MONTE VISTA — Over the course of the past months, the Monte Vista Police Department has taken numerous reports of fraud where the victim’s name was used to file for unemployment benefits. No one is safe from this scam, including members of the police department who have been victims.  If you are a victim of this scam there are steps you can take to protect your information, including filing a police report in the jurisdiction you live.  If you become a victim of this scam, here are some steps you should take:

• If you received a U.S. Bank Reliacard for Colorado unemployment benefits but did not file a claim, fill out the U.S Bank Form or contact U.S. Bank immediately at 1-855-282-6161. Tell them that a fraudulent unemployment claim was filed using your information, and ask them to deactivate the card. (Source, https://cdle.colorado.gov/fraud-prevention )

• Contact the three consumer credit bureaus and put a fraud and identity theft alert on your name and Social Security number (SSN). It may be an automated system, so you may not talk to a live person and you will have to enter your SSN and date of birth.

• Credit Bureau Contact Info:

1. Equifax: 1-800-525-6285

2. Experian: 1-888-397-3742

3. TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289

Additionally, follow the steps below:

1.    Immediately report this to the Department of Labor at https://cdle.colorado.gov/fraud-prevention.

2.  File a police report with your local police department. Get a copy of the report to provide to creditors and credit agencies.

3.  Change passwords on your email, banking and other personal accounts.

4.  Make a list of credit card companies, banks and other financial institutions where you do business. Tell them you are a victim of identity theft, and ask them to put a fraud alert on your account.

5.  Get a copy of your credit report and dispute any fraudulent activity. You can request credit reports online from the three major credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) by calling 877-322-8228 or visiting www.annualcreditreport.com.

6.  Contact all three of the major reporting agencies to freeze your credit reports.

Equifax: 800-349-9960 or www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services

Experian: 888-397-3742 or www.experian.com/freeze/center.html

TransUnion: 888-909-8872 or www.transunion.com/credit-freeze

7.  Place a fraud alert on your credit file. You can do this by contacting just one of the credit agencies to add an alert with all three agencies.

8.  Take notes about all conversations and keep copies of all records.

Finally, never give your information over the phone or email when you receive unsolicited calls or emails.