Creditors will then be told to call you before issuing new credit in your name. Once you call one of the credit bureaus, they should notify the other two, but you should notify all three to be safe.

The call will be automated and you will need to provide your Social Security number, date of birth, address and phone number. Then you will be offered credit monitoring for a fee. You do not have to buy any products to place a fraud alert.

After you place a fraud alert, the credit bureaus will send you a letter to confirm the fraud alert and notify you of your right to receive a free credit report. Request your free report using the number in the letter. This report is in addition to your free annual credit report from each of the three credit bureaus, which you may access at www.annualcreditreport.com.

Under federal law you may ask to extend the fraud alert to seven years. You will have to provide an identity theft report.

Write a letter to each bureau to dispute fraudulent and erroneous information. The credit bureaus will notify each creditor with the disputed items and should respond within 30 days.

You may give notice either by phone or in writing. Be sure to keep electronic and hard copies of the letters you send. You may be asked to provide an Affidavit of Forgery, a police report, or other legal documents indicating that you are a victim.

If you are not sure which agency to contact, start with your local police department. If a report is filed, obtain a copy for your records. Check out the links below for a list of agencies you can contact, reasons why you may want to contact them, and their contact information.

Complete the FTC Identity Theft Affidavit and keep an electronic copy. The Affidavit serves as proof of your stolen identity. You should also update it as new events occur. Their customer service number is 1-877-382-4357.