9 Things To Do When Your Identity Stolen

You might find out that you’ve been a victim of identity theft through a call from a collection agency claiming you have a debt or if you were denied a credit due to a poor credit score.
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  • 0
    Alicia
    As a friend of someone that went thru this recently I can tell you it does make your blood boil that someone has that kind of nerve. Just remember to... know where your bank/credit cards are at all times... know where your check/cheque book is at all times and is up-to-date... monitor your bank account(s) constantly. All this may not directly stop fraud but it may help keep it at bay or to a minimum for what is taken from you. Keep a list of your bank/card/investment/etc... numbers somewhere where you can get to them immediately if you suspect fraud and call these places up and let them know about possible fraud on your accts. Order new cards and cancel all old cards and if possible never write/use check/cheques anymore. OH and don't leave your tax papers anywhere out in the open or anywhere accessible by others. The info on them is priceless! Take time to protect yourself before hand... not after the fraud. Sadly a lot of I.D. theives just get a 'slap on the wrist' for their punishment. DON'T BE A VICTIM!
  • 0
    Chriatina
    So supposedly I am a millionaire in a different state .. Can I collect on it ? Or am I even able to get anthing from it ?
  • 0
    Ismellascam
    PMA time?
    Quote:
    MableofMississippi
    11 min ago | IP: United States
    Hey AliceofCheshire hope you learn from this. Have a nice sitdown and blessings be unto you.
  • 0
    Debbie
    I had credit card numbers---not the actual cards---stolen twice by means that were not my fault.  The first time was over ten years ago, when I believe that a merchant carelessly left paperwork sitting on a counter, with my number printed on it, where anyone passing by could see it.  That was before the wide use of electronic card readers, and hopefully does not happen any more.  I only found out about it after receiving a bill with charges that were not mine.  Then a couple of months ago, someone had apparently installed a keylogger or other malware on a gasoline pump.  When I paid at the pump with my card, they were able to record and retrieve my number for their own use.  Fortunately, the bank was on top of things and froze the card after only one small fraudulent purchase.  I was traveling out of state with only that one card and found out two days later when I tried to use it and it was declined.  That caused me some inconvenience, but it could have been worse.

    Another time, again over ten years ago, someone used my name and address to run up bills.  As far as I know, that is the only information this woman had of mine, which she could have easily gotten from the phone book or any other public record.  When she skipped town, the collection agents started calling me, and at least one of them was quite rude.  He insisted that I mail him a copy of my driver's license and social security card to prove that I was not the person who owed those bills.  My response was that I would not send him any of my personal information because I had no way of knowing he was who he claimed to be.  For all I knew, he could be working with the identity thief.  I asked for the name and phone number of the creditor he was representing, and contacted them directly.  The identity issue was easily cleared up because my SS# was not the same as this woman had apparently used.  Whoever originally extended credit to this woman must not have vetted her very well.  That is their problem, not mine.

    Here is something important to remember:  If you call out to a verified, published phone number, you know who you are speaking to;  if someone calls you, you really do not know if they are who they say they are.  If you give them any personal information, you are asking to be scammed.
  • 0
    Old Native replies to Christy
    Well I have been called for about 6 years by many collection agencies who are looking for the person who apparently had the landline number I now have. Every time I explain they have the wrong number, and the individual they want is not at (my) number they just switch to a different collection agency.  This is incredibly frustrating.  I never give them my name or any information and I have called my State's Office of Attorney General a couple times.  -  I also called the A. G. office when I got a vacation scam; they were very helpful - linked me to a Special Investigator who was also keen to hear my story and info.  I was a bit surprised because the A. G. office has also blown me off on a couple other occasions; like the wrong number issue.   Old Native,  :-)
  • 0
    H8
    I had some one get a hold of all my info about a year or too ago... the only thing they didn't have was my bank info when they called. luckily I had taken down notes the entire time, and my bank was awesome about catching these guys, I gave them all they info and they had done all of the reporting on my behalf due to the nature of the crime and that as I was on the phone with them, right after my debit card was frozen and well nullified, they tried to wipe out my account. they tried to fake being a federal employee/agent (Federal crime).
  • +1
    Knsbbdoll
    My entire family had our IDs stolen by workers in our home - and were very lucky to have even found out about it. I'm sure that there were many other families that these thieves have stolen from who don't even know about it yet.

    A pipe had burst under our house and the water had warped our wood flooring. We went with our insurance company's recommendation and let them choose one company to provide all the services. All of the furniture had to be moved from a large great-room into other rooms throughout the house and we had to move into a hotel for five days. There was a lock box on the home that only the workers had the key to.

    When we moved back into the home, I noticed immediately that all of the drawers seemed to have been gone through, but there didn't seem to be anything missing. The drawers weren't messed up or anything, but there was just something amiss - and I could tell that they weren't the way that I had left them. Even the drawers and shelves in my laundry room had been gone over.

    We were planning to go on a cruise about a month after moving back into the home, and a week before leaving I was getting things together and none of our important papers were where I kept them. That's when it hit me.

    Both of my sons are grown now, one out of college and one was still in medical school at that time. I immediately went to the chest where I kept their baby books and both of their birth certificates were gone! I looked in the antique secretary that had belonged to my grandmother, and the envelope that she had kept the birth certificates of all four of her children, including my mother was empty - the birth certificates gone!

    Also, in the secretary, was the bank note for $50,000 from the 1930s that my great-grandfather had gotten to build houses in the town we live in. I guess it looked like it was worth $50,000 to whoever took it.

    We were lucky, I guess, because we found the theft, and reported it to the police, the insurance company, the company that provided the services and the flooring company, so I think it deterred the thieves from using any of our information, but this company has been in business for many years, and I can't imagine that we are the only ones that they have done this to.

    Anyway, just a precaution ... if you ever have workers in your home, make sure that all of your important papers are locked up in your safe.
  • 0
    Melody Gow replies to Tess
    Yes you can if you use the first name as your initial and middle name spelled out.
  • 0
    alex
    be aware this guy, they are scam,.  many of people was lost a lot of money / they stolen people credit cards and place order online

    vitdirects@hotmail.com

    wecheap@yahoo.com

    Dr Micheal Bommer
    2000 E Broadway, #237.
    Columbia, Missouri, 65201
    United States
    T: 7605159257
    wecheap@yahoo.com
    ip: 199.58.164.113

    -------------------------------------
    wecheap@yahoo.com
    vitdirects@hotmail.com
    -------------------------------------

    John Levins
    602 MARKET ST #212
    FULTON, Missouri, 65251
    United States
    T: 818 796-6524
    vitdirects@hotmail.com
    Ip Address 199.58.164.129
  • 0
    jonanna
    careful this below they are scam

    wecheap@yahoo.com
    ip: 199.58.164.113
  • -1
    donna
    I have encountered similar problem. My account was hacked and my signup information was changed so I couldn't retrieve my account then I asked a friend for an idea and she recommended a Certified Ethical Hacker to help me get my account back which I took a leap of faith by giving him a trial and he got me account back within 24-48hrs. You can contact him via kingzhackx@gmail.com
    if you need to get your account back. Hope this helps.
  • -1
    donna replies to Barbara
    I have encountered similar problem. My account was hacked and my signup information was changed so I couldn't retrieve my account then I asked a friend for an idea and she recommended a Certified Ethical Hacker to help me get my account back which I took a leap of faith by giving him a trial and he got me account back within 24-48hrs. You can contact him via kingzhackx@gmail.com
    if you need to get your account back. Hope this helps.
  • 0
    fed up
    scammer who likes you to stop what you are doing so they can scam you. HANG UP
  • 0
    fed up
    Is this working ???
  • +1
    bob replies to Helio
    | 1 reply
    If you are worried because some of the fraudsters who call you can recite part of your social security number, address or other personal information correctly then do what I did & put a FREEZE on all 3 of your credit reports. Just go to transunion.com, experian.com, & equifax.com. Look for "how to place a credit freeze" or similar phrase, click on it, & follow the instructions. It takes about 10 minutes per website. Two of the 3 sites allowed me to place a freeze FREE OF CHARGE & the one that did charge only cost a few dollars. It only takes a few minutes to suspend your credit freeze when you need to apply for credit (or you need to give someone access to your credit report, like a potential employer) & you can set the freeze to resume on the date of your choice (or not at all). While your credit freeze is active, your current creditors will be able to report your payments as usual but NO ONE WILL BE ABLE TO (1) ACCESS YOUR REPORT OR (2) OPEN NEW CREDIT ACCOUNTS IN YOUR NAME if a credit check is required to open the new account. Your credit score won’t be effected. This is what credit ”locking” agencies that you see advertised on TV (the one that comes to mind has the initials LL) do for you but they charge you monthly. Why pay them to do what you can easily do for yourself? Just remember 2 things: (1) You want to place a credit FREEZE & NOT a fraud alert, & (2) Keep the password each credit agency gives you (or the ones you choose) when you place the freeze in a safe place because you will need them when you want to suspend this service. If you apply for credit really frequently, then a credit freeze may not be for you. But, if you are like me & only apply for credit occasionally, then a credit freeze can help prevent your identity from being stolen & used to open credit accounts in your name even if they have your complete social security number. I put a freeze on my children’s & grandparent’s credit reports to protect them.

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