Latest Victim Of Idenity Theft: ME!

[Isaac]

I've talked with innerSpaceman and Gemini Cricket about this already but those of you who haven't heard:

Yesterday evening I received two phone calls from Discover Card and the Huntington Beach Police Dept. I contacted Discover Card who then directed me to the HBPD. The detective I spoke to said that a man named Mohammad was arrested for credit card fraud in Huntington Beach this past weekend after he tried to make charges to my old Discover Card. Among other things, he also had several blank checks of mine, my name change papers, my W-2 form from Jazz Kitchen, and several of my bank statements.

I'll post full details tonight in my 'el jay' (livejournal).

Eesh! Like I need to be worrying about such drama my 2nd day at my new 'old' job.

[DreadPirateRoberts]

ick! I'm sorry to hear that
:(
I'm glad it sounds like they caught him early.

[wendybeth]

Crap! I hope they caught him early on in his game, the bastard. How in the hell did he get all that stuff? I hope you can get this cleared up with minimal damage, but I know from experience that it can be a huge PITA.

[Gemini Cricket]

Totally lame.
I'm glad the sucker got caught.

[€uroMeinke]

Ack! - Any idea how he got a hold of those things?

[blueerica]

Yeah, there's a lot you can do about it - first thing I'd do (and I'm sure someone's told you) is to get a credit report from all three big agencies (Experian, TransUnion, Equifax). It's easy to do yourself (you don't need one of those other hokey companies to do it), and you get one free every year. Honestly, do it for a couple of years, at least. I learned this by having wallet stolen a couple of different times (one right under my nose!)

That guy had a LOT of personal info on you. While they may have caught him, he may have friends. I know of one lady in Santa Monica that found out around 5 or 6 years after visiting a doctor's office that she'd had credit cards, a car, a house and a crapload of bad debt because someone got her... get this... SSN. That's all that was needed, and that's probably on your paystub, as well as other info about you. She discovered it when she went to go and buy a new car. When she tried to fix her bad credit and restore her good name, she found a LOT of complications due to some statue of limitations because "she'd waited so long." I can't remember if she was able to really fix it. Of course, this was before identity theft was as rampant as it is today... but a little caution now could save you later.

And yeah, like GC said - Totally lame. Glad the sucker got caught.

[Ghoulish Delight]

More than getting a credit report, you should be able to get a watch put on your credit so that if anyone tries to open a line of credit or bank account or whatever, a flag will pop up and they will call you to verify.

Scary stuff, glad the douche was caught before it caused trouble for you.

p.s. Name change form? Making "Isaac" official?

[Isaac]

Ack! - Any idea how he got a hold of those things?
I really don't know. My dad has a habit of keeping our apt. door wide open & napping. It's possible someone came in while no one was looking. Our storage unit was broken into recently but that was before any of my things went in there. Someone could have stolen stuff from the back of the moving truck when I moved last month. I'm quite confused how he got so much & wonder how much damage he did.

The detective recommended I check my credit report at least once a year to make sure nothing funny pops up on it. I did about half a year ago but I think I should do it again real soon.

[Isaac]

p.s. Name change form? Making "Isaac" official?
Hehe. Yes. Unofficially it has always officially been my name only a bit more centered than to the left. That changed last year in March :)

[Moonliner]

And get a cross cut paper shredder (http://www.buyonlinenow.com/viewproduct.asp?sku=FEL3240004)

[Gemini Cricket]

My identity got stolen from a guy who robbed my storage unit with his family. They actually lived in their unit. They stole my receipt box that I kept for tax purposes. From there he opened a credit account with Dell and bought a laptop. The APR for the account was 26%! I had to sign a legal form saying it wasn't me and then it was removed from my credit report. The cop wouldn't tell me if he was caught or not. They said it would have violated his privacy if they told me. (!!!)
Sheesh.
I know exactly what kind of frustration zappp's going through. It ain't fun.

Let's all check our credit reports, shall we?
:)

[blueerica]

Haha! I forgot about the flag! I put one on myself the last time I had "identity theft issues." (It's happened twice - once because I had my purse stolen out from next to the chair I was sitting in *years* ago, and just a handful of years ago someone busted into my car when I thought I was hiding my purse enough... never, ever again.)

The best part about my flag was that I'd bought my Exploder three days before someone took a screwdriver to my door, ripping out the lock and electronics in the door. Because all the paperwork hadn't gone through, it got caught up in a "red flag" and I was contacted a handful of times over that one, having to provide additional proof of who I was.

Worth it though, and I was happy to know it actually worked. I red flagged myself!

[blueerica]

My identity got stolen from a guy who robbed my storage unit with his family. They actually lived in their unit. They stole my receipt box that I kept for tax purposes. From there he opened a credit account with Dell and bought a laptop. The APR for the account was 26%! I had to sign a legal form saying it wasn't me and then it was removed from my credit report. The cop wouldn't tell me if he was caught or not. They said it would have violated his privacy if they told me. (!!!)
Sheesh.
I know exactly what kind of frustration zappp's going through. It ain't fun.

Let's all check our credit reports, shall we?
:)

Ho-lee cow!

[Not Afraid]

https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp

Anyone know if that is the proper site? I'm not just typing my SS# into any ole web site.

[MickeyD]

Damn that *really* sucks.

I've had a few incidents involving identity theft. The last two have involved Cingular. The first time they called me to tell me they were shutting off my phone since I hadn't paid my "other" bill. The second time, they didn't even call me, and I only found out because the account went to collections and the collection was reported on my Equifax report. After the first time it happened I bought myfico.com's "Score Watch" service, which monitors your Equifax & sends you an e-mail when your score rises or drops.

Also, http://annualcreditreport.com
lets you check your report from each of the three credit reporting agencies for free once a year....personally I use it to check one report per quarter.

The irony is that I found out about the latest fraudulent account going to collections the day before I bought a new car. So BofA denied my car loan (even though they financed my last car) and the place that gave me a loan charged me a ridiculous interest rate (and except for the fraudulent account, I have pristine credit.)

I understand how frustrating it is....and it *always* seems to happen to me during the most inconvenient times possible....exactly when I *don't* have hours to spare dealing with all the sh*t.

[blueerica]

Well, when I had to do it about 5 years ago, they didn't have a single site you could go to. I had to call them individually. It was fast, though.

This one looks good, but I've never been comfortable with the idea of submitting my SSN online.

[MickeyD]

https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp

Anyone know if that is the proper site? I'm not just typing my SS# into any ole web site.

Yep, that's legit....

[blueerica]

I probably should do it - I've had something pop up recently with a creditor that called (no letter) about something I didn't know about. After I said I had no idea what he was talking about and asked him to send me something in the mail. I looked them up online and there was some fishy things about them from other people who wrote about them on the Internet. But since I never heard back, I just forgot about it these last two weeks.

I should check up on it.

[MickeyD]

Worth it though, and I was happy to know it actually worked. I red flagged myself!

That reminds me I need call the credit agencies to have them place another fraud alert on my accounts. IIRC, they're only good for a year or so.... The last time I had two experiences opening accounts. One time it was really difficult (which was a relief to me, I thought it was proof it was working.) The second bank (BofA, again) didn't even notice it or care...

[Isaac]

A few more details:

http://zapppop.livejournal.com/5713.html

[BarTopDancer]

That is really sucky :(

[DreadPirateRoberts]

How do I request a "fraud alert" be placed on my file?

You have the right to ask that nationwide consumer credit reporting companies place "fraud alerts" in your file to let potential creditors and others know that you may be a victim of identity theft. A fraud alert can make it more difficult for someone to get credit in your name because it tells creditors to follow certain procedures to protect you. It also may delay your ability to obtain credit. You may place a fraud alert in your file by calling just one of the three nationwide consumer credit reporting companies. As soon as that agency processes your fraud alert, it will notify the other two, which then also must place fraud alerts in your file.


· Equifax: 1-877-576-5734; www.equifax.com

· Experian: 1-888-397-3742; www.experian.com/fraud

· TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289; www.transunion.com

[Betty]

I probably should do it - I've had something pop up recently with a creditor that called (no letter) about something I didn't know about. After I said I had no idea what he was talking about and asked him to send me something in the mail. I looked them up online and there was some fishy things about them from other people who wrote about them on the Internet. But since I never heard back, I just forgot about it these last two weeks.

I should check up on it.


Same with my husband. We got a letter from a collection place saying he owed MCI about $300 from a long time ago.

1. We never had MCI that we can recall.
2. It's been so long - why are they just contacting us about it now. It's not like we're in hiding or haven't applied for credit for things before.


So - I called the place up (mistake!) and asked them about it. Every sentance ended in "how would you like to pay for that?". Round and around - asked them for proof - they told they wouldn't be providing it but they'd just send it along to another credit agency they were related to and they would just continue to do that, wrecking our credit in the process. I was so pissed off I hung up on them.

Did some research online and we are clearly not the only ones. What I learned is to never call them. Don't accept calls from them.

Do everything in writing. Ask for proof that you owe this debt. Which we did and rec'd a letter, if you could call it that. It was more of a piece of paper that said: You owe us $x amount of money because you owed MCI. Nothing else. No account number. No dates of service. Nothing.

About a week later we rec'd another letter saying they were investigating. (Why they sent that after the first - I have no idea.) Haven't heard a thing since and that was several months ago. Just the same, we signed up through our credit card for a credit monitoring service.

Other things I read to ask for is proof you agreed to pay the debt, proof of debits and credits made to the account, proof the collection agency is a licensed to collect debts in the state they are in, and proof that they are licensed to collect debts in the state I am in.

Another strange thing recently happened - my husband got notice through work that he had a point on his driver's license. Called the DMV and they told him the date - which was the same day he was in an accident on the 91 fast track when someone pulled in front of the car in front of him and they all collided. WE're thinking - did the cop put the wrong violation number on it? He never signed anything - never got a notice to appear in court. Nothing. The DMV woudn't tell us anything but the court it was out of - in Northern California! Which can't be right. Turns out - someone with the same middle and last names and a similar first name got mistaken at some point for my husband. They were able to correct it at the court level pretty easily but the DMV isn't nearly as quick or responsive.

[Nephythys]

http://www.lifelock.com/

[Snowflake]

Oh, that really stinks. But, the good part is, they got the guy, and here's hoping he did not have enough time to do any real severe damage to your credit history.

I'm sorry, I'm sure all the red tape and hoop jumping will be a PITA, but in the long run, it will be worth it.

:(

[Cadaverous Pallor]

At the library we send people to the collection agency for large, way late fines. Most people are freaked out at the concept that we can mess with their credit. What's more shocking is the amount of people that say "whatever, send me to collections, I'll deal with it eventually." It's not often, but it does happen, and I'm always put off by these people. I make sure to say "just so you know, this will affect your credit rating" but that doesn't phase them. They must have awful credit to begin with.

BTW - Checking your credit too often can actually worsen your credit rating, so don't overdo it.

[Kevy Baby]

Yeah, there's a lot you can do about it - first thing I'd do (and I'm sure someone's told you) is to get a credit report from all three big agencies (Experian, TransUnion, Equifax). It's easy to do yourself (you don't need one of those other hokey companies to do it), and you get one free every year.When I checked my credit a couple of weeks ago, I recall something to the effect that when you have been hit with a ID theft (as Zap was) that you are eligible to get free reports once per quarter.

https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp

Anyone know if that is the proper site? I'm not just typing my SS# into any ole web site.I used that site recently to get my reports. Probably took me about 15 minutes to get all three - mainly because of the security steps.

[alphabassettgrrl]

That really stinks. I'm glad they caught the guy and hopefully he didn't do much damage.

Thanks for the credit tips- I'm cataloging some of this on my LJ.

[Prudence]

Do everything in writing. Ask for proof that you owe this debt. Which we did and rec'd a letter, if you could call it that. It was more of a piece of paper that said: You owe us $x amount of money because you owed MCI. Nothing else. No account number. No dates of service. Nothing.


This happened to Ryan. He has this alleged debt on his credit, and that's all they sent him - a one-line Excel spreadsheet with his name, a date, and an amount. That's it. Nothing about what it was for or anything.

We contested it with the credit reporting agency, but apparently that "proof" is enough for them, and they refused to remove the debt. I'm sure there's a way to thwart the reporting agency, but I'm not sure what it is.

[€uroMeinke]

This happened to Ryan. He has this alleged debt on his credit, and that's all they sent him - a one-line Excel spreadsheet with his name, a date, and an amount. That's it. Nothing about what it was for or anything.

We contested it with the credit reporting agency, but apparently that "proof" is enough for them, and they refused to remove the debt. I'm sure there's a way to thwart the reporting agency, but I'm not sure what it is.

I'd suggest copying the spreadsheet and adding the words "paid" in the next cell and submit that as evidence of payment.

[RStar]

Wow, that sucks big time! I'm always so afraid of that happening......

I hope they got him before he did any real damage. Good luck!

Oh, and I thought you changed your name to zappppop!

(actually I really thought it was Issac for real, that's all I've ever known you as). Congrats on getting it changed!

[Mousey Girl]

My dad was a victim a few years ago. They shred everything, and don't put any info on their computer. They got a call from a detective in Glendale. Some guy had my dad's name (though the last name was missing a letter) and his social. He was caught opening a credit account at Home Depot. Before he got caught he racked up all sorts of things at Sears, Montgomery Wards and funniest of all was the $2700 at Banana Republic. picturing my dad in Banana Republic, with his crew cut and handlebar mustache just cracks me up.

He ended up with over $20,000 in charges. It took my mom over a year to get things sorted out.

I hate that with ID theft you are guilty until you can prove yourself innocent.

[cirquelover]

I'm sorry this had to happen to you. I've known many people that have had the same thing happen.
Sadly my county is the worst in Oregon for id theft. I try to be very careful with any important document but the sad reality is, if the bad guys want it they will find a way to get it.
I hope they haven't damaged your credit too bad. Thank goodness they caught him, one less thing to worry about for you!

[FEJ]

I had someone trying to do that to me in December. Luckily Dell and HBSC bank called me and alerted me. Luckily they didn't get any open credit and buy anything. I put a fraud alert on my credit, and things have been good since. There are good steps in place to take care of this thing as long as you get on it as soon as you find out.

You said he had your W-2 from your work and blank checks? Did you car ever get broken into or have you had it in Valet?

I think they got my info from when I was buying a car and had my credit run. Probably someone making a buck off the side selling such.

[Isaac]

You said he had your W-2 from your work and blank checks? Did you car ever get broken into or have you had it in Valet?

Nah, I've never used valet parking.
At the moment I'm definitely not capable of doing that (but that's a different drama/saga).

The blank checks & tax papers were in a box but when I was moving back to Newport last month there might have been a couple times when the moving truck was unattended and unlocked. I suspect that's how he got my items.


Yesterday & today I've been playing phone tag with the detective. He keeps calling me when I'm not free to talk. Then when I call him he's out or on the phone about another case. Hopefully I can reach him tomorrow.

[Isaac]

I posted an update in my livejournal

http://zapppop.livejournal.com/7414.html