Someone stole my identity

"BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather" (bugeyedacura)
05/10/2017 at 11:03 • Filed to: None

And opened a JC Penney card of all things. I guess I should be glad they didn’t dream bigger. But now I feel so uneasy. Someone out there has my personal information. This is not okay.

DISCUSSION (15)

My bird IS the word > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
05/10/2017 at 11:12

how did they/ you catch it?

mazda616 > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
05/10/2017 at 11:14

Damn. That sucks. One thing I’m beyond paranoid about.

Also: People still shop at JC Penney?

TheRealBicycleBuck > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
05/10/2017 at 11:20

Welcome to the club! It’s happened to me three times. The first time was when my checkbook and wallet were stolen. That was back in the old days when we had to fill out an affidavit of forgery for each store where they wrote a check.

Since then, it’s been much easier. Notify the bank and they take care of the rest.

Rico > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
05/10/2017 at 11:23

Download the Experian App as well as Credit Karma. Both of these apps can help you monitor your credit and show you what credit cards are open, any open loans or recent credit checks. It’ll help you keep an eye on your account for the coming months, don’t bother with paying for lifelock or some other paid service.

Urambo Tauro > mazda616
05/10/2017 at 11:31

Hey, I remember JCPenney! Weren’t they right next door to Sears Roebuck?

EL_ULY > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
05/10/2017 at 11:36

haveacarortwoorthree2 > Urambo Tauro
05/10/2017 at 11:39

Hey, JCP earned 7 cents per share last year on almost $4b in revenue! I still wouldn’t recommend buying any shares, though.

CaptDale - is secretly British > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
05/10/2017 at 11:48

I am doing enough to ruin my credit so no one can open a card if they steal my identity.

LOREM IPSUM > Rico
05/10/2017 at 11:49

What’s the catch with Credit Karma, anyway? They’re constantly advertising, which obviously costs money, yet the service they advertise is claimed to be free. ...something something no such thing as a free lunch something something...

Rico > LOREM IPSUM
05/10/2017 at 11:53

Credit Karma makes money when people sign up for any credit cards the website or app suggests.

Like if I log on it might have an advertisement for a credit card I might be interested in due to the rewards points like CitiBank Double Cashback or Capital One Venture Rewards.

Just like the website www.creditcards.com which shows you comparisons on every single credit card available, their rewards programs, their customer service benefits and annual fees. It’s a free site but if you sign up for any cards advertised they get a kickback.

I’ve been using credit karma for years to monitor my credit, not my score so much since I’ve been above 800 for a while. No issues ever.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
05/10/2017 at 12:23

I’ve had it happen three times; it isn’t fun to clean up. The FTC website has some good information, and you’ll need a police report from a local agency to get much of anything done. I found that the usual initial response from the credit bureaus was to tell me to pound sound. It usually took sending them demand letters via certified mail and citing relevant statues and threatening to sue under the FCRA before they actually fixed stuff on my reports.

The first time, some opened a bunch of bank accounts in my name in another state. That time, the bank in question caught it on their own and closed down the accounts.

The second time, someone took out state unemployment benefits in my name and using a slight variation of one of my old addresses. The state never noticed the address they used didn’t actually exist. I learned about that one when I got contacted (as a suspect) by a state investigator after the state noticed they were paying unemployment benefits to someone who is also state employee. It took some doing to fix that one, and then the state screwed up again and sent the issue to their collections folks who filled a lien against me. It took even more doing to fix the publicly recorded lien.

The last time, someone took out a payday loan in my name and got dish network service in my name. For some unknown reason, they actually paid back the payday loan. Part of me wanted to tell the person that they aren’t doing it right. They did not pay for the dish network service.

I now keep both extended fraud alerts and security freezes on all my credit reports. Having my files on lockdown has stopped the issue, but it does require advance planning on my part to make any credit related move. I have to unfreeze reports in advance before anyone can access them, and the extended fraud alerts trigger FCRA requirements on banks before they can open an account for me. An application usually goes to their fraud folks who are required to verify my info and contact me by phone before an account can be opened. It means it usually takes a couple of days for a me to open a new account. There is certainly no instant approval for me, despite having excellent credit.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
05/10/2017 at 13:14

I’ve had my credit card stolen (read? Swiped? What’s the term for when they take your information electronically?) three times. I had a credit monitoring account for a while and while it was nice, it was a fair bit of money back when I was making no money at all...

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > My bird IS the word
05/10/2017 at 13:29

JCPenneys sent me a text about the account. At first I thought it was a scam to get me to call a number. But then it started texting me about purchases and I called Penneys and it rolled from there.

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > mazda616
05/10/2017 at 13:33

Any area that doesn’t have a rich/upscale enough clientele to support a Macy’s has a Penneys

mazda616 > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
05/10/2017 at 14:10

We have both and the average per capita income in my city is $32,000. Of course, no one shops at either the Macy’s or the Penney’s.