What the?
I got a nice surprise in the mail. I received a letter from a collection agency saying that my delinquent MasterCard account has been purchased. Um, what? I've never had a MasterCard. Nor had I been receiving any bills, so I thought it was some sort of scam until I called and confirmed it with Bank of America. According to them, I was issued a MasterCard in 2001, to the very first apartment I rented when I moved into the area. What the...? Yay for identity theft. Now I have to go through the hassle of disputing and purging my credit record.
posted by Andy @ 1:20 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
oh suck! man.... Aren't there agencies that will help you do that for a (small) fee?
Sorry to hear that. I just found out yesterday someone fraudulently charged MSN Hotmail Plus ($19.95) to my Amazon card last week ... and also back in November - and I don't even use hotmail. Citibank offers a $9.95/month service to monitor your cards and credit report for new and unusual activity that automatically emails or contacts you if something fishy is going on.
Good luck >_<
oh man! that must be a pain, to do all that work. you should utilize the free credit reports - you get three a year. they're very basic but at least you can see anything fishy (ie a credit card you never opened).
That really sucks! Hope you get your identity recovered soon. It may take up to one year. My sister-in-law and one of my girlfriend had encountered identify theft. It sucks! Hang in there!
Here's some helpful contacts when your wallet or identify is stolen:
Equifax:. 1-800-525-6285
Experian: 1-888-397-3742
Trans Union: 1-800-680-7289
Soc Second Admin: 1-800-269-0271
What to do if your wallet is stolen:
A corporate attorney sent this out to the employees in
his company. I am passing it along, for your information.
Good Advice:
We've all heard horror stories about fraud that's committed us in your name, address, SS#,
credit, etc. Unfortunately I (the author of this piece who happens to be an attorney) have firsthand knowledge, because my wallet was stolen last month and within a week the thieve(s) ordered an expensive monthly cell
phone package, applied for a VISA credit card, had a credit line
approved to buy a Gateway computer, received a PIN number from DMV to change my
driving record information online, and more. But here's some critical information to limit the damage in case this happens to you or someone you know.
As everyone always advises, cancel your credit cards immediately, but the
key is having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so you know whom to call. Keep those where you can find them easily. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where it was stolen, this proves to credit providers you were diligent, and is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one).
But here's what is perhaps most important: (I never ever thought to do this) - Call the three national credit reporting organizations mmediately
to place a fraud alert on your name and SS#. I had never heard of doing that until advised by a bank that called to tell me an application for credit was made over the Internet in my name. The alert means any company
that checks your credit knows your information was stolen and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit. By the time I was advised to do this, almost 2 weeks after the theft, all the damage had been done.
There are records of all the credit checks initiated by the thieves' purchases, none of which I knew about before placing the alert. Since then, no additional damage has been done, and the thieves threw my wallet away this weekend (someone turned it in). It seems to have stopped them
in their tracks.
The numbers are: Equifax: 1-800-525-6285 ! Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742
Trans Union: 1-800-680-7289
Social Security Administration (fraud line): 1-800-269-0271
We pass along jokes; we pass along just about everything. Do think about passing this information along. It could really help someone.
Unknown Attorney
Sorry, man. That really sucks! Hope all goes well!
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