was “unable to verify fraud information,” and cited an Experian report. Do you have any advice on what I can do to put a stop to these bogus applications?
Answer: You have been a victim of identity theft. You should immediately freeze your credit; check your credit reports with the three major credit-reporting agencies and dispute false or fraudulent information they contain; close fraudulent accounts opened in your name (they should be visible on the credit reports); and file a report with the Honolulu Police Department. You also should contact the department stores that denied applications; even though fraudulent accounts were not opened in those cases, you want to ensure that negative information is not attached to your name.
Keep careful records of every step you take to clear your name and your credit history.
In addition, you should set up dual-factor authentication for accounts you access online — financial accounts, obviously, but also consider doing the same for social media accounts and even email accounts. Adding a step to the log-in process helps deter imposters from accessing your accounts. With dual-factor authentication, after you input your user name and password, a code is set by text, email or phone call (available methods vary) that you must input to complete the log-in process. Cybersecurity experts say this is good advice for everyone, not only victims of identity theft.
Here are some websites to help you follow all these steps:
>> Go to usa.gov/credit-freeze for details on freezing your credit. Doing so deters fraud because the freeze prevents lenders from pulling your credit history — most lenders will not approve credit cards and loans without checking. You can unfreeze and refreeze your credit as needed. This site has links to the major credit-reporting agencies — Experian, TransUnion and Equifax — each of which you’ll need to contact online, by U.S. mail or by phone to place the freeze. A credit freeze, also known as a security freeze, is stronger than a fraud alert.
>> Request free credit reports from Experian, TransUnion and Equifax at annualcreditreport.com. Despite the website’s name, free reports are available weekly, in a continuation of pandemic-era policy intended to help consumers track their economic health. Review each report and dispute errors, “hard inquiries” based on fraudulent applications (these credit pulls can lower your credit score) and any other apparent fraud. All consumers — not just fraud victims — are encouraged to regularly check their credit reports.
>> Initiate a police report by calling 911, nonemergency line. HPD’s website has more information about the process at honolulupd.org/information/identity-theft.
>> The Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have useful information at identitytheft.gov and consumerfinance.gov, respectively. The FTC helps consumers report and recover from identity theft, and the CFPB helps them file complaints about certain financial products or services involved in the fraud or its aftermath.
You submitted your Kokua Line question last week, and we emailed you the main steps to take, along with most of the links mentioned in this column. In a follow-up email after you had frozen your credit and checked your credit reports, you said that at least one fraudulent credit card was issued in your name (by a credit union in Ohio) and that a false address and phone number were added to one of your credit reports. You are working to resolve the problems.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
