Hi, ODT! I have been having a bit of difficulty of late with identity fraud. So far it has cost me only some time. I am hoping that you can avoid the potential impact of criminals that may try to target you.
Someone as been applying for credit in my name. The first time, they managed to get the account started, then they logged on to the account and added an authorized user. I got alerted when the card arrived. I contacted the company (American Express) and got the account closed. According to the investigator, the thief tries to change access to the account and use the account before the card arrives. Sometimes they hope to beat the victim to the mailbox to remove any notifications and authorization confirmations. They may submit authorizations and may change the billing address for that account.
A little investigation on my part turned up a common identity for identity theft in my area and an address a few blocks away from my home. I reported the actions to appropriate authorities and have heard nothing since.
Since then, I have recieved notifications from Synchrony Bank (Amazon Card) and even though I contacted the bank immediately, they sent a card. I made the proper notifications/reports and am in the process of correcting my credit report for the fraudualnt application. Today, I got another notification from Synchrony Bank. With help from my fraud alert services, I am making the proper notifications and am awaiting the paperwork to file reports with the police. They have also place a fraud alert on my credit report to notify credit/financial institutions of the attempted identity fraud. I will be keeping an eye on my mailbox to ensure that no cards arrive.
What does this mean to you? If you do not already do it, make sure you check your mail regularly and destroy any unsolicited credit applications, as well as those from your current accounts. Consider a credit alert/watch service. If any of these requests had succeeded, I would be spending allot of time and money to stop the headache and fix the damage to my financial standing. If you feel you cannot afford a service, consider taking advantage of the annual free credit reports from the big three reporting agencies. Do one every four months and you may be able to mitigate damage to your finances.
Another problem I am sure we have all experienced is fraudulent use of our credit and debit numbers. There are many ways to avoid these, but the easiest is to review your account transactions for any entries that are not your's. Its a pain, but when you catch it, it can save you money if you catch it early. I had one card number that was sold and ended up being used by someone to purchase a scam web page in my name. One was taken and sold while I was driving home from Florida. Before I got home, it had been sold to several different people who ran up several thousands of dollars in charges before I even made it home. One was used to rent numerous hotel rooms in California for some Arab guy. Another was used to purchase bulk fuel at a Pilot station in Madison, GA. Each time, I caught the activity within a day of the charge showing up and it cost me nothing but phone time and butt pain time. It happens every year or so, because the market is so easy to exploit.
Just pay attention, consider credit monitoring and you can mitigate most of the butt pain. Stay alert. The predators are looking for the inattentive antelope.
Someone as been applying for credit in my name. The first time, they managed to get the account started, then they logged on to the account and added an authorized user. I got alerted when the card arrived. I contacted the company (American Express) and got the account closed. According to the investigator, the thief tries to change access to the account and use the account before the card arrives. Sometimes they hope to beat the victim to the mailbox to remove any notifications and authorization confirmations. They may submit authorizations and may change the billing address for that account.
A little investigation on my part turned up a common identity for identity theft in my area and an address a few blocks away from my home. I reported the actions to appropriate authorities and have heard nothing since.
Since then, I have recieved notifications from Synchrony Bank (Amazon Card) and even though I contacted the bank immediately, they sent a card. I made the proper notifications/reports and am in the process of correcting my credit report for the fraudualnt application. Today, I got another notification from Synchrony Bank. With help from my fraud alert services, I am making the proper notifications and am awaiting the paperwork to file reports with the police. They have also place a fraud alert on my credit report to notify credit/financial institutions of the attempted identity fraud. I will be keeping an eye on my mailbox to ensure that no cards arrive.
What does this mean to you? If you do not already do it, make sure you check your mail regularly and destroy any unsolicited credit applications, as well as those from your current accounts. Consider a credit alert/watch service. If any of these requests had succeeded, I would be spending allot of time and money to stop the headache and fix the damage to my financial standing. If you feel you cannot afford a service, consider taking advantage of the annual free credit reports from the big three reporting agencies. Do one every four months and you may be able to mitigate damage to your finances.
Another problem I am sure we have all experienced is fraudulent use of our credit and debit numbers. There are many ways to avoid these, but the easiest is to review your account transactions for any entries that are not your's. Its a pain, but when you catch it, it can save you money if you catch it early. I had one card number that was sold and ended up being used by someone to purchase a scam web page in my name. One was taken and sold while I was driving home from Florida. Before I got home, it had been sold to several different people who ran up several thousands of dollars in charges before I even made it home. One was used to rent numerous hotel rooms in California for some Arab guy. Another was used to purchase bulk fuel at a Pilot station in Madison, GA. Each time, I caught the activity within a day of the charge showing up and it cost me nothing but phone time and butt pain time. It happens every year or so, because the market is so easy to exploit.
Just pay attention, consider credit monitoring and you can mitigate most of the butt pain. Stay alert. The predators are looking for the inattentive antelope.
