At a complete loss…. [identity theft victim]

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Boredchicken
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At a complete loss…. [identity theft victim]

Post by Boredchicken »

Hi. I’m not entirely sure I’m posting in the right place or not, so if I’m not, I truly apologize. So, currently I’m in the middle of a nightmare and I’m at a loss of what to do. Alright, since the middle of last year, I’ve been doing research and working towards building a prototype device and opening my own business. I have my business plan all worked out and everything ready to go. I have zero debt and an outstanding credit score, so I had sat down with my bank and had discussed a small business loan and that was the track I was on. In the middle of last month, I spent almost $10,000 for software and I did this willingly out of my own pocket thinking it would keep my loan smaller. Well, fast forward to this month and when I was ready to go for my loan, it was immediately rejected. As it turns out, I have been the victim of identity theft and so far, they have opened up several credit cards, a bank account, and applied for almost 300 loans using my information. Whomever it is has literally destroyed my credit sending it plummeting from over 750 to barely 600. I don’t even think I could get a payday loan at this point. I get well over 75 junk emails a day, 60+ text messages, and have had well over 1,000 phone calls. I’ve contacted the credit bureaus and they put a freeze on my credit as well as contacting the bank and letting them know that the account was fraudulent. I’m going to lose everything I have if I can’t come up with something. Does anyone have any suggestions or advice?
Alex Frakt
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Re: At a complete loss…. [identity theft victim]

Post by Alex Frakt »

Take a look at the steps outlined in this pamphlet from the FTC. It's written for attorneys who assist identity theft victims, but almost everything in it can be done by the victim on his or her own and it provides an excellent overview of the entire process.

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/p ... ictims.pdf

There's a lot more including more simplified versions of the above and video explanations at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/f ... tity-theft
AquaBliss
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Re: At a complete loss…. [identity theft victim]

Post by AquaBliss »

If you don’t have a paid service like LifeLock, you have to AT LEAST get CreditKarma for free so they will alert you via email when the first fraudulent service is opened in your name. That way you can take action immediately.
Gundy
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Re: At a complete loss…. [identity theft victim]

Post by Gundy »

AquaBliss wrote: Mon Sep 27, 2021 2:24 am If you don’t have a paid service like LifeLock, you have to AT LEAST get CreditKarma for free so they will alert you via email when the first fraudulent service is opened in your name. That way you can take action immediately.
LifeLock is worthless.

The CEO of LifeLock was the victim of identity theft 13 times.
"I look at a hundred deals a day. I pick one." -Gordon Gekko
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David Jay
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Re: At a complete loss…. [identity theft victim]

Post by David Jay »

This thread is a good reminder - pretty much everyone should freeze their accounts with the three major credit bureaus: EquiFax, TransUnion and Experian. It will be very difficult for anyone to open fraudulent accounts and/or credit cards if the credit accounts are frozen.

I have opened two new credit cards and in both cases I was required to “unlock” my account at the particular credit bureau for a brief period.
It's not an engineering problem - Hersh Shefrin | To get the "risk premium", you really do have to take the risk - nisiprius
Katietsu
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Re: At a complete loss…. [identity theft victim]

Post by Katietsu »

I am sorry this has happened. The good news is it sounds like they have not gone after any of your own property. That is always my fear. Fraudulently opening accounts and loans is so common these days that the hassle will just be in working through it and not in convincing the bank that you were a victim.

This makes me think of the saying: When eating an elephant, take one bite at a time.

I would recommend
https://www.identitytheft.gov
It is a free government site. It will create a personalized plan of action for you.
harrychan
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Re: At a complete loss…. [identity theft victim]

Post by harrychan »

David Jay wrote: Mon Sep 27, 2021 7:48 am This thread is a good reminder - pretty much everyone should freeze their accounts with the three major credit bureaus: EquiFax, TransUnion and Experian. It will be very difficult for anyone to open fraudulent accounts and/or credit cards if the credit accounts are frozen.

I have opened two new credit cards and in both cases I was required to “unlock” my account at the particular credit bureau for a brief period.
100%. It is pretty easy to unfreeze them when you need it so it is a must.
This is not legal or certified financial advice but you know that already.
helloeveryone
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Re: At a complete loss…. [identity theft victim]

Post by helloeveryone »

David Jay wrote: Mon Sep 27, 2021 7:48 am This thread is a good reminder - pretty much everyone should freeze their accounts with the three major credit bureaus: EquiFax, TransUnion and Experian. It will be very difficult for anyone to open fraudulent accounts and/or credit cards if the credit accounts are frozen.

I have opened two new credit cards and in both cases I was required to “unlock” my account at the particular credit bureau for a brief period.
Are there good threads you recommend that discuss this or other sites? I see this periodically and would like to look into it more. thanks!
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anon_investor
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Re: At a complete loss…. [identity theft victim]

Post by anon_investor »

harrychan wrote: Mon Sep 27, 2021 10:29 pm
David Jay wrote: Mon Sep 27, 2021 7:48 am This thread is a good reminder - pretty much everyone should freeze their accounts with the three major credit bureaus: EquiFax, TransUnion and Experian. It will be very difficult for anyone to open fraudulent accounts and/or credit cards if the credit accounts are frozen.

I have opened two new credit cards and in both cases I was required to “unlock” my account at the particular credit bureau for a brief period.
100%. It is pretty easy to unfreeze them when you need it so it is a must.
+1, really easy to temporarily unfreeze online. In the last year plus, I have been able to unfreeze to complete 2 mortgage refis and apply for 2 CCs, with no issues.
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David Jay
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Re: At a complete loss…. [identity theft victim]

Post by David Jay »

helloeveryone wrote: Mon Sep 27, 2021 10:42 pmAre there good threads you recommend that discuss this or other sites? I see this periodically and would like to look into it more. thanks!
https://www.google.com/search?q=credit+ ... eheads.org
It's not an engineering problem - Hersh Shefrin | To get the "risk premium", you really do have to take the risk - nisiprius
kunaguvarun
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Re: At a complete loss…. [identity theft victim]

Post by kunaguvarun »

harrychan wrote: Mon Sep 27, 2021 10:29 pm
David Jay wrote: Mon Sep 27, 2021 7:48 am This thread is a good reminder - pretty much everyone should freeze their accounts with the three major credit bureaus: EquiFax, TransUnion and Experian. It will be very difficult for anyone to open fraudulent accounts and/or credit cards if the credit accounts are frozen.

I have opened two new credit cards and in both cases I was required to “unlock” my account at the particular credit bureau for a brief period.
100%. It is pretty easy to unfreeze them when you need it so it is a must.
If I place a freeze, do other aggregator services like CreditKarma or Mint can still function like monitoring my credit usage, open/closed accounts etc?
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life in slices
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Re: At a complete loss…. [identity theft victim]

Post by life in slices »

helloeveryone wrote: Mon Sep 27, 2021 10:42 pm
David Jay wrote: Mon Sep 27, 2021 7:48 am This thread is a good reminder - pretty much everyone should freeze their accounts with the three major credit bureaus: EquiFax, TransUnion and Experian. It will be very difficult for anyone to open fraudulent accounts and/or credit cards if the credit accounts are frozen.

I have opened two new credit cards and in both cases I was required to “unlock” my account at the particular credit bureau for a brief period.
Are there good threads you recommend that discuss this or other sites? I see this periodically and would like to look into it more. thanks!
This link was posted on BH last year at some point and has some good pointer and action items on securing your identity
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2020/08/why ... your-flag/
harrychan
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Re: At a complete loss…. [identity theft victim]

Post by harrychan »

kunaguvarun wrote: Tue Sep 28, 2021 3:09 pm
harrychan wrote: Mon Sep 27, 2021 10:29 pm
David Jay wrote: Mon Sep 27, 2021 7:48 am This thread is a good reminder - pretty much everyone should freeze their accounts with the three major credit bureaus: EquiFax, TransUnion and Experian. It will be very difficult for anyone to open fraudulent accounts and/or credit cards if the credit accounts are frozen.

I have opened two new credit cards and in both cases I was required to “unlock” my account at the particular credit bureau for a brief period.
100%. It is pretty easy to unfreeze them when you need it so it is a must.
If I place a freeze, do other aggregator services like CreditKarma or Mint can still function like monitoring my credit usage, open/closed accounts etc?
Yes. If I remember correctly, those services can still track inquiries but they will not be successful as the respective agencies have freezes on them from enabling bad actors from opening accounts on your behalf.
This is not legal or certified financial advice but you know that already.
Average Investor
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Re: At a complete loss…. [identity theft victim]

Post by Average Investor »

David Jay wrote: Mon Sep 27, 2021 7:48 am This thread is a good reminder - pretty much everyone should freeze their accounts with the three major credit bureaus: EquiFax, TransUnion and Experian. It will be very difficult for anyone to open fraudulent accounts and/or credit cards if the credit accounts are frozen.

I have opened two new credit cards and in both cases I was required to “unlock” my account at the particular credit bureau for a brief period.
Thanks for the the reminder, finally got this done today.

OP, sorry to hear, hope you can resolve ASAP.
Tomorrow never knows.
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