If you believe your identity has been stolen and a fraudulent unemployment claim has been filed on your behalf, here are some steps you can take to protect yourself:

1. Change passwords on your email, banking, and other personal accounts.
2. 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.
3. Get a copy of your credit report and dispute any fraudulent transactions. You can request credit reports online from the 3major credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, and Transunion) or by calling (877) 322-8228.
4. Place a credit freeze with each of the 3 major credit reporting agencies. Call each of the credit reporting agencies at these phone numbers or visit their websites to freeze your credit.

a. Equifax: 800-349-9960 or freeze your credit online.

b. Experian: 888-397-3742 or freeze your credit online.

c. TransUnion: 888-909-8872 or freeze your credit online.

5. Place a fraud alert on your credit file. You can do this by contacting just 1 of the credit agencies to add an alert with all 3agencies.

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

7. Visit the Arkansas Attorney General’s website to learn more about how to protect your credit.

Courtesy of Arkansas Division of Workforce Services.