Identity Theft

[Atepsflame]

I'm doing some research for a project on identity theft and was curious if any of you have had any direct/indirect experiences with identity theft you would be willing to share.

[Dorkandproudofit]

Someone, somewhere, is stealing and using YOUR credit cards, flame.

...Also, you're gonna get a bill for 700 GB of gay furry porn.

Just letting you know.

[Deadend]

A good place to start is finding someone to talk to at Experian or another credit reporting place. They are the front line.

[Purple Santa]

A good place to start is finding someone to talk to at Experian or another credit reporting place. They are the front line.

If it's for a project, yes start here. See the process in action on how to "fix" your credit report. I've never had my ID stolen, but the process of getting the big three credit bureaus to change is epic.

[Johan]

I live in only the second state in the entire nation to offer by law, at the end of the year, a way to freeze your credit so stealing one's identity would prove much less enticing. It should be a NATIONAL law.

[wyeast]

Years ago my wife and I took a trip overseas. Unfortunately, I fell ill around the same time, so we didn't end up moving around that much at our destination. She did most of the paying, but I ended up using my card at a couple of places.

A day or two after we had flown back to the States, we received a call from my credit card company. They asked if I still had my credit card. Apparently, around the same time I was using my card in California, some blowhole was also using my card to buy stuff in UK. Meaning, somewhere someone had made a duplicate card and was physically using it to make purchases. :mad: Having that happen in two different time zones on the same day obviously popped a fraud alert so they called.

Since I had been sick and did so little of the paying, I have a pretty good idea where it happened. :mad: Either that, or the little old lady serving tea at the British Museum is far more nefarious than I give her credit for. ;)

[Inspector Fowler]

What, specifically, do you need to know? As a cop on a college campus where people have never heard of "locks" or "doors", I work directly with a lot of victims, and when I get lucky, the bad guys.

I have also been a victim myself - let me set the stage:

It's February of 2005...I'm playing video games in my study along with my buddy who had brought his computer over. My wife is paying the bills in her study, and suddenly tells me to come into her study.

"Honey, this game is multiplayer. I can't just pause it and-"
"Did you donate $1,000 to Lance Armstrong without telling me?!"
"Oh shit, lemme come in there."

Somebody had stolen my name, address, phone number, and credit card number, and donated $1,000 to the actual Lance Armstrong foundation. And no, I don't drink enough to have blacked it out (http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=1697). I thought that maybe it had been donated to the "Lannse Aarmstrong Foundation" or something, but it went to the real deal. Nothing makes you feel shittier than calling a charity and asking for your money back :(

We had to call the bank and cancel the card. We then called one of the credit reporting agencies (who, BTW, are a big scam IMO). We had a "hold" put on our credit, which essentially meant that for 90 days, no new credit activity like a loan or a credit card could be opened without me or my wife physically being there and presenting an ID.

It wasn't a huge hassle, but it wasn't fun either. Even after discussing this with various con artists and fraud experts I knew...at the jail...I still can't figure out why somebody would donate $1,000 in my name to Lance Armstrong, using my info.

I also had a victim recently who is trying to close a home loan. After her card was stolen and used by a dirtbag, she cancelled it. The next day she went to go get final approval or something on her home loan, and cancelling the card was enough to lower her credit score so she couldn't get the loan. I needed to fax the mortgage broker guy something so she could still buy her house. I felt terrible for her. It was SO stressful for her.

[Gormanimal]

I've had my credit card number stolen, but that's the extent of it. Master Card just put a hold on my card from some suspicious activity until I called them to find out why my card was being declined. Apparently someone was trying to use my # to buy into some online poker site. No idea where someone got my # from, or what the consequences were. All I do know is I did not have to pay a dime for anything I did not purchase.

[National Kato]

I've had a checkbook stolen and used. Minor identity theft as the bank returned my money (after a couple of weeks).

It was an old checkbook that ended up buried in a box of old crap. I was moving to a new apartment and after lightly perusing the contents of said box, I tossed it out with the garbage. Someone must've searched the dumpster, found the check, and went wild. Lesson learned - I now keep track of all my checkbooks and destroy any old account ledgers.

[ShivaX]

I'm doing some research for a project on identity theft and was curious if any of you have had any direct/indirect experiences with identity theft you would be willing to share.

Post a copy of your driver's license, SSN and a credit card number and you'll become an expert. :)

[Johan]

No idea...what the consequences were.

Most likely nothing. The credit card companies see such theft/losses as an unavoidable part of doing business, and local law enforcement isn't concerned with non-violent petty crime (which most credit card theft turns out to be...not big enough to get involved).