What if identity theft happens to me?

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First of all what is identity theft?
Identity theft is a type of fraud that can greatly damage your credit history. People who commit fraud collect information on you—such as your Social Security Number, date of birth, and other personal information—and then use this information to apply for credit in your name.

American Express uses enhanced customer identification procedures to protect you from having your identity stolen. The best way to protect yourself from identity takeover is to safeguard your personal information to the best of your ability and regularly review your credit reports.

What do I do if identity theft happens to me?

When identity theft, or any type of fraud occurs, it can take a lot of time and effort to fix. You must make every attempt to correct the damage to your credit identity.

To make sure that you do everything to correct your credit, follow the steps below:

Review all existing account statements. Report any unrecognized charges to the credit card company immediately. Some card companies may hold you liable for the first $50 of fraud charges. American Express Cardmembers will not be held liable for any fraudulent charges.
Contact each of the three national credit bureaus and request copies of your credit reports. Review these reports for any accounts you did not open.

Listed below are the names, addresses, telephone numbers and web addresses of the three major credit reporting companies:

Experian Information Solutions National Consumer Assistance Center
P.O. Box 2104
Allen, TX 750513-2104
1-888-EXPERIAN (1-888-397-3742)
www.experian.com

Equifax Information Service Center
P.O.Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
1-800-685-1111
www.equifax.com

Trans Union Consumer Disclosure Center
P.O.Box 390
Springfield, PA 19064
1-800-888-4213
www.transunion.com

Dispute any unauthorized accounts or other negative information resulting from fraud with any and all bureaus reporting them.
Advise each company to place a fraud alert on your credit report to make sure other credit issuers use extra care when credit is requested in your name.
Periodically review your credit reports to ensure that fraud does not reoccur, or have CreditSecure® from American Express monitor your credit for you.

AMEX