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Yes. You can reduce the chances of credit fraud happening to you.

Equifax has a product called My Credit Alert which may be useful to help detect and prevent identity theft. Identity theft is when a person takes your identity details – such as your name, credit card number, or any other identifying information, without your permission and then uses your identity to obtain credit (i.e. to open accounts, take out loans, buy cars etc.).

My Credit Alert will notify you within 24 hours via email, with details of who is accessing your credit file and the purpose of this access.

Other steps to protect your identity:

1. File a report with your local police station.
2. Obtain a copy of your credit file to confirm if someone has used your identity.
3. Contact the credit providers directly and inform them of the fraudulent activity, otherwise they will hold you liable and responsible for any bad debt incurred. Close any accounts that have been interfered with or opened fraudulently.
4. Call and report the matter to each Credit Reporting Agency within New Zealand to notify them so that they can update their records.

Remember, identity theft can happen to anyone.

We recommend you regularly check your credit file. You can manage your credit reporting information throughout the year with My Credit Alert which includes your credit report and credit alerts.

You can find out more about all of our services on our Products page.