Protect Your Identity with Your Credit Report
Contributed by Sassy
Protect Your Identity with Your Credit Report
You can significantly reduce your chances of becoming a victim by regularly obtaining and checking your credit report.
According to recent reports from the FBI,identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes throughout the USA and the rest of the world, and one in five families have been affected by identity theft over the past year. Unlike other types of theft, identity theft can often go undetected for months or even years and your credit status can be affected for even longer. The most common type of identity theft is credit card fraud, and although it's not possible to prevent it entirely, you can significantly reduce your chances of becoming the next victim.
What information is included on my credit report?
Your credit report holds personal information about you which you will have supplied on credit applications in the past. It will also include your Social Security Number, date of birth, current and previous employers and previous addresses.
Whenever your account is shown to a potential lender or service provider, the inquiry is logged onto your credit report and remains there for up to two years. This information can be invaluable to you when checking your report.
Details about credit accounts opened in both your own name and accounts belonging to other people which list you as an authorized user are also listed on your credit report. The date the account was opened, credit limit, loan amount, balance, payment terms and history of how the account has been managed will also all be listed.
