Veterans

Military personnel and veterans can also protect themselves against ID theft by monitoring their credit reports to determine if someone has applied for or obtained credit in their name. Provisions in the FCRA provide Arizonans with the opportunity to receive free copies of their credit reports once a year from each of the national credit reporting companies listed above.

To obtain the credit reports at no cost, consumers can contact a centralized source:

Telephone: (877) 322-8228
Online: www.annualcreditreport.com
Mail: Complete the Annual Credit Report Request Form available at www.ftc.gov and mail to:

Annual Credit Report Request Service
P.O. Box 105281
Atlanta, GA 30348-5281

More information on consumer fraud issues and ID theft prevention can be found on this Web site and in the Identity Theft Repair Kit.

If you think that you have been a victim of identity theft or any consumer scam, you should first contact the company in writing and specifically request the relief that you feel is appropriate. You may also file a complaint with the Arizona Attorney General's Office (be sure to mention that you are a veteran, active duty personnel or military dependent):

• File an online complaint
• Print a complaint form, fill it out and mail it to us with photocopies of supporting documents
• Contact us by phone or mail for information and/or a complaint form

• PHOENIX
  OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
  Consumer Information and Complaints 
  2005 N Central Ave 
  Phoenix, Arizona 85004 
  (602) 542-5763 or 
  (800) 352-8431 (outside of the Phoenix Metro Area)
  consumerinfo@azag.gov
   
• TUCSON
  OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
  Consumer Information and Complaints 
  400 West Congress 
  South Building, Suite 315 
  Tucson, Arizona 85701-1367 
  (520) 628-6504 or 
  (800) 352-8431
  consumerinfo@azag.gov

MILITARY AND VETERANS HOTLINE (866) 879-5219

Because this Office receives thousands of complaints per year, not all of them can be fully investigated. However, you should receive a response to your complaint within two to three weeks. Many complaints result in Attorney General enforcement actions against companies or merchants. An enforcement action sometimes results in civil penalties, attorneys’ fees and refunds to affected consumers.

The Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) provides active duty personnel with an opportunity to place an “active duty alert” on their credit reports in an effort to reduce identity theft during periods of deployment. This alert requires a business or financial institution to verify that the person applying for credit is not an imposter. Military personnel should contact any of the following three national credit reporting companies to place the “active duty alert”:

• Equifax
  (800) 685-1111
• Experian
  (800) 290-5195
• TransUnion
  (888) 909-8872

The “active duty alert” stays in effect for one year, unless the individual or his or her personal representative requests that it be removed before the year expires.

The Attorney General is dedicated to ensuring that veterans receive the benefits they have earned. The office provides numerous resources and guides, including a hotline devoted to those who have served, useful pre- and post- deployment information and valuable tools aimed at helping veterans.