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Information to Assist in Minimizing the Possibility of Identity Theft

Any unauthorized access of personal information may place you at risk for identity theft. The information provided below is intended to assist concerned individuals in reducing the possibility of identity theft and to advise on appropriate steps to take to protect yourself.

  • Contact the fraud departments of each of the three major credit bureaus in the United States. If they have credit information about you in their files, which at least one of these bureaus will likely have if you have ever applied for credit in the United States, you can request that a "fraud alert" be placed in your file. You may also request that a statement be entered in your account informing potential creditors that no "pre-approved" credit applications should be sent out in your name. You may also ask their fraud departments to place a statement that asks all creditors to call you before opening any new accounts or changing any existing accounts.
  • Check your credit reports with these bureaus on an annual basis. If you plan to place a fraud alert on your credit file, you only need to contact one credit bureau and they will contact the other two with your information. Be prepared to give them information such as your current address, your last address (if you moved within the last 2 years), your social security number, phone numbers (work and home), etc. Each agency will mail you a copy of your personal credit report within 6 to 8 business days.

    Users need to contact only one of the three national credit bureaus to activate a fraud alert. The bureaus notify each about new fraud alerts.

  • Close or suspend any accounts you know or believe have been tampered with or opened fraudulently.
  • Change Your Passwords. If your information may have been compromised, it is recommended that you change all your account passwords. Be certain to use strong passwords contain at least 8 characters, capital and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters. Do not use words found in a dictionary (English or otherwise) or the names or dates of children, pets, family, etc. Consider using the first letter of a poem, song or sentence that you can easily remember and mixing in the characters, numbers and capitals. See the KU IT Security website for more on passwords. The KU BeseKUre blog also has tips on passwords.
  • If your Information has been Compromised, but not yet Misused
    Information from the Federal Trade Commission