More than 27 million Americans have experienced identity theft and that number is increasing daily.  Identity theft and indentity fraud is a problem and it has created challenges for people all over Knox County regardless where we live or what we do for a living.  Each year hundreds of home buyers have me help them get preapproved for mortgage financing and in dozens of cases each year we find incorrect items show up on home buyers credit reports that.  In many cases we can resolve these items quickly but there are cases where these incorrectly reported credit challenges actually prevent a buyer from buying their dream home for months and in often times years.  In most cases these problems can be avoided and there are safety steps you can take that will help protect you and your family.  Here are some tips that will help protect Apple Valley property owners:

Report late or stolen checks immediately.  Your bank can block payment on them if they are  notified in advance.

Notify your banker of suspicious phone inquires or e-mails relating to your accounts.

Closely guard your ATM card and personal identification number and ATM receipts.

Shred any financing solicitations and bank statements before placing them into the trash.

Put outgoing mail into a secure, official postal service collection box.

If regular bills fail to reach you, call the company immediately to find out why.

If your bills include questionable items, don't ignore them.  Instead, investigate immediately to head off any possible fraud.

At least once a year you should contact a major credit reporting company to review your credit report and make certain the information is correct. 

Credit Reporting Bureaus:

Equifax (www.equifax.com)    Order a credit report at 1-800-685-1111

Experian (www.experian.com)  Order a credit report at 1-888-397-3742

TransUnion (www.transunion.com)  Order a credit report at 1-800-888-4213.

Feel free to contact The Sam Miller Team at (740) 397-7800 or 1-800-282-9096.  We can save you time, money and we have systems and programs that help eliminate the frustration commonly associated with buying a home.

Sincerely,


Sam Miller