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Identity6 min read

The §605B block: identity theft's fastest remedy

When you file an FTC report, bureaus must block resulting items within 4 business days. It's faster than a §611 investigation and legally cleaner.

§605B is the FCRA provision no one talks about — and it's the fastest identity theft remedy on the books. File an FTC report, notify the bureaus, and they must block the resulting entries within 4 business days. No §611 investigation, no back-and-forth. Just gone.

The prerequisites

You need a filed FTC IdentityTheft.gov report (this is free and takes about 20 minutes).

You need proof of your identity — usually a copy of your ID and one utility bill or bank statement.

You need a written statement that the accounts in question are the result of identity theft.

The 4-business-day window

Under §605B(a), the CRA must block reporting of the identified information within 4 business days of receipt of the affidavit and ID proof.

This is dramatically faster than the 30-day §611 investigation window. It's also legally cleaner — the CRA is not adjudicating anything, they're taking a mandatory block action.

The follow-through

Once bureau entries are blocked, notify the furnishers directly with the same affidavit. They have their own obligations under §623.

Extend the process to ChexSystems, Early Warning, and LexisNexis — they operate under the FCRA too.

Consider a §609(e) request for the transaction records associated with the fraudulent accounts. Useful if you're pursuing the thief or reporting to law enforcement.

Statutes & sources cited

  • FCRA §605B — block of information resulting from identity theft
  • FCRA §609(e) — transaction records for identity theft victims
  • FTC IdentityTheft.gov — official affidavit form

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