Identity theft - new question about protection
3katz4me
last year
last modified: 12 months ago
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Allison0704
last yearmaire_cate
last yearlast modified: last yearRelated Discussions
Identity Theft/E-mail question
Comments (2)jewels- I assume you are actively dealing with the identity theft because it can cause many long-term problems. A while back a friend passed on some useful information concerning what to do in case of loss of a wallet or purse. I'm sure you have done all this, but I thought I'd post it to help others who are in the same situation: WHAT TO DO IF YOU LOSE YOUR PURSE OR WALLET We've all heard horror stories about fraud that's committed using your name, address, SS#, credit, etc. Unfortunately I (the author of this piece) have firsthand knowledge, because my wallet was stolen last month and within a week the thieve(s) ordered an expensive monthly cell phone package, applied for a VISA credit card, had a credit line approved to buy a Gateway computer, received a PIN number from DMV to change my driving record information online, and more. But here's some critical information to limit the damage in case this happens to you or someone you know. As everyone always advises, cancel your credit cards immediately, but the key is having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so you know who to call. Keep those where you can find them easily (having to hunt for them is additional stress you WON'T need at that point!). File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where it was stolen, this proves to credit providers you were diligent, and is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one). But here's what is perhaps most important: call the three national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and SS#. This will help prevent identity theft, which can be a much bigger headache than all of the other stuff combined. I had never heard of doing that until advised by a bank that called to tell me an application for credit was made over the Internet in my name. The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit. By the time I was advised to do this - almost 2 weeks after the theft all the damage had been done (there are records of all the credit checks initiated by the thieves' purchases, none of which I knew about before placing the alert). Since then, no additional damage has been done, and the thieves threw my wallet away this weekend (someone turned it in). It seems to have stopped them in their tracks. The numbers are: Equifax 1-800-525-6285 Experian (formerly TRW) 1-800-301-7195 Trans Union 1-800-680-7289 Social Security Administration also has a fraud line at 1-800-269-0271...See MoreQuick question regarding construction site theft
Comments (14)Our builder just had an entire pallet of GAF shingles stolen from a neighboring property. He added theft insurance to his existing builders risk policy for our build. The insurance agent he worked with said in the last few months the theft claims have skyrocketed. In the case of the shingles, this was definitely on the builders tab, not the homeowners. I have noticed things like ladders and tools are now chained to something. My mother-in-law is building as well and her builder put a door with a lock on one of the interior rooms and that is where the workmen lock their tools up at night. Around our "safe" little town, we've had a string of thefts from unlocked cars and unlocked doors in the last few months. It is too bad that everything has to be locked these days, but I suppose it is a sign of the times....See MoreIdentity Theft-Countrywide Home Loan
Comments (10)Was the notice sent through U.S. Mail, or was it an email? My first concern would be that this is a scam designed to get you to click on some link and input your credit card data supposedly to "protect" it, but what you'd really be doing is putting it into a thief's website. If you have not done so yet, call Countrywide and verify that this is actually something which has occurred. Do not click on any links in email messages you may have received, and do not call the numbers written on the notice you got. Call Countrywide at a customer service number printed on your statement or somewhere else that you can be sure that you're really calling them and not someone else. My concern arises from the fact that, if this did occur, I would think they would suggest a very definite course of action, and would assign someone to work with you on it. I do not think an acceptable solution would be to offer you free "credit watch" protection when one of their own employees has stolen your personal data. If you find that this really did occur, go to Annualcreditreport.com (link below) and pull your three credit reports right away. Contact your credit card issuers and advise them of what has happened; they will probably cancel your current cards and issue new ones with new numbers. In addition, save all correspondence related to this in case legal action is required later. Here is a link that might be useful: AnnualCreditReport.com...See MoreIdentity Theft
Comments (16)Although it's annoying, this really isn't what's called identity theft. I know people who were victim of true identity theft, where someone actually assumed the person's identity, not just made a one-time use of a card or something, and the results are usually devastating to the person. You can't buy anything with a credit card, you can't get/keep a checking account, bank accounts can be frozen, retirement funds can be affected, your job is often impacted and you even risk losing it, your driver license is affected, insurance of all types and way more happens with an identity theft. That's some bad stuff. I've had fraudulent use of my credit card attempted before. And I applaud the cc company for being on top of it. Sad part is with the way things are now, we don't completely control our private data. Banks, employers, stores, health people, pharmacies, hospitals, insurance companies and many others are in possession of the data and we see on the news seemingly weekly where someone is broken into and robbed of sensitive data on millions of people....See Moredeegw
last yearlast modified: last yearAlly De
12 months agoLars
12 months agoOutsidePlaying
12 months ago3katz4me
12 months ago3katz4me
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