Your first clue may be a letter or call from a collection agency or store, wanting payment for goods you’ve never heard of. To prevent that scenario, keep an eye on your credit history.. They can notify you whenever someone applies for credit in your name or checks your credit history, so you can see if the activity is legitimate.

The Federal Trade Commission has some great resources for consumers.  You might check their website for information useful to you.  You can Click Here to Download the best Identity Theft publication we could find on that site.  (Note:  It may take a few moments to download this document as it is a very comprehensive publication.)

Well, it's clean up time.  Your credit profile will not imrpove unless you force the issue.  You can do the work yourself using our Self-Help Resources, or you may contact a Credit Repair Professional for assistance. 

It's painful and tedious, but it's almost always more costly to do nothing, than it is to take action to correct the errors on your credit report.