Victim of Identity Theft

Subject: Re: Victim of Identity Theft

cb wrote: Hi all.

About two months ago, I spent about $50 at a nearby major store. I had the option of getting the credit card to get a discount and I took the discount. I knew the bill would arrive about a month later but it never showed. Today, I called the credit card company and discovered that there was never a credit card application put in by the store. I promptly checked my credit report online and sure enough, it seems someone had charged items from the store on my account and sent it to another address so now there's the investigation thing going on. I know that my credit is going to be fine and that part will be cleared up but what can be done about the other aspect. This means that someone who works at the store took the info. I gave for the store credit card, changed my address and used information fraudulently. Do I go to the police? Will they do anything about this? Do I go to the store to complain? Should I wait until my credit information is cleared up? Hope I'm not coming off as naive but really need advice. Thanks!

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I would take my receipt and go back to the store and discuss this problem with one of the Managers,They will be able ID the person who serviced you and investigate the situation.

I wonder how many others had the same problem.
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A police report can be made and does get investigated. I highly doubt you're the only one that had been victimized. Usually theres multiple victim's of such fraud. A complaint could also be made againt the store with the Dept of Consumer Affairs and Better Business Bureau. To prevent this from happening again, contact the 3 major credit bureau's and have them place a "Fraud Alert" on your account. A fraud alert requires credit card companies to contact you via a phone # that you provide them with when trying to activate a new account.

That sucks - it happened to a friend...definitely take the advice of the "fraud alert" it worked for my friend...just keep doing it every 6 months...

A better bet than a Fraud Alert, if you can swing it, is to put a full Credit Freeze on your account. It doesn't affect your credit score but will cause all other attempts at soliciting your credit at all to be rejected. So its a little more secure than just an alert which still allows your score to be sent to people, which may still allow an identity thief some time to open new accounts. Only you can lift the freeze too, so it doesn't expire. And it allows you to pull your own credit score, which is good. And it allows people you currently do business with to access it, but no one new. So now you have to worry only about things that don't require credit to open them. Like wireless accounts (some of the time). This is also an interesting point. A clear trend in true identity theft starts first with a wireless purchase-- usually purchasing phones but sometimes setting up a wireless account. It's a quick hit win that can churn fast results and it is not abnormal for one address to have many many accounts... think buying a phone for each of your family members. The Freeze would be better here than a Fraud Alert. But when you pull your account make sure you know the wireless accounts on it.

Second step is to pull that score. It will include on it all the addresses and phone numbers currently associated with your ID. Check that as well because that may include the address of the person (or more likely the proxy of the person) who has stolen your identity. Its a good lead and you will also want to make sure to have this information removed.

Third, make sure that the police department completes not just a police report, but what they call an Identity Theft Report. This is key because it contains more detail than a usual police report. The details incorporate the FTC's Identity Theft Complaint form, which is important when you have to give that report to the Credit Bureaus. They actually have the "right" to reject the complaint of identity theft for lack of sufficient detail and give you 2 weeks to get them the information in return. Better to do it right the first time. Best way to do this is to fill out, print and submit the form on the FTC's website (http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/cmplanding.shtm) and then ask the police to incorporate this into their report, thereby making sure you have all the bases covered.

This may also be of help to you
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/idtheft/idt04.shtm

I am not sure if this will make you feel better or maybe make other people feel worse... but New York is the top state each year for identity theft. Break it down a little further to zip codes and the two places that emerge as leaders of the pack... zip codes beginning with 100__ followed by 112__. Bright side, about 85% of that is fabricated identities used for fraud (called synthetic identity theft). Only 15% is what we call "true identity theft."

I work the corporate side of data and identity theft, not the consumer, but if I can help, let me know. Good luck.

There was a follow up to this on Gowanus Lounge which lists a Police Officer's name and telephone number for those affected

http://gowanuslounge.blogspot.com/

that's really good to hear. i wish the rest of the nation would follow suit. i cannot imagine being in some small town in north dakota or something and winding up in the same situation.
thanks for the info paraderest.