Personal Data Sold - Get your Free Credit Report

Past employees of Roanoke City Public Schools are receiving free credit monitoring services after school officials ended up selling eight computers as surplus units. The hard drives of these computers still stored the personal information of school employees from 2006 onward, and included their names, locations, and Social Security numbers, leaving their personal information at risk for identity theft.

Since this incident occurred, the hard drives have been recovered by school officials, and it is believed that none of the data was used inappropriately. However, due to the questions and concerns the school has been receiving due to this incident, they are offering a year of free credit monitoring services to their employees to ensure that nothing is done with their information due to this data breach.

YOUR RIGHT TO FREE ANNUAL CREDIT REPORTS FROM OTHER, "SPECIALTY" CREDIT REPORTING COMPANIES

You also have a right to order free annual credit reports from other "nationwide specialty consumer reporting agencies." These are companies that maintain specific types of files on consumers, such as employment history, tenant history, medical records, and insurance claims. There are many specialty CRCs, and each must maintain a toll-free telephone number through which consumers may request a free copy of their credit report once every 12 months.

Neither the FTC nor the trade association of credit bureaus (CDIA) has chosen to publicize contact information for the specialty CRCs, and the Attorney General's Office does not currently have access to a list of these toll-free numbers. However, the following web page maintains a partial list of specialty CRCs and their contact information:

What to do about inaccuracy in your Free Personal Credit Report

• Clearly identify the inaccurate information on your credit report and dispute it, IN WRITING, with both the CRC that issued the report with inaccurate information and any creditors with which the information is associated.
• For more information, review the FTC's summary on disputing credit errors: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre21.shtm
• If accurate information is not removed or reappears, you may wish to consult with a private attorney regarding possible legal actions.
• Here is contact information for the 3 credit reporting agencies and links to their web pages informing consumers how to dispute inaccurate information:
  

Equifax - www.equifax.com
To report fraud, call: 1-800-525-6285
and write: P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
For information on disputing errors, you may visit:
www.econsumer.equifax.com/consumer/sitepage.ehtml?forward=elearning_credit13

Experian - www.experian.com
To report fraud, call: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)
and write: P.O. Box 9532, Allen TX 75013
For information on disputing errors, you may visit:
www.experian.com/disputes/index.html (online dispute form)

TransUnion - www.transunion.com
To report fraud, call: 1-800-680-7289
and write: Fraud Victim Assistance Division
P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790
For information on disputing errors, you may visit:
www.transunion.com/content/page.jsp?id=/personalsolutions/general/data/DisputeCreditReport.xml

• If you believe you are a victim of ID theft, ask for a "fraud alert" to be placed on your file and request that no new credit be granted without your express, personal approval. Ask how long your account will be flagged. Record the expiration date of the fraud alert, and call back as this date approaches if you wish the alert to remain on your file. Review the Attorney General's Consumer Alert on ID theft for further information: www.michigan.gov/ag/0,1607,7-164-17343_18163-80479--,00.html
  
  

What Should You Look for In you Free Personal Credit Report

When you receive your reports, check each section carefully and determine whether you believe the information is correct. Your report could alert you to fraudulent activity being carried on in your name by an ID thief or other inaccurate information that could affect your ability to obtain a loan.

In particular, be sure to review:

• Your personal information: are there addresses or variations on your name that are wrong?

• Statements of credit accounts: are there credit card accounts or other debts that you are not familiar with?

• Potentially negative entries: are there unpaid debts listed on accounts you never opened?

• Public record information: is this information accurate?

What is in your Free Personal Credit Report

WHAT'S IN YOUR CREDIT REPORT?

Your credit report contains a collection of sensitive personal and financial information about you gathered from a variety of sources. You may view a sample credit report from Experian at:
www.experian.com/credit_report_basics/pdf/samplecreditreport1.pdf

You can expect your credit report to contain:

• Personal information, including your current and other recent addresses, telephone numbers, Social Security Number, and birth information.
• A detailed credit history, including information on loans, credit cards, and timeliness of payments.
• "Public" records, such as bankruptcies, judgments, liens, etc.
• A list of all persons or organizations who have requested a copy of your credit report in the last six months. This list may be long and could include:
  

• Requests by creditors;

• Requests by you, the consumer;

• Requests for promotional purposes.
  (These include prescreened credit offers, which you can elect not to receive by calling 888-567-8688 or completing the online form at www.optoutprescreen.com.)

Your report may also contain a statement of dispute you, or one of your creditors, may have submitted regarding a disputed item on your credit report. (Information on disputing errors on your report is set forth below.)

Before you Order Your Free Annual Credit Report

BEFORE YOU ORDER YOUR FREE ANNUAL CREDIT REPORTS

• The three CRCs have established a single service for consumers to use when ordering free credit reports. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO
  ORDER FREE CREDIT REPORTS DIRECTLY FROM THE CREDIT REPORTING AGENCIES.

• You will be asked to provide sensitive information in order to receive your report. This is necessary to prevent ID thieves from obtaining copies of other people's credit reports.

Michigan Identiry Theft Victim

Reviewing your credit reports can help you detect fraudulent activity early, allowing you to take effective steps to limit the headaches you may encounter if you are a victim of identity theft. Knowing what's in your report before you apply for a loan or a job may also be helpful.

You have a right to order your free annual credit report from each of the three major consumer credit reporting companies (CRC): Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. However, it is not necessary for you to order all three at the same time.

If you are a victim of identity theft, you are entitled to place a fraud alert on your file and to receive copies of your credit report from each of the three CRCs free of charge, regardless whether you have previously ordered your free annual reports. For more information on ID theft, including advice for victims and tips on prevention, review the Attorney General's Consumer Alert on ID Theft at www.michigan.gov/ag/0,1607,7-164-17343_18163-80479--,00.html

Michigan Annual Free Credit Report

FREE ANNUAL CREDIT REPORTS -
WHAT CONSUMERS SHOULD KNOW

Michigan consumers can order a free credit report from each of the three major credit reporting companies every year. Consumers can order their free annual credit reports by mail, by telephone, or online. To maximize your protection against fraudulent activity, order one report from a different company every fourth month.

ORDER YOUR FREE ANNUAL CREDIT REPORTS

• By Mail
  Complete the Annual Credit Report Request Form available online at the only truly free credit report website form is available through the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC's) website: http://www.ftc.gov/freereports

• By Telephone
  Call 877-322-8228 (toll free).

• Online
  www.annualcreditreport.com
  Caution: Misspelling this site or using another site with similar words will take you to a site that will try to sell you something or collect your personal information.