What really bothers me about Identity Theft
Instead, I worry most that my name and identifying numbers are being used by some unscrupulous person doing dastardly deeds. It is creepy enough to think that some one is parading around pretending to be you but the idea that I may someday be arrested by police who only think they have the right person chills me.
My ID theft happened after my husband received one of those fake e-mails pretending to be the ISP for which we had just signed up. It wasn't even one of those convincing e-mails with the logo, it was just a typed up request for all manner of information.
My husband fell for it hook, line and sinker! They, whoever "they" are, got everything! Name, address, SSN, credit card and more! I did everything suggested by the experts.
I faithfully looked after my credit reports and am happy to say that the two incidents stemming from this ID theft were quickly dealt with, the lasting effects of having my IDENTITY, not just my credit, stolen affects me more and to this day.
Hi again snow_angel! I agree with you quite a bit here. It i
Hi again snow_angel!
I agree with you quite a bit here. It is very creepy knowing that somebody is out there with your identification details...my purse was stolen once and that still creeps me out to this day. Somebody could be walking around using my name and getting away with it.
~Mary
I stopped just short of writing the DMV of every state, hoping t
I stopped just short of writing the DMV of every state, hoping to cut off at the pass anyone trying to obtain a license in my name and social, but gosh, what a part time job that would be!
With ID theft becoming more acknowledged, I really hope that someday soon we can have the ability to warn and check with all DMV's and passport offices about the theft of our sensitive information.
Phishing Scam
Snow angel,
Your story resembles the term Phishing Scam. Scammers build up a mirror site of any renowned financial/public institute first. Then they start sending bulk emails with a link to this site. They use some catchy subject lines, like ???Your account is going to be closed??? so that people do read the email and visit the link.
While visiting the site, it is hard to identify as a fake one. So people disclose their personal info quite often and lose their identity.
There are certain guidelines that can help you avoid phishing scam-
- Before disclosing your SS #, see if there is a ???lock' sign at the status bar (beside the scanning bar) of the browser.
- Your bank or any financial institute will not disburse bulk emails if they have to convey some important message.
- If you get an email and feel it to be urgent, type the address of your bank/financial institute on the address bar of your browser, do not click the link from email.
- Speak to your bank if the email states anything shocking.
Visit this thread to know more about phishing scam and the ways to prevent it.
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/
Snow angel, I am sorry to know what happened to you. Hope this thread will be helpful to others to avoid phishing scam in future.
You can also notify the credit bureaus that your identity may ha
You can also notify the credit bureaus that your identity may have been stolen. They will flag your reports and notify you when anything occurs on your report. Such as a new credit card, etc.
For those who are coming here fresh from discovering their Ident
For those who are coming here fresh from discovering their Identity Theft, be sure to contanct the Passport office in writing about the loss of your personal information, even if you already hold a passport, just to cover all your bases.
I can only imagine how useful all of our stolen information might be to one trying to obtain a passport in a false name. Just what we don't need, being accused of international incidents!
It gives me a certain level of comfort, knowing that since I already have a passport, that someone trying to obtain one in my name will probably be stopped and questioned about the duplicity.