Identity Theft (they finally got me)

[Jim1392]

Based upon the fact that you posted this under the same username in a state specific firearms forum, which lists your name and your hometown, if a client wanted to find you, and paid me, I could have the same information in about five minutes. You’re not really that careful. Just based on a simple free public google search, I know your first and last name and the city you live in. You can verify it by searching yourself . .

How many Jim's do you think are in my hometown? My last name and address and nowhere on my posts. You would have to do some digging to find out who I am. I tried what you said and they ask for a last name. I did go and take my hometown out of my profile if that helps.

 

[Jim1392]

When they opened the accounts, they had to deposit some money. Did you get the funds when the accounts were closed?

No, I'm assuming when I called the bank they shut the accounts down. I guess I could have went to the bank and closed the accounts and taken the money but Jail at my age just doesn't seem like something I want to experience.

 

[steelslaver]

Lots of ID theft starts in personnel dept. They got lots of your information. Then there is the payroll dept and lots of companies now farm that out.

I got a check the other day from some class action lawsuit, I knew nothing about for somewhere around $30. I was thinking that if someone mass mailed a lot of low dollar checks they wouuld be able to collect up on some of your info when they got the returned check.

Another is handing the waitress your card. She, or the till person can swipe it on a reader and save it.

Your medical stuff and some of your insurance stuff has your SS number and other information. An enterprising secretary, janitor or the like could copy some of it.

 

[Jim1392]

I'm still wondering what the idea of opening a 2 savings accounts is about? I can't figure out what the purpose is when if you have the information to do this why not just buy something or borrow money in my name??

 

[bigwheelzip]

How many Jim's do you think are in my hometown? My last name and address and nowhere on my posts. You would have to do some digging to find out who I am. I tried what you said and they ask for a last name. I did go and take my hometown out of my profile if that helps.

Muss is right.
Starting with nothing but your screen name, Google instantly offered up your name and the names of many in your family, and your current (lovely home btw ) and previous addresses, also multiple telephone numbers, etc.
It's the same for almost everyone. Computer searches cross reference most of us.

 

[bigwheelzip]

I'm still wondering what the idea of opening a 2 savings accounts is about? I can't figure out what the purpose is when if you have the information to do this why not just buy something or borrow money in my name??

But what if a crook opens a bank account in your name instead? Perhaps the thief has plans to bounce checks or overdraft the account at your expense.

That account likely will not appear on your credit reports. Instead, it will show up on your checking account reports. If you don’t know to check those reports, you may not realize the fraudulent bank account exists until long after the damage is done.

 

[glenwolde]

I haven't had a problem in a long time. There's plenty you can do to minimize the damage.

1. Have a separate email address for financial accounts that you don't use anywhere else. Ever. I don't even forward it to my main account. If somebody got into your main account they might find it. I just set up notifications for that mail. Set up 2-step/factor authentication for your email. Authenticator apps are good too. If you're really worried get a second phone number just for financial accounts.

2. Use different usernames for financial accounts that you don't use with any other account. After all, usernames are like a second password.

3. Use a complicated password. I use a base word, like maybe "P1zza@" followed by a six digit number that is derived from a mathematical equation. So say for example you take the first four letters of the account's website and convert it to numeric using a phone keypad. "Schwab.com" would be 7249 for "Schw". Then invent some more. Anything. Divide by the fourth digit of your phone number. Take the square root of that and drop the decimal. Whatever. Just something you can remember and work out using your phone.

4. Keep separate accounts at separate institutions. A breach of one doesn't leave you broke for the months it will take to fix it. Set up every text/email notification they'll let you, and pay attention to them.


I had my original yahoo email compromised in one of the many data breaches years ago. I still occasionally get a request to verify my login that I didn't initiate from the two-factor authentication.

I did have somebody take over my Walmart account. I got an email from them thanking me for registering my gift card. I hadn't. I called them and when the guy looked at my account he said there were hundreds of gift cards registered to my account. Each worth less than a dollar. He asked if he could kill my account and blacklist my compromised yahoo address. Yes please. Now that sounded like an inside job.

If the email address you use for this forum is the same as your bank, they have part of what they need.

 

[wood714]

It really doesn’t. I was just pointing out how easy it was for someone who wanted to do it to find the information. How you become a target isn’t my concern. If you want to pay me to find it, then we’re in business. But regardless, it’s out there. Just depends on how much you want to pay . . .

Surprising the info you can find from someone's username.

 

[Jim1392]

Well I went down to my local PD and attempted to make a report of identity theft. They said unless there's a monetary loss they don't take reports. I said how do I prove that all the other accounts that they might open were not me without a report, and he said to watch my bank accounts. When I asked him if stealing my identity wasn't a crime he sort of stuttered and said not unless I suffer a monetary loss. He said that they get attempts all the time.

 

[Jon651]

I'm probably one of the most careful person in the world with my personal information but somehow they got me. I shred everything and check my banking accounts twice a day, once in the morning, and again in the evening. Well I went to my mail box today and found 2 letters from Sun Trust thanking me for opening up two savings accounts. I immediately called the bank and they confirmed they were opened in my name. They referred me to their fraud department where I filed a report. Then I went to Equifax and TransUnion and put a freeze on my credit reports. The strange part is I already had a freeze on Experian so I can't figure out how they opened these accounts. The lucky part for me was when I get mailings from banks and credit card companies I usually just tear them up and shred them not even bothering to open them and read them. So today I have no idea why I opened them up but I'm sure glad I did. You can bet from now on I'll be opening and reading everything before I shred it. The only thing now that really bothers me now is I know someone has ALL my personal information, SS, DOB, address and all.

PUT A FREEZE ON YOUR CREIDIT REPORTS WITH ALL THREE CREDIT BUREAUS IMMEDIATELY! Sorry for yelling but I needed to make this point as strongly as I could because this is critical and time sensitive. Doing so will prevent anybody else from doing anything including open a new credit line, loan or account in your name without you being contacted and answering the security questions. If whomever has your info does this before you do it yourself could realty mess you up.

Please act quickly!

 

[hittman77]

PUT A FREEZE ON YOUR CREIDIT REPORTS WITH ALL THREE CREDIT BUREAUS IMMEDIATELY! Sorry for yelling but I needed to make this point as strongly as I could because this is critical and time sensitive. Doing so will prevent anybody else from doing anything including open a new credit line, loan or account in your name without you being contacted and answering the security questions.

This is wrong in almost every respect.

Freezing your credit is not a one-size-fits-all solution.
It will not keep you from becoming a credit fraud or ID theft victim.
It does not come without costs and labor and monitoring on your end.

The last sentence in particular is really bad information.

 

[Jon651]

This is wrong in almost every respect.

Freezing your credit is not a one-size-fits-all solution.
It will not keep you from becoming a credit fraud or ID theft victim.
It does not come without costs and labor and monitoring on your end.

The last sentence in particular is really bad information.

You are right that it is not a one size solution, but it does prevent anyone from pulling a credit report without you approval for a new account or loan or credit card. Sorry, but you are absolutely wrong in saying you must pay for this service - it is federally mandated as free. Yes they will try to sell you these services but placing a freeze is completely free. You DO NOT need to pay for monitoring to place or remove a freeze at all. Everyone is eligible for one free credit report per bureau per year as well - Annual Credit Report.com - Home Page

 

[hittman77]

If your time is worth anything, there is a cost associated with freezing your credit.

Many (most?) ID thefts and credit frauds happen without access to your credit report. Nobody is pretending to be you and visiting a bank or credit union to complete an application for credit. The "cloud" is not our friend.

Once the freeze is in place, you basically have no credit. If you want to take advantage of a credit opportunity you'll need to thaw out your credit report. I'm not sure that is free. And wait until your auto or homeowners insurance comes up for renewal and they try to access your credit report. Wonder what happens then?

People get a false sense of security by freezing their credit. And freezing it is not without potential pitfalls and time and labor on the part of the consumer. It's just too much work for too little reward.

 

[hittman77]

Doing so will prevent anybody else from doing anything

This is an over simplification and simply not true.

Lets say your credit is frozen.
You shop at Kohls using your credit card.
Their data processor is hacked and your info is used elsewhere.
The freeze helped you how?
Not at all.

 

[sigp220.45]

Well I went down to my local PD and attempted to make a report of identity theft. They said unless there's a monetary loss they don't take reports. I said how do I prove that all the other accounts that they might open were not me without a report, and he said to watch my bank accounts. When I asked him if stealing my identity wasn't a crime he sort of stuttered and said not unless I suffer a monetary loss. He said that they get attempts all the time.

You can report it here: Internet Crime Complaint Center(IC3) | Home Page

At least there will be a record of it.

 

[Onomea]

Jon651 and Hittman77, please keep it up, your informed discussion about the efficacy of freezing credit reports. It is useful info for those of us who do not spend much time thinking about it, but who would like to be secure, but are too lazy to look into it ourselves.

It is really, sincerely, helpful

 

[Neversink n Klapperthal]

Muss, are you saying that allowing one's full name and address to be public knowledge sets up an identity theft risk in and of itself?

Aren't most people listed on internet white pages, or in tax records as owners of property, etc?

if that were the case,a telephone directory would be a gold mine

 

[Jon651]

If your time is worth anything, there is a cost associated with freezing your credit.

Many (most?) ID thefts and credit frauds happen without access to your credit report. Nobody is pretending to be you and visiting a bank or credit union to complete an application for credit. The "cloud" is not our friend.

Once the freeze is in place, you basically have no credit. If you want to take advantage of a credit opportunity you'll need to thaw out your credit report. I'm not sure that is free. And wait until your auto or homeowners insurance comes up for renewal and they try to access your credit report. Wonder what happens then?

People get a false sense of security by freezing their credit. And freezing it is not without potential pitfalls and time and labor on the part of the consumer. It's just too much work for too little reward.

This information is unfortunately misleading. First and foremost it does not limit your credit. You credit is still intact and does not change because of a freeze. What it does is require an extra step for anyone, including yourself, to open a new line of credit, get a loan, a new credit card, etc. Surely that extra security step is worth the five minutes of your time in order to prevent someone else from doing so.

Your insurance company will not have any problems either because they aren't loaning you any new money based on your credit. Same goes for your bank, current credit card or mortgage companies, etc. that routinely pull a report on you every year. These things have already been worked out. A freeze protects you by not allowing any new credit to be opened in your name by anyone who can't lift it.

While a freeze does not prevent ID theft (nothing does), it is a CREDIT security tool not an ID security tool. Yes the crooks still could have opened the savings accounts the OP mentioned, but No they could not have been granted a loan or issued a new credit card without unfreezing his credit. I've had to unfreeze my credit before and it takes 5-10 minutes on the phone - all the major lenders know about this and will work with you to get it done. You will undoubtedly spend more time one hold when ordering Chinese food than you will unfreezing your credit.

And finally, permanently or even temporarily unfreezing your credit costs NOTHING but your time. It is federally mandated. If I was on my PC and not my tablet I would repost the direct links to each credit bureau to freeze\unfreeze your report, but they are in an earlier thread where this is discussed. If possible I will do so later.

 

[Muss Muggins]

Surprising the info you can find from someone's username.

Yup. My Twitter handle pops up right away, and that can lead to several other places. It's also the name I use on GunBroker. Several members here know my real name, and I don't care what they do with it. But I'm not concerned about identity theft, and I don't lose sleep over what somebody can find on the interweb. The Chinese have had the results of all of my federal security clearance background checks for years.

 

[Jon651]

This is an over simplification and simply not true.

Lets say your credit is frozen.
You shop at Kohls using your credit card.
Their data processor is hacked and your info is used elsewhere.
The freeze helped you how?
Not at all.

Answer: When the crooks go to open up a Visa card in your name they will not be able to because they cannot lift your credit freeze.

When the crooks try to get a 2nd mortgage or home equity line of credit on your house using your stolen info they will be unable to because they cannot lift your freeze.

Even if the crooks try to increase your line of credit on the Kohl's charge account they hacked they will be unable to because they cannot lift your freeze.

Kohls does not have the info to lift your freeze. Only YOU can lift the freeze to do any of this.