Consider this my PSA for the day, month, year… Whatever.

We hear people say “check your credit report often” but few of us ever listen.  Please let me tell you first-hand that this is good advice.  Some organizations say that you should check your credit report at least once a year to ensure that your identity has not been stolen or that credit cards have not been opened in your name.

Personally, I check my credit report at least once every six months, if not more.  Two weeks ago, I checked my fiance’s credit report as well as my own.  Had I not done this, I would not have found that someone had opened several accounts in my fiance’s name, totaling nearly $38,000.

Luckily, we caught it early enough, and we have been fortunate enough to have the full co-operation of the Colonie Police Department, the three major credit reporting agencies, and each of the credit card companies with whom accounts were opened.  We have quite a long road ahead of us, but we remain optimistic that we will get everything worked out.

For more information on credit card fraud and identity theft, check out the Federal Trade Commission’s website.