Fighting Back Against Identity Theft!

Have you ever been a victim of Identity Theft?  I have.  It happened about ten years ago before "Identity Theft" became such a buzzword.  I was living in New York.  I had just opened a Macy's credit card and made a purchase.  When I received my very first bill,  I paid it off in full.  A month later, I received a second bill and on it was an $800 charge on there I was not responsible for! 

Needless to say I contacted the billing department at Macy's and explained my situation.  Their customer service department was excellent, as was their fraud protection department.  I eventually learned from them that someone using my credit card information and my social security number had gone on a shopping spree.  Here's the interesting part.  Remember I said I was living in New York?  My *alter ego*, who according to the fraud protection department hailed from Hawaii, did her *shopping* in California.  I was very lucky.  Ridding this charge from my account and off my credit report was a fairly easy thing to do back then, thanks to the folks at Macy's.  I've not been bothered since, but I fear the day.  I worry about it.

Here is a link to a video by the Federal Trade Commission that I highly recommend you take a few minutes to listen to. 

Video
A  10-minute educational video that provides an overview of identity theft and  outlines the steps consumers can take

THEN, I recommend you take a look at this page by the FTC and copy and save it someplace.  Pass it on to those you know and love. On this page you'll find all the links any of us needs to DETER, DETECT, DEFEND

Two graphics: First, black rectangle inside of which is white and red lettering stating: Fighting Back Against Identity Theft, Federal Trade Commission.  Second, similar rectangle with words DETER, DETECT, DEFEND, AVOID.  There is a "Play" button to link to video.

Comments

[buckblog]

That's a scary thing to have happen but from having worked in the financial services industry for years it is far more likely the culprit committing identity theft is an acquintance or relative. It's important to remember to keep your personal info away from them as well.

[Georgia Whitney]

Two years ago I received a bill from an ambulance company charging me $350 for a ride I took in St. Petersburg, FL. I took care of the matter with one registered-return-receipt letter to the collections company, but it was scary. I of course explained I would have preferred to be in warm, sunny St. Pete instead of the frozen tundra that is upstate New York, but it wasn't me in that ambulance. Actually, in my case I think it was mistaken identity.

[Disgruntled Ladye]

You're also more likely to have your identity stolen by a server at a restaurant than when you're doing online shopping (through a reputable dealer, of course).

If you must give your personal information to a company, ask them about their privacy policy and how they are going to protect your personal data. You'd be surprised how many companies don't take that responsibility seriously (look at the TJ MAXX debacle where the company lost millions of customers' credit card and personal data).

/end IT security geek rambling :)

[Connie]

Thanks for the comments folks. I can say with absolute confidence that my experience with Macy's 10 years ago had nothing to do with family or friends. But as "Buckblog" pointed out, acquintances or relatives, are more often than not the culprits, just as they are in cases of abuse, kidnappings, murders, etc. It's a scary world out there isn't it?

[Connie]

Georgia,

Speaking of the "frozen tundra that is upstate New York", how are you holding up? Are you buried in snow? We're thinking of you!

[sari]

I've had this happen to me as well, with a department store card, I lived in an apartment complex with a "group" mailbox and someone stole it out of there.

The fraud department was fabulous, and they did end up catching the culprit, because...she bought gift cards for the store while she was on her little spree!

Not too smart.

[patrick]

Identity theft is just one part of the problem. To learn more about the various types of scams out there, go to…identitysafetytips.com. In order to protect yourself from identity fraud and name theft, you must carefully protect your personal records, and pursue online activities with caution. There are a number of things you can do in your everyday life to prevent identity theft and

http://www.identitysafetytips.com