Identity theft or phishing?

hudge95 -

Will your parents give you permission to access their credit reports online? If so, go to annualcreditreport.com (this site is operated by the US Government and is completely free, unlike the ones advertised on TV). Pull their credit reports from all three bureaus to be sure there are no inaccurate items on their reports, and while you're there, look for the option on the screen for each bureau to "opt-out" of pre-screened credit offers.

It will take about 6 weeks to take effect, but they should stop getting phone calls and letters from the credit card companies offering them credit cards.

Well, these aren't credit offers that they are getting. These are letters and phone calls from "creditors" saying accounts are trying to be opened in their names and SSN. My parents are not the ones applying for credit, so when they call these "creditors" the creditors are no help at all and some will not even verify they sent a letter at all. We have no idea if these are true creditors or some scam artists posing as such. So far, they have not gotten any bills, just notification letters asking them to respond and verify their info. It's all very strange.

Is this the sort of thing that identity theives do to people? Or does anybody have any ideas about what is going on??? It's all very upsetting to them and they feel no one (police, CC companies) will answer any questions or help them.

Hudge
Your parents credit report needs to be checked to make sure that no on has already opened any accounts. I'm sure this is very upsetting to them, it is scarry how much these ppl know and claim to know.

When you say "they" are trying to open accounts in your parents names, you mean other people coorect?

Absolutely have them call the fraud lines listed on BofA and Capital One website and speak directly to them. Do the phone numbers listed on the letter come up as a legitimate ph# for any of these companies? Try googling them to see. This whole situation sounds very "phishy" if you know what I mean....usually when there is suspected fraud, the credit bureau will also notify the individual too.

Do check their creidt report immediately.

Other people. We have put a freeze or block on their SSN so credit cannot be issued, but they are still receiving letters and phone calls.
Usually the phone calls go this way: Some one calls and ID's themselves as XXCompany. They say someone is trying to open an account using my father's SSN and could he please verify his SSN and current address. My father will usually state that he is not applying for credit with them and askes for more info, like the address that they have. They start arguing with him that he must verify the SSN and addy. He tells them again he has not applied for credit and to cancel anything thats happening. They say that if he will not verify SSN & addy then they will go ahead and open the account.
They are calling to verify the info because they think some fradulent activity is going on, yet when my father tells them apparently there is, they argue and threaten to open the account anyway? This seems like phishing to me.

Good job having the credit block placed...that will prevent any of those scammers from really opening something up.

Any company that aruges because you wont give out personal info over the phone (unless you have an account with them) sounds like a scam and not a legitmate business such as capital one and BofA.
Also, please do notify the fraud departments of any company they are trying to represent.

Also, and I dont know the age of your parents, but I will say that many of these companies prey on senior citizens...thank goodness you are there to help them.

Let me start out with the fact that, I have no debt. Honestly, I have no credit cards, no late bills coming from anyone, and no debt aside from my home mortgage and car loan - all in perfect standing.

So when I started getting phone calls last month from someone DEMANDING I verify my full name and Social Security number before they would disclose the nature of the call - I figured it was phishing. They use a machine to call, then just as I'm going to hang up, they ask for a name SIMILAR to mine, but not mine. They have the first name wrong, and the middle initial completely wrong - but demand I tell them my Social Security number. I've reported the calls to the FTC and do-not-call, and I've ordered (via mail) my credit report to check it over. But I cannot make these calls stop.

I do #69 and get the number 888-570-5007, which is apparently a collection agency - but again - I have NO debt. I have no late notices, no overdue bills, NOTHING. I'm not going to tell them my full name and Social Security number - but I am putting Caller ID on my phone and refusing to pick up from now on. Until I get the credit report, I can't tell if I'm the victim of ID theft or not - but I can tell you this feeling of rage isn't dissapating.

This is good information...never give information to people calling like this. I had a call once and I told them to tell me what information they had and then I would tell them whether it was right or not. They told me they were not allowed to repeat a person's personal information and I told them I was not allowed to give out my information to people that could not tell me what information they had for me. I got hung up on.

That definitely sounds like phishing to me. It sounds like they want them to reveal their SSN so that they can do damage, or steal their identity. I remember reading something long ago about not giving your SSN to anyone over the phone that calls YOU because if they work for the company than they already have it on file and they can use other info to verify that they are talking to you-- like home phone #, address, date of birth. I never give my SSN over the phone to someone that calls me. If I'm calling that company (like the mortgage company or bank) then I will give them my SSN since I made the call.

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