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Ascend Advisory Group Identity Theft Checklist:

Updated: Dec 21, 2022



Over 15 million people in the US experience identity theft every single year. This theft results in $50 billion in financial losses over the year, which equates to 4.5% of all US residents, with an average loss of $3,500 (1). In the event of a suspected or known identity theft, here is a brief checklist that will help better protect you and your family against potential losses:


  • Contact Ascend Advisory Group (Wells Fargo Advisors) – 614-784-6000

    • Report any new accounts that were opened.


  • Report any suspected activity on all of your accounts, including checking, savings, credit cards, brokerage accounts, and loan originators

    • Confirm your contact information is accurate and no new accounts, cards, or loans, have been opened in your name


  • Close accounts that have been compromised


  • Change your online usernames and passwords

    • Have them be unique to each login location.

    • Do not include personal information such as your name, phone number, or email address in your username or password.

    • Use numbers and special characters in your username and password.


  • Place a fraud alert or credit freeze on your credit report

    • Contact one of the three credit bureaus. The bureau you contact will notify the others to add the fraud alert or credit freezes to your report.

      • Fraud alerts and credit freezes are free to put into place and it will require creditors to verify your identity before opening any new accounts in your name or making any changes to existing accounts.

      • Equifax: 1-800-525-6285 (www.equifax.com)

      • Experian: 1-888-397-3742 (www.experian.com)

      • TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289 (www.transunion.com)


  • Monitor your credit

    • Request a free copy of your credit report from one of the bureaus or www.annualcreditreport.com

      • If you notice incorrect information you believe to be fraudulent, file a dispute with the applicable credit reporting agencies.

      • Identity theft resolutions can take considerable time to be fully resolved, therefore continue to be diligent and frequently monitor your credit.


  • Contact other creditors

    • Contact other companies to let them know of the potential fraud.

      • Such as: credit card companies, utility and phone/internet providers, bank, lenders, and other financial institutions.



  • File a report with your local police department

    • A police report provides proof of criminal activity which may help when contacting creditors to dispute charges or accounts opened in your name. Make sure to obtain a copy of the police report for your own records.


  • Report the criminal activity to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

    • Call 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338) to speak with a qualified identity theft counselor.

    • This can also be done online at www.identitytheft.gov


  • Contact the other State and Federal agencies as appropriate


  1. Continue to diligently monitor all of your accounts!


Links to external content have been provided for your convenience, but Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network does not endorse and is not responsible for the content, links, privacy policy, or security policy of these websites.


This information is intended for use only by residents of (AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, NC, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI, WV). Please consult with each individual Financial Advisor listed on this site to understand what states they are licensed to transact business. For parties residing outside of the U.S., this information is: (i) provided for informational purposes only, (ii) not and should not be construed in any manner as an offer to participate in any investment or to buy or sell any securities or related financial instruments, and (iii) not and should not be construed in any manner as a public offering of any financial services, securities or related financial instruments. Investment products and services are offered through Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC (WFAFN). Wells Fargo Advisors is the trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC and WFAFN, Members SIPC, separate registered broker-dealers and non-bank affiliates of Wells Fargo & Company. Any other referenced entity is a separate entity from WFAFN.


CAR: 1022-02083


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