Avoiding scams, fraud, stolen identity, theft, etc.

[Fishindude77]

Just got done dealing with some identity theft issues, it's pretty scary stuff.
We froze our credit, replaced all cards, put new passwords on everything, notified anyplace we had money, etc.

[myrdale]

Just got done dealing with some identity theft issues, it's pretty scary stuff.
We froze our credit, replaced all cards, put new passwords on everything, notified anyplace we had money, etc.

For me it was just a headache.

I'm sure I've posted elsewhere about it, but around 2011 I came home to visit my folks. My mother said I had a sack of letters on my bed. They were a mixture of credit application approvals and declines. I think 17 in all. Finger Hut, Sears, Toys R Us, JCPenny, among others.

I spent several hours on the phone with each of these companies shutting the cards down. All of their fraud departments were good at the time. I put a 7 year credit freeze on my accounts at the time, that was a pain having my gas turned on each year required me to fax my drivers license and social security card to the gas company. And also I filed two police reports, one there and one here.

In college I was a security guard at a nursing home around 2004. The corporate office was an old building in a bad part of Montgomery, AL. I watched them put my file with a copy of my drivers license in a file cabinet next to a window missing panes. I feel certain that was the source. Also the Toys R Us application was in store in Montgomery, not on line like the others.

When I field the police reports, the cops at both locations were far more worried that it was an expired drivers license that was used rather than my current license. *boggles*.

The other case was my debt card was spoofed.

Anyway it was a pain. Good luck.

[myrdale]

Oh one other point!

I recommend everyone go to SSA.gov and set up an account with your name and social security number. At least that way you'll have it locked down so no one else makes an account in your name.

[james.hendrickson]

Guys - just wanted to pipe up with a similar story.

I checked my bank account statement over the weekend, and I saw about six charges from Amazon Prime on the account. Each one was $5.99.

Now, I don't have Amazon Prime and haven't used the debit card associated with the account for anything.

I suspect what happened was a hacker got ahold of the information used it to make some fraudulent charges.

So FishinDude77's situation is unfortunately not uncommon.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Oh one other point!

I recommend everyone go to SSA.gov and set up an account with your name and social security number. At least that way you'll have it locked down so no one else makes an account in your name.

I like this advice and when I get home today will create it (if no one did it already in my name). Was going to wait until retirement but better to do it now like you recommended.

[QuarterMillionMan]

I would recommend credit freezes especially since it is free. I used to pay $10 for each credit agency to freeze & unfreeze $60 total. Free is a no-brainer.

Lest you learn the hard like fishing dude.

[disneysteve]

Oh one other point!

I recommend everyone go to SSA.gov and set up an account with your name and social security number. At least that way you'll have it locked down so no one else makes an account in your name.

Everyone should do that. That’s where you can get your SS estimate to use in your retirement planning.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Well that was easy.

[kork13]

Well that was easy.

..... Which is saying something for any federal agency.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Annoying getting emails like this;

[disneysteve]

Annoying getting emails like this;

Yep. A ton of them. Most get caught by the spam filter but some get through so I just flag them as spam. I’m sure it makes no difference though since each one comes from a different address.

[crazyliblady]

Annoying getting emails like this;

That would definitely be a red flag for me. I have not even been in a Lowe's in close to 20 years.

[disneysteve]

That would definitely be a red flag for me. I have not even been in a Lowe's in close to 20 years.

That's always the best. Periodically my wife will tell me she got some email about her Amazon account, except the Amazon account is in my name and in no way associated with her email. Stuff like that happens all the time - messages about a problem with my account from a company that I don't do any business with.

[QuarterMillionMan]

My 85 yr old mom sometimes ask me what she should do about let's say McAfee saying something is wrong with her account or something like that. Then I would ask her if she has McAfee but she'd say no. I'd tell her to delete the email or don't converse with anyone over the phone about scams like that. A few times she had ask me about scams. She has been lucky so far but I fear she'll fall for a scam eventually.

[disneysteve]

My 85 yr old mom sometimes ask me what she should do about let's say McAfee saying something is wrong with her account or something like that. Then I would ask her if she has McAfee but she'd say no. I'd tell her to delete the email or don't converse with anyone over the phone about scams like that. A few times she had ask me about scams. She has been lucky so far but I fear she'll fall for a scam eventually.

It happens with my mom ALL THE TIME. It’s maddening how they target the seniors but they’re gullible, they’re very trusting, and they’re cognitively impaired. It’s a recipe for disaster.