How can a consumer remove or extend a fraud alert on their file?

• A. By contacting the credit bureau to request removal or extension and providing required documentation; the bureaus coordinate updates with other bureaus
• B. By requesting a temporary extension from a bank
• C. By simply sending a letter to the credit bureau with no documentation
• D. By filing a police report with the FBI

Answer: (A)

Fraud alerts are handled by the credit reporting agencies, and you place or extend one by contacting a bureau and providing verification. When you request an alert be placed or extended, that bureau updates your file and then notifies the other two bureaus so the change appears on all three reports. To remove or extend, you provide the required verification and documentation; for a standard fraud alert, this is usually identity verification, and for an extended fraud alert due to identity theft you may need an identity theft affidavit or a police report. Once verified, the bureau coordinates the update across the other bureaus. The other options don’t fit because a bank cannot approve or extend a fraud alert, a simple letter without documentation isn’t enough, and filing a police report with the FBI isn’t how the alert process works—police reports can support a claim of identity theft but aren’t the mechanism for placing or removing alerts.