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Identity Fraud

Identity Fraud

Old May 10th 2012, 2:43 pm
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Default Identity Fraud

I thought I'd share our recent experience in the hope it will help others take proactive measures to protect themselves. Sadly, you cannot ensure this does not happen to you, you can only limit your exposure.
So here goes. Our story.

We had built up a rather nice credit score since I arrived here in 2005. I was able to piggy bag on the US wife's credit history, which helped during the early years.
I handle all our financials, bill paying, etc. I am fastidious about security. I shred all our mail, including junk mail marketing loans or addressed to us by name. I do not give out our personal info unless required to do so.
Last year we remortgaged our home to decrease the term and get a better rate. This is the only time we have divulged all our current info to one entity. This mortgage was sold twice in the last year. So our information has been 'passed around'.

In December of last year, one of our Discover cards (my wife being the primary account holder) had over $8,000 of fraudulent purchases applied to it. The purchases took place on the east coast (we are in DFW, TX). Discover cancelled the card, issued a new card, and reversed the charges. We thought that was that. An isolated incident.

In March of this year, on a Saturday, I received text alerts from Chase bank (a personal bank account only I use for one of my businesses), advising me that my checking balance was below the $1,000 limit I had set. Knowing I should have had around $7,000 in there I logged on to my online checking to find out what was going on. Over two days, 3 cash counter withdrawals had taken place. $3,500, $2,500, and $1,000. I immediately called the bank. They said they were counter withdrawals, and someone had been in to two different branches in California to make them. Early Monday morning I went to a local Chase bank to find out more. The teller contacted on of the California branches and spoke to the Bank Manager. The manager spoke to her teller and found out what happened. An African American male (I am caucasian) walked in to the branch with a fake Texas drivers license. It had my name, current address, drivers license number, but incorrect expiration date, with his picture (check your license, it includes height, weight, eye color, hair color, but not race). He told the teller he was in town for a funeral, but did not have his account details with him. He showed his fake license, recited my social security number, and showed a fake store card with my name on it. The teller happily filled in my account number for him, and proceeded to make the $3,500 withdrawal! He asked for the balance. Before leaving the bank he turned back around and said he thought $3,500 may not be enough and he should probably withdraw another $2,500. The same teller handled this transaction. The $1,000 was at another branch the next day. I had every alert enable for this account, but counter transactions would not generate an alert. The designers figured you would already know about this transaction as it is a face-to-face transaction,
Chase immediately reversed the charges. Probably because I was in DFW, and by their own admission an African American male had made the withdrawal, and here was a Caucasian male asking what the heck they had done. Chase added a comment on my account with my cell number that states they must phone me to authorize any counter transactions. I tried to add this with our main Bank of America account, but they were unable to facilitate that. So that account remains vulnerable to this date! We recently had $25k in there to pay the tax bill, so we were very relieved when it left our account and landed at the IRS.
I filed a police report, and froze all my credit accounts. The officer told me you could buy material to make fake drivers licenses online, so it was easy to create a phony ID.

Two seemingly isolated occurrences. Because I was so careful with our financial information I presumed someone had my identity details and not the wifes. I presumed the Discover card incident was a coincidence. I started to question each business credit account I had recently opened, sure it was my information that had been stolen and not my wifes.

Just 3 weeks later I get a Macys statement by email showing our new balance. My wife opened a Macys account in 2009 to get the 10% off, we paid the balance in full and never used the card again. Here we had $1,000 of charges in California. That same day I find a Nordstroms statement and new credit card. You guessed it, we didn't open that account. The limit was $10,000 and almost that full amount had been charged over 3 days. All in California, and all using the temporary card issued by Nordstroms. They used our real address, so we actually received the card and statement in the same mail. Card still not activated, but limit reached. Amazing!

Feeling like an idiot for not doing this earlier we filed Fraud alerts with the 3 bureaus on my wifes credit account. She filed a police report, and we set about getting the charges reversed. Nordstroms were brilliant, very apologetic and eager to please. Macys were disgusting. They said someone had looked up my wifes account number by reciting her drivers number, and even after we told them we hadn't made those charges wrote us a very snarky letter stating "if you still wish to dispute these charges, supply a copy of your drivers licenses, social security card...". "IF" we still wish to dispute?

So here we are, still cleaning up the mess. Credit accounts frozen for 7 years, requiring we create a special unlock code each time we wish to disclose our credit reports to lenders or insurance companies. Knowing someone has create fake IDs, and has our DL numbers along with SSN numbers.

I am still at a loss as to how both of our information got out there. I suspect one of the mortgage companies has been compromised. I expect any day now to get a letter advising us that company xxxxx had a data breach. The Macys card was not used in two years. We did not get a statement from them. We had shredded the card when it arrived.

In summary, once someone knows your DL and SSN you are screwed! They own your accounts. The banks will correct the charges, but you are powerless to stop the criminals from emptying your account first. If it happens, you will have to spend your time and money to contact them and put it right. Time off work, postage costs, phone calls, writing letters, copying documents, it goes on and on.


You can stop new accounts being opened by placing a freeze on your accounts with the 3 main agencies. You will need to repeat this every 90 days. If, like us, you are unfortunate enough to be a victim then you can have a freeze placed for 7 years. You just file a police report and send a copy to each agency requesting they place "an extended fraud alert and security freeze" on your account. Send the letters recorded delivery (at your expense).
http://www.experian.com/consumer/security_freeze.html
http://www.transunion.com/personal-c...t-freezes.page
https://www.freeze.equifax.com/

Companies like LifeLock do this. I can see no benefit in using LifeLock. They could not have stopped my bank account being emptied. They would have frozen my credit accounts for 90 days, and repeated this every 90 days for me.

I have been through all the emotions; disbelief, shock, anger, and frustration. I check all my accounts twice a day. I have alerts for every account. I do not have total control of my accounts, it will take a Federal shakeup of the whole system for that. Until that time I will continue to be vigilant and wait for the next time....

The whole system needs a shakeup. Banks should have your photo on their accounts (Chase say they are adding this next year) so a teller can see what you look like and confirm it is you. Companies like Nordstroms should not allow someone to run up $10k of credit before the recipient even has the card in their hands. Macys should not allow you to lookup an account number by reciting a drivers license number. None of these would eradicate the problem, but they would help mitigate it.

Last edited by thinbrit; May 10th 2012 at 3:10 pm.
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Old May 10th 2012, 2:59 pm
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Default Re: Identity Fraud

I deleted a thread last week advertising faking driving licences, passports etc.

Someone charged 3 x $3K of purchases against our credit card a few years ago. The information was taken from our CC when it was used at a small, local car dealership. Turned out to be a large countrywide ring of bad guys. The FBI and the Secret Service got involved and eventually it went to court.

I don't like having various store/credit cards...mainly use my Costco AMEX card...have a visa card for those places that don't accept AMEX.
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Old May 10th 2012, 3:06 pm
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Default Re: Identity Fraud

Scarey story - thanks for sharing it.
In the last week in Lowes and Best Buy I have been behind someone at the check out where they claimed to have the relevant store card but had left it at home. In both instances they were able to use it by giving address, id and (I think) last 4 of the SSN. Each time I can remember thinking "thats a bit risky - what if someone overheard", but on neither occasion did it occur to me that they may actually be the thief who had got the details previously. Yikes.
We have a bunch of store cards like you had - taken out to get the one off discount and never used again - tv, refrigerator, lingerie (well, OK, that was for the mailshots and catalogues rather than the discount) etc . Time to go and close those to at least stop one of the potential leaks.
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Old May 10th 2012, 3:10 pm
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Default Re: Identity Fraud

Sadly, all Nordstrom and Macy's (and all other retailers) are interested in is getting you to spend money. There is insurance in place for this kind of thing and they basically don't care if it's you or not, as long as they make the sale.

So far, knock on wood, I have not had my identity stolen, but I have, on many occasions, gone into Best Buy and recited my SSN and shown ID in the absence of having a card with me. The last time was last year when I bought a laptop and a Tablet computer - both the kind of items an identity thief would purchase - in Florida (I live in Georgia).

The only way to stop ID theft is to stop commerce - and that ain't gonna happen. Like you, the best way to minimize the risk is to check everything regularly and be extra cautious as to where and when you divulge information.
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Old May 10th 2012, 4:24 pm
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Default Re: Identity Fraud

Wow, that is scary.

We have recently had to rent a new house, the application forms you have to fill in have every bit of personal info on. Luckily the only 2 houses we saw that we liked were with property management companies, but there are so many where an individual is renting out their property. I have felt very uneasy giving out all my info like that.
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Old May 10th 2012, 4:39 pm
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Default Re: Identity Fraud

Hubby's corporate Amex card was used fraudulently last year for a few small purchases - I think the total was only around $60. The guy from Amex said thieves will do this to 'test' the card first before proceeding with larger purchases. Luckily Amex picked it up and it was all sorted out painlessly. Check your accounts every couple of days folks and make use of those 'alerts' that the banks will set up for you.
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Old May 10th 2012, 4:45 pm
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Scary stuff....thanks for sharing, the stress must have been awful!

I had my Amex compromised in 2010 and had 4 small fraudulent charges made. Amex were superb and refunded immediately.
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Old May 10th 2012, 4:59 pm
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Default Re: Identity Fraud

I think the 'chip and pin' would help. I don't like them disappearing off with the card. Also setting up a tab, although I suppose that's voluntary. Recently a server came up to me with a tray of cards and asked me which one was mine.
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Old May 10th 2012, 5:00 pm
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Default Re: Identity Fraud

Originally Posted by Sally Redux
I think the 'chip and pin' would help. I don't like them disappearing off with the card. Also setting up a tab, although I suppose that's voluntary. Recently a server came up to me with a tray of cards and asked me which one was mine.
I don't know why the US hasn't adopted that method yet.
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Old May 10th 2012, 6:25 pm
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What's kind of scary is how much you can spend in some shops before you need to sign the card transaction.

It's something like $30 at Trader Joes, $50 at Wegmans etc.
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Old May 10th 2012, 6:28 pm
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Default Re: Identity Fraud

Originally Posted by N1cky
Wow, that is scary.

We have recently had to rent a new house, the application forms you have to fill in have every bit of personal info on. Luckily the only 2 houses we saw that we liked were with property management companies, but there are so many where an individual is renting out their property. I have felt very uneasy giving out all my info like that.
You should definitely be asking to go a credit check of your own on private properties, just so see they have been making mortgage payments so you don't get shafted for lost deposits if the place gets forclosed for none payment of mortgage....and they're unlikely to be shifty if they are willing to get a check done on themselves too.
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Old May 10th 2012, 6:30 pm
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Default Re: Identity Fraud

Originally Posted by Bob
You should definitely be asking to go a credit check of your own on private properties, just so see they have been making mortgage payments so you don't get shafted for lost deposits if the place gets forclosed for none payment of mortgage....and they're unlikely to be shifty if they are willing to get a check done on themselves too.
With 20 applicants fighting over every house, that isn't really an option around here, they just move to the next applicant. As luck would have it, the house we had rented is through a Property Management Company.
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Old May 10th 2012, 7:25 pm
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Originally Posted by N1cky
With 20 applicants fighting over every house, that isn't really an option around here, they just move to the next applicant. As luck would have it, the house we had rented is through a Property Management Company.
Yes, that's true....but it is something worth asking about as they shouldn't have issues with it and it only takes two minutes to call up a credit check agent to do one over the phone while you're there.

Landlords want the paper work as they can get discounts doing them all in one go and skimming the savings off what they charge you.....but and heading to the pet peeve thread is a landlord who'll take your money for a credit check knowing they've already offered the place to someone but hadn't taken it off the market yet.
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Old May 10th 2012, 8:01 pm
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Default Re: Identity Fraud

Originally Posted by Jerseygirl
I don't know why the US hasn't adopted that method yet.
Money. The banks and retailers don't want to pay for all the new equipment that would be needed etc. They figure that cost outweighs the fraud reduction benefits.
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Old May 10th 2012, 10:15 pm
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Default Re: Identity Fraud

It's not just money, although I agree it's a big part of it. There's the logistics involved.

Virtually every town has its own bank, totally autonomous of the rest, albeit maybe FDIC insured. That means that every different bank has to agree to the change before it can be put into effect.

Admittedly, if some of the bigger banks went in this direction, it would force the smaller ones to follow suit, but people will not pay the extra unless they have to - and let's face it, the charges WILL end up fairly and squarely in the lap of the consumer.

Security is generally much more lax here than in the UK. I remember thinking when I arrived that if I was dishonest, I could make a fortune - and not just because they tend to believe an English accent!
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