Just when I thought this year couldn't suck any more...
...I open the mail and find out that I've been the victim of identity theft.
Yes, that's right, someone in North Carolina opens a Lowe's credit card in my name and buys a $1000 gift card.
I've never shopped at Lowe's, ever. I've never been to North Carolina. Hell, I was out of the country when the whole thing took place. Now I have to get a new social security number and notify my other credit cards, my job, and about a dozen other people that I've changed my social security number.
This sucks.
6 comments:
Oh no! I'm so sorry. :(
brina b has a lot of info on identity theft if you need any help (she went through it before).
Wow, that totally sucks. :( I know it'll all get cleared up, but it's still an administrative migraine.
I guess the universe is just getting all this stuff out of the way this year so that next year can totally ROCK!
That sucks!!! I'm so sorry to hear that. So, can you guys change your SSN? I thought you couldn't... I wonder if I'll have mine changed when and if I get a sponsor and can work here legally without any limitation... my current Social Security card says "valid for work with INS authorization only", so they'll have to take that out somehow.
Oh, no!
I don't know your specific situation of course, but fwiw:
You may not have to change your ssn, and they may not even let you despite the id theft that's already taken place. That should really be your absolute last resort.
Get a copy of your credit report. Get as much info on the fraudulent account as you can, and check that there isn't anything else you don't recognize on there.
Call one of the big three credit reporting companies (experian, exquifax, or transunion) and place a security alert on your credit. You can even fill out a form for it online if that's easier than calling. There's a 90-day version, and a multi-year version (I think it's 7yrs, but I'm not sure). I've used the 90-day, and it's probably enough. (Generally it's probably safe to say they had a list of info and happened to try yours - it probably won't keep happening, and *can't* if you have an alert activated.) Provide your phone number for the alert, too. This makes it impossible for anyone to attempt to open any more accounts in your name without you being called for approval.
You have the bill? Call that cc company and insist the card is not yours, you weren't in the country, etc. And you want them to do something (freeze it, close it, whatever their usual procedure is for disputed accounts) so the person can't keep shopping on that card while you're trying to clear up the mess. They should offer you a fraud packet -- if they don't, request one. Fill it out, send it back asap. (Sometimes the affidavits in these packets require you to go to the police so you have a report # -- annoying, but worth it. Building the paper trail is important.) If you have anything that shows you were out of the country at the time (receipts, dated passport stamps, or whatever), include copies.
Sometimes this takes a lawyer, which may or may not be necessary or worth the cost depending on how friendly the cc company is, but it is possible for the cc co to review exactly how the account was opened. I know of a case (happened to my 'rents actually) where the person stole one of those pre-approved offers from the mail, filled it out *with wrong info*, forged the signature, and was STILL issued a card. The security on this stuff is extremely lacking. If you can show that they handed a card to someone with incomplete/wrong info, well...
Make copies of everything you receive and send, take note of who you talked to and when when you call the cc company.
Sorry this has happened to you -- it's a HUGE pain to fix. The worst part is dealing with how, at each step, you have to prove you are the victim and not the criminal. Just keep at it.
Ach, bugger, Kaitlin - I've just caught up on your blog. Terrible news - this happened to me once too. Some arse nicked off with £1k of my hard-earned moolah! Hope you've got it all sorted out now and you're back in Ox soon. Happy New Year! x
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