Identity Theft?

jondog · #1 11-19-2010, 04:43 PM

Anybody ever had their SSN stolen? My wife just did, apparently. We have no idea how. As far as we can tell once they had that # they had access to her bank acct. They tried a $50 charge that we caught right away so we went to the bank and changed everything. Then, a few days later, as we left for vacation, the bank told us that the thief still had access and just got an $880k loan using her SSN. ***?! What effect did the paperwork we just did have? When we told them NO, the bank's solution was "come to your local branch." We couldn't, we were across the country and visited that distant branch with passports in hand, but they kept repeating "local branch only" like idiots so we got the Feds involved (Immigration branch because my wife is not a citizen yet) and all of a sudden the bank now says we don't have to visit the local branch to tell them they did not give us an $880k loan.

Any advice? All of our accounts are frozen and all of the bills are autopay out of that account . . .

MJ5150 · #2 11-19-2010, 04:49 PM

Good on you all for paying close attention to your finances and catching it before they ruined your life.

-Mike

**jmattbassplaya** · #3 11-19-2010, 05:35 PM

Just curious, but how in the world could someone get an $880k loan?

need4mospd · #4 11-19-2010, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmattbassplaya

Just curious, but how in the world could someone get an $880k loan?

Fraud. That or jondog's wife makes a fairly hefty salary.

Considering the person is using a stolen SS#, I'd say it's the first.

MadMan118 · #5 11-19-2010, 05:49 PM

If your wife is a resident alien of the US, what is she doing with a SSN?

ksandvik · #6 11-19-2010, 05:51 PM

Anyone with a working visa permit gets a SSN, not only citizens.

Anyway, it's critical to as much as possible not use SSN online for anything (as far as I know never had a need to type that in), neither show it around. Keep it private.

anyonefortennis · #7 11-19-2010, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ksandvik

Anyone with a working visa permit gets a SSN, not only citizens.

This. Also Permanent Residents ("green card" holders) are issued a social security number.

anyonefortennis · #8 11-19-2010, 06:39 PM

I was told (as an immigrant who recently became a US citizen) that people that get SSNs as adults are usually "targeted" for identity theft since it's easier to provide fake birth certificates from other countries to prove things like age, etc.

I really don't envy your situation but I'd suggest getting a credit monitoring service and see what has been opened or what could be open in the next few years under her SSN. My old mortgage company (countrywide) caught an employee selling personal info and part of the class action settlement was 5 years of the "triple advantage" monitoring that I'm still using.

Report this to your bank, DMV, SS Office, etc. Even your local FBI office should be notified in case there was a large scale identity theft case from an organization that has your spouse's personal info. I had a co-workers who's SSN was stolen and FBI reached him to prove that he was the "real" person.

Even if it's a hassle, I'd recommend switching banks all together. Any call to an untrained CSR on the phone can lead to more leaks of personal info. Opening an account on a bank that you have never done business with is a good move.

I also agree with Mike, good for you on constantly checking your bank records and catching this early on. I'm a bit OCD with that stuff too and I think I would catch a wrong transaction under 12 hrs from it happening.

Lastly, keep record of every minute and every penny you spend straightening this mess out. Cost of document copies, gas for travel, minutes on phone calls, and total time spent. If this ever goes to court against an individual or a class action suit against a "bigger fish", you may get some $$ back from it.

jondog · #9 11-19-2010, 06:42 PM

Right, it's such an obvious fraud that we can't believe that any banker let it go through any hoop and further that we have to suffer without access to our account while they figure out whatever they need to figure out. We caught it at the $50 level, did the right paperwork, and still got screwed.

Yes people with green cards get SSNs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by need4mospd

Fraud. That or jondog's wife makes a fairly hefty salary.

Considering the person is using a stolen SS#, I'd say it's the first.

mid_life_crisis · #10 11-19-2010, 09:14 PM

The SSN was not intended to be a national ID for general purposes. This is a good example of why it shouldn't be.
The idiotic thing is that even when you prove that your identity has been stolen, the feds still won't issue you a new SSN.

Jeff K · #11 11-19-2010, 10:11 PM

Report the fraud to the 3 major Credit Bureaus, and have all 3 place a fraud alert on her credit report. That way, if anybody tries to open a new account, it should not be approved unless it is verified personally by your wife that either yes, she is applying for that new account; or no, she did NOT apply for an account there.

Also, notify the Federal Trade Commission. They do not investigate the fraud, but they are the federal clearinghouse for, and keep records of all reported identity theft. That makes it easier for an investigator to determine if a widespread pattern develops.

File a police report regarding the attempted fraud. Even if the police do not investigate the matter, having a copy of the police report will help you tremendously in the future if another fraudulent account is opened. You can then provide a copy of the police report when you dispute the charges. That way, they will not try to hold your wife responsible for them.

Check her credit report at least every 6 months for a year or two. Look at all accounts. Highlight any that she knows she did not open, then immediately dispute those accounts.

**derrellvis69** · #12 11-19-2010, 10:27 PM

I've been a victim, and when dealing with banks, FTC, local law enforcement.... It really pays to have a lawyer handle the correspondence. I had to fill out an affidavit for every single fraudulant charge against my SSN, and there were dozens, and that's not even counting having to get a new drivers license.. That took 4 visits to the DMV and 3 days of vacation time!!! The FTC and local law enforcement are only interested if the amount is above $30k, because it costs them that much to investigate.... It took me 3 years and a bankruptcy to get mine cleaned up... knocking wood as I type this message. Every time I thought it was cleared up and over, some new accounts would appear all over the world.

Good Luck.....

mrpackerguy · #13 11-20-2010, 12:04 PM

1st time ever just this morning. Capitol One called inquiring about a bunch of recent transactions in the last couple days. Not mine. Thankfully only about $100. Fraud investigation started.

MIJ-VI · #14 03-26-2011, 06:13 AM

Taking steps to anonymize one's on-line profile may help to impair the info gathering by crackers which often precedes identity theft.

These posts list some approaches to surfing in stealth mode: #161 #445

Skitch it! · #15 03-26-2011, 06:55 AM

Card Cloning is popular in the U.K, a relative got taken for $1600 a while back.

fourstringdrums · #16 03-26-2011, 07:01 AM

My mother got taken a few years ago, thankfully not for very much, but one of the PayPal Phishing scams. She got lured into a PayPal look-a-like site.

I no longer use my debit card online. Everything is done with credit card and I never give my SSN unless it's through a reputable site that I know has it as a requirement like for my pension for example.

L-A · #17 03-26-2011, 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MIJ-VI

Taking steps to anonymize one's on-line profile may help to impair the info gathering by crackers which often precedes identity theft.

These posts list some approaches to surfing in stealth mode: #161 #445

Ideally, you don't ever enter your SSN in a browser. Anonymity is nice, but smart browsing covers that too.

MIJ-VI · #18 03-26-2011, 07:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by L-A

Ideally, you don't ever enter your SSN in a browser. Anonymity is nice, but smart browsing covers that too.

Some tips?...

L-A · #19 03-26-2011, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MIJ-VI

Some tips?...

I only enter sensitive info when browsing a TLS/HTTPS vendor site I trust. I limit such disclosure to the minimum. The unusual part is that I have my browser open for cookies and I let Google track my browsing. This way, my identity can be proven through logs. It's been useful twice, up to now (Facebook and a credit card trying to register in an odd town).

I'm also open about my identity (name, job, but no date of birth or any more info). If you google my whole name, my portfolio is the top result, I can switch the WHOIS records to confirm I am the owner and there's an email address you can be sure is mine.

I'm young and all of this might prove nonsense in two years, but for the time being, being frank about who I am allows me to easily disprove odd actions done in my name. (This also includes someone else claiming my work as their own.)

**lowendfriend** · #20 03-26-2011, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mid_life_crisis

The SSN was not intended to be a national ID for general purposes. This is a good example of why it shouldn't be.
The idiotic thing is that even when you prove that your identity has been stolen, the feds still won't issue you a new SSN.

The classic irony....look at your SSN card (if they still issue them). Mine says "Not for Identification Purposes" !!!!