Identity Fraud Information

[PoonDaddy007]

Story: My gf just got a letter from a collection agency asking that she pay $650 for wireless phone service that she never had or opened. We suspected the letter might be fake, call the phone company and there is an account with her SSN and everything. The account was opened in a different city on the other side of the country so we suspect identity fraud.

Question: What do we do now? I was thinking of getting a credit report and seeing if anything else was opened with her information that she doesn't know about. Either from Equifax or from myfico.com. I don't really know which is better though it appears that the Equifax one because the Fico score seems more important for loans.

Prevention: I was also thinking of signing her up for Equifax Credit Watch to maybe prevent future fraud if someone out there has her information. Is this worth it? Are there cheaper alternatives?

thanks in advanced.

 

[rahvin]

Did you google it?

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=IDENTIFY+THEFT

 

[Turkish]

Originally posted by: rahvin
Did you google it?

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=IDENTIFY+THEFT

A member that I have never seen before :Q

 

[FoBoT]

Identity Theft

If you're a victim of identity theft, get a police report from your local police department, ask each of the three credit bureaus to place a fraud alert on your credit report, and fill out affidavits of fraud with each company that issued credit in your name. Keep these documents forever.

Identity Theft Resource Center

 

[yukichigai]

I'm not sure which credit report serves you best, but definitely get one. Your GF may also want to see if she can get a new Social Security Number, since obviously someone has it.

In the future make sure she doesn't get her SS# on her Driver's License. I'm fairly certain states are obligated to let you leave that info off. The only thing she should carry with her SS# on it is her SS card.

 

[Bryophyte]

Originally posted by: yukichigai
I'm not sure which credit report serves you best, but definitely get one. Your GF may also want to see if she can get a new Social Security Number, since obviously someone has it.

In the future make sure she doesn't get her SS# on her Driver's License. I'm fairly certain states are obligated to let you leave that info off. The only thing she should carry with her SS# on it is her SS card.

And you shouldn't carry your social security card in your wallet ever (except on a day when you need to take it to a new employer.)

 

[amdforever2]

You need to send a debt validation letter to the collection agency, before they report the debt to the credit bureaus, if they haven't already. Then contact the original creditor (cell phone company) and inform them of fraud.

www.creditboards.com has a lot of good information.

 

[jyates]

I had someone hijack a credit card account of mine the other day. They knew
enough to go online and change the billing address on my card which meant
they knew my card number and social security number and I assume the
answer to my "special question" which NO ONE knows so I assume they
hacked into the credit card company system and got my information and then they
went to sharper image and tried to buy $3000 worth of computer items and have them
shipped to TN but I'm in AR but they didn't know the expiration date on the card
so the transaction didn't happen. And the CC company caught on to the problem
and wrote me a letter.

The CC company gave me the 3 big credit rating companies to call and put a
fraud alert on my credit history so no one can open any kind of credit account
without them calling me.

If you need the phone numbers PM me and I'll look around and see if I still have
them on hand.

Jim