I received a letter this week that a Human Resources employees' personal computer was stolen in a apparent burglary attempt late last month. That computer contained a company file with the Names, Birth dates and Social Security numbers of 30,000 employees.
The company has arranged for affected employees to have a year of Equifax 3 in 1 credit monitoring for free. I have taken this offer and signed up. In addition I have taken a precautionary extra step of placing a temporary fraud alert with the three CRA's (my company recommended this action). I also had previously sign up for ID Theft insurance through my homeowners insurance.
To my knowledge, no one has yet tried to use my information to open any new accounts. My question is, are there any other steps I should take to protect my self or make it easier if or when someone tries to use my information? There was about a 10 day lag between when the computer was stolen and when I was notified and signed up for the credit monitoring.
Sub: #1 posted on Sun, 05/14/2006 - 17:00
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My personal opinion would be to notify the SSA in advance so that they can take steps to prevent the fraudulent use of your SSN# and correct your earnings record. You have already contacted the Fraud hotline which was a very important step. The fraud department should be taking the following responsibilities.
You can learn more on identity theft in the Federal Trade Commission website and the Department of Justice website.
Sub: #2 posted on Mon, 05/15/2006 - 11:24
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Sub: #3 posted on Mon, 05/15/2006 - 13:52
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Sub: #4 posted on Mon, 05/15/2006 - 17:31
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Sub: #5 posted on Mon, 05/15/2006 - 18:08
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Sub: #6 posted on Mon, 05/15/2006 - 18:14
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Sub: #7 posted on Mon, 05/15/2006 - 19:15
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I would also recommend getting a copy of the police report. Even though it was your works computer, it containted your personal information on it. The report number should be public info anyways.
Regards-
Mike
Sub: #8 posted on Mon, 05/15/2006 - 22:06
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I have to agree with Mike - if a police report was filed, be sure to get a copy of it ASAP, and if, for some reason, one wasn't filed by your employer, file one yourself. It's just one more step to protect yourself later on down the road. I'm so sorry to hear that happened!!
~Mary
Sub: #9 posted on Mon, 05/15/2006 - 22:11
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Sub: #10 posted on Tue, 05/16/2006 - 05:48
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