Identity Theft

[wtm442]

Watch out for identity theft ....

[wtm442]

Watch out for identity theft ... here is some more

[wtm442]

... and some more cute bunnies and puppies and kittens .

[Ron61]

Very cute pictures. Amazing how the colors can make them look so much like the same animals.

Ron

[trularin]

Warren, I see you have taken up a new hobbie.

[4RE KLR]

Warren has to do something with all his free time since the weather is bad and he cannot get out and drive.

[wtm442]

Originally Posted by 4RE KLR

Warren has to do something with all his free time since the weather is bad and he cannot get out and drive.

Ya, I only had 2 rides yesterday and two today. Tomorrow I'll be going down to the FFR Open house. On the way home, I'll stop in at a cruise night.

Sunday there might be some AM showers, so I may have to skip that day. If it clears up, there is a nice little cruise night in a Wal-Mart parking lot about 20 miles from my house. They usually have 400+ cars.

I could be cruel and ask Steve when he had his last Cobra ride, but everyone knows I'm not that kind of person.

Hi-jack my hi-brow thread will ya? I'm going to send my killer cat after you Steve. Kiss your computer goodbye.

[Ron61]

Warren,

Steve has had a Cobra ride since I have. Darn it doesn't seem like 2 years since I sold mine.

Ron

[4RE KLR]

woo, Truthfully, I cannot remember. I can barely remember the last ride in my car either. It has been years.

Warren,
Sorry it was not an attempt to hijack your little thread at all. Had I meant to hijack it I would have made a comment about these damn fuel cost, but as you say, I am not that kind of guy.

Identity theft is real. My wife and I are victims of ID theft. The perps wrote over $100K in checks over a 28 day period. It cost us thousands and some of it is still not cleared up. It has been over five years and some of it is still a headache. The police departments do not even work those cases any longer as there are too many of them to be bothered by.

Cute pics tho Warren.

[wtm442]

Originally Posted by 4RE KLR

My wife and I are victims of ID theft. The perps wrote over $100K in checks over a 28 day period. It cost us thousands and some of it is still not cleared up. It has been over five years and some of it is still a headache. The police departments do not even work those cases any longer as there are too many of them to be bothered by.

That really sucks. Did they ever find the perps?

If you are ever up my way, give me a call and I'll take you for a ride.

Let the hi-jacking continue!

[4RE KLR]

Warren,
About two weeks after first had this happen and the Keller, Texas police detective (WORTHLESS) told us they did not work those types of cases, he and his wife had theirs stolen. It was all over the news paper that hey would find these people and bring them to justice.

Amazing how it didn't matter when it was us, but when they got hit, that is a different story.

They found a lady in Houston that was selling the information over the web for $50.00 for each name. She had sold it several hundred times over the course of two days. We had purchases made from Houston to Seattle, on the same day. Airline tickets were bought, cars were leased, loans were taken out, and Walmart got hit pretty hard.

The lady had got the information from a ********* cashier that had double swiped our check when we paid at the register. We thought it was odd that she would swipe it twice and then give us back the check we had just written. When it was all said and done she is the one that was selling the information on line and to the people in Houston that made it public.

The way it works is they use ones ID and another's checking account number. They used our ID and someones Else's account number. The problem is, when the checks were sent back to the retailer's they contacted us. The threats were horrible, even after we told then we were victims of ID theft they did not believe us. We had police reports they told us were fake and we even went through the ID theft clearing house. They sent the accounts to collection agecies. It cost us many, many thousands of dollars and we still have some of this crap on our credit reports. This happen five years ago or better now. We have had to get our attorney involved and sue three of the stores to get them to remove the information form our credit.

It really sucks and the people that did it only got a slap on the wrist and sent home. No jail time at all.

[4RE KLR]

Yea, believe me if I ever get us there you will be the first to know. I'll take you up on the ride offer.

[Ron61]

Steve,

The identity theft is a real problem in this day and age and once you are a victim of it, they don't seem to really care about getting your name cleared. I have avoided it but know two people that got caught with it and just like you, they are still trying to get their names cleared and all the crap straightened out. And the so called protection agency one of them had been paying dues to dropped them just as soon as the stuff started coming in. It seems around here Fraud is the number one business now. I read in yesterdays paper where some woman they had released on her own recognizance because of a fraud charge totaling well over $200K had been arrested again in Redding for theft, fraud, and a couple of other minor charges. And this while she was waiting trial for the original fraud. And she had three or four people's identity cards and everything she needed to charge stuff to them. And since they have already let her out once on her own recognizance, I doubt if they will do more than give her a few days in jail when the trial finally gets here. There is no money to be made by putting her in jail.

Ron

[Joe Wicked]

Sorry to hear that Steve. I try to take every precaution I can. I do not write checks at the store, I shred every piece of mail, and I watch my credit card statements. So far I have been lucky and nothing has happened, so I will continue to do it.

Ron,
sounds typical.

[trularin]

Steve, I have come to the conclusion you have wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy to much misfortune.

I used to say, "if it wasn't for the bad luck, I'd have no luck at all." But, you seem to get more than most people.

[427 S/O]

Anyone have a list of precautions to avoid identity theft?.

[Ron61]

Perry,

This is not foolproof by any means, but everything that I receive with my name and address on it I run that part through my shredder. Also all financial statements and anything that has any information about my SS#, Bank Accounts, and anything else that can help identify me. Unfortunately there is no way other than watching carefully when you use a credit card or write a check to see that no one makes a copy of it. I don't think there is any foolproof way to be secure. I used to tell people to not say anything on the telephone that they don't want the world to know about as those conversations are monitored more than the public ever knows about. Also the same for putting anything on a computer. The best I do is just be careful and avoid any more exposure of my information than I have to make public.

Maybe become an illegal alien and then if someone steals your identity they will be arrested.

Edited to correct spelling

Ron

[Joe Wicked]

Perry,
There is no 1 solution to prevent it, but there are a lot of things you can do. Here is what I do:
1: I shred all mail, including junk mail. Anything that has my name and address on it. I have seen people dumpster diving for mail, and at that point I began shredding.
2: Watch ATMs for a device that is over the card slot. I inspect all ATMs carefully before I use them. some of these card readers are very tricky to see. They look like they are part of the machine.
3: I never write checks at the store, and I avoid using a credit card where they have to use paper to run it if I can.
4: I do not mail any bills out by putting in my mailbox and letting the mail carrier pick it up. I will take it to the post office and drop it in the secure box. Most credit card companies want you to write your account number on the check, so on that 1 piece of paper is your name, address, checking account number, routing number, credit card company name, credit card number, and signature. At that point the only thing missing is your SSN number.
5: Never give out personal information over the phone or internet unless you are on a secure site. Check the Verisign, or other security info first.
Most (but not all) ID thieves go for the easiest mark they can get. If they have to work to get anything, they move on, the guy down the street is easier picking. Some like the challenge however, and if they pick you, there is not much they wont try.

I have been looking into using one of the services like LifeLock as well. So far my precautions have worked, I know of 2 instances were someone has tried, one was a failed attempt at getting a car, it was turned down because I have 2 car loans already. The other I am still fighting. Someone in the L.A. area used my name for a telephone and didn't pay the bill. I never lived at the address, and the SSN is not mine, so I don't know how they have it on my credit report, but I am fighting it. Luckily it is not that much, so it isn't hurting me as bad as it could. Both instances are from before I started taking precautions.

[Joe Wicked]

Ron, it looks like we have the same ideas on simple steps to take. You must have started typing before I did.

[4RE KLR]

Tru,
Just some life lessons. The big guy upstairs was trying to tell me something. It took awhile but I finally got it. I guess my head is (was) real hard!



As far as what can you do to protect yourself. There are many good ideas here already but you have to remember that if someone wants your particular information they will get it. Simple as that.

There are services on the web that you can list someones phone number (reverse number look up, criss cross, who called me, etc..) and that will tell you their address. Then you can look on the tax rolls and get some more taxpayer information. Sometimes I have seen drivers license numbers listed with tax rolls. Don't ask my why I have no idea. Mine was for a while.

If the person has a business you can do a business search and get the SSN, drivers license and address. It is all a matter of public record. If they are involved in a lawsuit the personal information is available for anyone who has three dollars for a copy of the filing. There are thousands of ways to get to you.

Our SSN's were created for the US government to keep up with our taxes each year. As time went on we have become accustomed to giving our SSN out as an identifying number without question.

How can we protect ourselves.
NEVER - EVER write a check at ANY store. Even if the do not swipe it in front of you they still can when the build the store deposits at night.

Get a debit (or check) card and use it exclusively.

DO NOT have mail sent to your home. Mail has been stolen out of our box many times when we lived in a gated community of million dollar + homes.

DO NOT mail bills out from your home. Get a PO box and use it for all mail.

DO NOT give your personal information to anyone on the phone that calls you. You are not 100% sure who they really are. If you make the contact you have a better chance of knowing who you are talking to.

When making purchases over the Internet. Go to your bank and get a One Time use card. They have debit and credit cards that they can program to work only once, or to expire in two or three days. After you make your purchase close the account at the same bank with the same person that opened it. Let them know what you are doing so they can process that one charge and not send it back.

Do not carry your SS card in your wallet. If you loose it your screwed, simple as that.

Do not carry PIN numbers in your wallet. See above

Shred everything that comes to you in the mail if it has your name and addy on it. Tear off that part and shred it. Also look inside and make sure they have not repeated the information on the inside of the junk mail. Credit card companies are real bad about putting your information on the paperwork ten times. Anything that comes to you from a company soliciting your credit shred the whole thing.

Do not throw your bank statements in the trash.

Just a little awareness will help and it will go along way.

I have seen people inside the dumpster at the post office looking for addresses. I left and called the police. The guy had twenty or so PRE APPROVED credit card mailings in his pocket. The police told me they had been looking for him for years. They were very happy to say the least. So do not throw away anything at the Post Office either.

Credit card companies are the main ones to blame for ID theft. We have received pre approvals in the mail with our SSN on them. We have received REAL checks in the mail, just take it to the bank and deposit it.

What most people do not know is if some one steals your ID and goes to the store and buys something. You report your ID was stolen and the credit card company will put the money back in your account. The store takes the hit. NOT the credit card company.

Just be careful with you ID....