Dude, my identity has been stolen!!!!!!!!

[talltigeguy]

Today I received 2 different letters asking for verification of things. One from Dell financial services wanting to verify a recent purchase, and another from Chase credit card wanting to thank me for my credit card application, but that they needed a utility statement to prove my physical address.

I have done neither of those things.

I called both of them and let them know that my information was used fraudulently, and they assured me that they would take care of it. Interestingly enough, the Dell financial services asked for my SSN, and I did not give it to them, not knowing for sure who I was even talking to as that I got the phone number off of the letter. I just repeated the account number on the letter I got and let them know I have not made any Dell purchases. The Chase people seemed to be more sensitive that I had no idea if the initial letter I received was a fraud and did not ask for such information.

Now I am worried that someone is out there with my information and is trying to scam all sorts of things from various companies and trash my credit or worse, and waste all of my time trying to clarify the mess that is created.

Just last month I ran a free credit report and things looked good. Who knows, that is probably when my information got stolen. I will be sure to watch my existing accounts, but I cannot watch the entire planet for things I do not even know are out there.

As of right now, all that I can think of doing is running another credit report and see if there are other companies that were not as wary, and might have given credit or goods to the perpetrators.

Any suggestions?

[Waterski-Rebel]

That sucks!!

I've heard that you can freeze your credit every 3 months, so there is no way someone can borrow, or get a credit card in your name without you being notified first. I've thought about doing it, but never got around to it. With this economy, it might not be a bad idea.

[sparky216]

Yes, I've been hit twice.


Contact Experian, Equifax, and Transunion and have a freeze placed on your credit profile because of idenity theft. Contact the police (if there is theft) and get a police case number. You can use this to your advantage with the credit reporting sites and with your bank god forbid they take your money like they did to me. I also had cell phones opened under my name, so call every credit card company you have and close the account and get a new account number, I'd do the same with your checking and savings too. I had my savings and checking wiped clean in less than a day, so be proactive.

Request a copy of your credit bureau report and look for unknown inquiries or approved credit. Request a statement be placed on your record that no further credit be approved unless you are contacted directly before approval is granted.

Here is some more info from a website:

Make an identity theft affidavit. The Federal Trade Commission has an official identity theft affidavit that you can use to alert different companies, including the major credit bureaus, your credit card companies, your banks, and so on. You can download the affidavit at www.consumer.gov/idtheft. Make plenty of copies for yourself.

Contact the police. File a police report and keep several copies. You may need to send copies to credit bureaus, creditors, collectors, banks, and so on.

Cancel your credit cards, ATM cards, and phone cards. Notify your bank of the problem and close all existing bank accounts.

Call the credit bureaus. Ask the credit bureaus to issue a fraud alert and attach a statement to your report. Also, be sure to get copies of your credit report from each of the credit bureaus. You can ask that the reports be free-of charge because you believe they contain inaccurate information due to fraud.

Report stolen checks. Contact your bank and the following agencies:

Certegy: 800-437-5120
TeleCheck: 800-710-9898
TeleCheck (merchant services): 800-366-1054.
Review your Social Security earnings statement. Look for evidence that your Social Security number has been used fraudulently. Get a copy of your Social Security Earnings and Benefit Statement and look for earnings for jobs you’ve never had.

If someone is using your driver's license number fraudulently, obtain a new number. You should be prepared to show proof of theft and damage.

Take control. Most important, you need to take control of the situation and not waste time waiting for someone else to step up and help you. Vigilance is essential. Do not pay bills that you are not responsible for. Be persistent with police, credit bureaus, credit card companies, and banks. Continue to call and write letters. Keep track of your efforts to stop the theft and reverse the damage.


Good luck, it's going to take a lot of time and effort, but it shouldn't cost you a dime!

[talltigeguy]

Yes, I've been hit twice.


Contact Experian, Equifax, and Transunion and have a freeze placed on your credit profile because of idenity theft. Good luck, it's going to take a lot of time and effort, but it shouldn't cost you a dime!

Can I do that online?

I have checked all of my other accounts and they look OK. So far....

[Tanner]

Before doing anything online.... make sure your comp. is clean.

I recently got a nasty little trojan. I went to sign into paypal ... when I did, it forwarded me to this spoof page with this screen asking for my information including my ATM and pin #. Very professional looking, and looked just like a real paypal page. It asked me to update my password, account, Social, Birth day, etc. It also happened on my ameritrade account. I couldn't find any other pages that it did it on. But never the less it was there.... and my virus def. were up to date and a recent scan had been completed. I found the little sucker in my registry on my own. So I got rid of it... and it moved on me. Made 5 other attempts to get rid of it... and couldn't. After working with McAfee and exchanging a few e-mails and adding it to their definitions, we finally got it... I think... but it didn't matter b/c my harddrive needed to be replaced.... so I just did that.

[sparky216]

Can I do that online?

I have checked all of my other accounts and they look OK. So far....

I called them, but you may be able to do it online. For matters as serious as this, I prefer to speak to someone live......


Remember, your accounts may be fine now, but in two months when you've forgotten all about this is when they will clean you out. If you think your identity has been compromised, then change them all. TRUST ME, it will save you so much time in the future god forbid they hit again.


Good luck!

[Domsz06]

Hope it all works out Tall. My brother had this happen and he did everything sparky recommended. Good Luck!!

[dogbert]

Great info, Sparky!

Tall, man that sucks.

[TeamAllen]

Sorry to read about your problem Tall.
I have a link to a radio guy (Clark Howard) I used to listen to. Our local station doesn't carry his program anymore. I miss it. This linked page is about a credit freeze. Sparky covered all anyway, I just thought I would add another source of info.

Good luck!

http://clarkhoward.com/topics/credit_freeze_states.html

[jwanck11]

Good Luck Tall!! You da man Sparky!

[Stoneman]

Although getting in front of it is a great idea...it will also be a major headache (although admittedly less than if your identity truly was stolen.) Before you make a decision, be sure that these letters were not fakes (a common scam) and nothing more than a first attempt at stealing your ID. I say this because it seems as though the first thing they wanted was your SSN, etc which is how they start to steal your identity. If you didn't give it to them and nothing else has shown up on your credit reports or other accounts, you may be safe.

[Lucky 275]

That stinks. My wife got a call last week on her cell phone, they left a message saying that our bank account was shut down because of some erratic behavior and to call the 800# immediately. She didn't call the 800#, but called the local # and the attendant said they had been getting calls all day about this.

It was scam. The scammers just picked that bank and called a bunch of random #'s, and we happen to have an account there. After speaking with the bank, she called that 800# to see what it was. It was automated and wanted account # and ss# for verification...

[talltigeguy]

Although getting in front of it is a great idea...it will also be a major headache (although admittedly less than if your identity truly was stolen.) Before you make a decision, be sure that these letters were not fakes (a common scam) and nothing more than a first attempt at stealing your ID. I say this because it seems as though the first thing they wanted was your SSN, etc which is how they start to steal your identity. If you didn't give it to them and nothing else has shown up on your credit reports or other accounts, you may be safe.

Stoneman,

That is what I was thinking as well. The 'Dell' people who asked for my SSN were a little shaky. The Chase credit card people did not ask for that information and seemed more sensitive to the fact that I had no way of knowing if the letter was a scam. So I am leaning toward this being the real deal, but it could just be someone out fishing. Nothing new came in the mail today...

Credit freeze almost sounds like something that we should all do anyway. Especially since I am at a stage of my life where I am not applying for stuff all the time anyway.

[sparky216]

Although getting in front of it is a great idea...it will also be a major headache (although admittedly less than if your identity truly was stolen.) Before you make a decision, be sure that these letters were not fakes (a common scam) and nothing more than a first attempt at stealing your ID. I say this because it seems as though the first thing they wanted was your SSN, etc which is how they start to steal your identity. If you didn't give it to them and nothing else has shown up on your credit reports or other accounts, you may be safe.

Good point, but having been there I would still air on the side of caution. If you even think something is fishy please be proactive. What was the number Dell gave you, my brother is a Dell exec......I can find out if it's legit.

[sparky216]

Good Luck Tall!! You da man Sparky!

hehe...no just been there a few times and hate....HATE to see good people get screwed over.