#idenitytheft

Seven Things You Should Do Now if You Think Your Identity Was Stolen

Yesterday I got a letter in the mail from Chase bank. Apparently, I tried to get a credit card with them. I was turned down because I have locks on my credit report and you can’t get anything under my name. Gosh, every time I turn around someone is trying to scam me. It makes me so mad because I try to live a honest life and while I am working hard being honest, people are working hard to take everything away from me. I have been a victim of identity theft quite a bit. So I decided to freeze my credit. Today, I am calling the three credit bureaus to make sure that all is well. 

I have been dealing with this for years. Here are my examples:

On my birthday, someone stole 1k out of my bank account, went down to the hotel down the street from my apartment, stayed for a week and ordered room service. I got the money back but I have no clue how they got my information.

last year, I received 6 letters stating that I have been declined from a credit card, ALL ON THE SAME DAY!! Someone tried over and over to get a card in my name. They tried 6 times!!

I cancelled my WISH shopping account because someone from Russia, broke into my account, changed my user id and password and tried to send themselves high priced item on wish.

I had someone call my home from the IRS and stated that I was in trouble and that I needed to talk to someone, but I knew it was a scam so when I told them to hold the line, I am going to call the REAL POLICE!!! they hung up...lol

I was at work one day and someone sent me a email with my SOCIAL SECURITY on it and said that the police was looking for me to throw me in jail. That day I went down to the real police department and filed a police report. 

Let’s see, what else.

I constantly get people trying to scam me on Facebook, with those love scams..

So, I am calling RIGHT NOW to make sure my credit STAYS FROZEN. My gosh, it is just an inconvenience because if I have to apply for something, I have to find out what credit bureau they are dealing with and then contact the bureau to unfreeze it temporarily. Then after they run my credit, I have to call the bureau to refreeze it. 

If I travel out of town, I have to call the bureaus and my bank to make sure that they know what states I am going to be in because one time in DC I tried to use my bank card and it was shut down because they thought someone was using my card. So I always have to carry cash on me just in case. 

Crazy.

One time I was leaving my town to travel, I got about 10 miles out and went to get gas. This was a weekend. My card didn’t work. I had to call the bank and they were closed. So I have to look up other numbers to see what happened to my bank card. Finally I got to someone and they told me that a person in FLORIDA was trying to charge something on my bank account and they asked if I was in Florida. I said No but they went ahead a froze my bank account. So, they couldn’t fix it until Monday, so I had to return home. 

Things like this is waxing my love cold. Its a shame how bad it is now.   

The police calls for their yearly donation and I do donate but because people are so shady now, I tell them to SEND me the form and I will fill out with the donation and return. 

Every time I turn around there is new scam out there. 

Unfortunately, this is how it is and I just have to be careful.

Be harmless as a dove but wise as a serpent. 

Matthew 24:12 Context

1) Don’t tell everyone your summer travel plans

We all get excited for summer vacation but announcing your plans online is not a good idea. I’m the first to say I break this common rule frequently. Experts advise against sharing your vacation plans on social media and during casual conversations with acquaintances. By sharing that your home will be empty for a specific period of time you are at a higher risk for identity theft. If you’re going to be away from home for an extended period of time, place your mail on hold and have a neighbor be sure to pick up packages or other items left at your front door from delivery carriers. Don’t draw attention to your home being empty by allowing newspapers to pile up  on your doorstep. Temporarily stop your delivery service or have a neighbor pick up your paper.

2) Only carry essentials in your wallet while traveling

With the possibility of losing  your wallet or someone taking it purposely, be sure to leave all the extras at home. Shopping cards, library cards, extra credit cards, and other items with any personal information should be left home in a safe. While it might feel silly to put your pharmacy shopping card in a safe, think about how detrimental it could be if someone assuming your identity had all of your personal cards.

3) Protect your smartphone

Smartphones are full of personal information. While traveling it’s a good idea to set up a screen lock with a pass code required in case your phone is lost or stolen.

4) Do not provide your personal information to anyone without proper verification

Popular identity theft scams include calls to hotel rooms pretending to be the front desk asking to verify credit card information. As always, don’t ever provide your personal information to anyone without first verifying their identification and intent.

5) Protect your identity with LifeLock

Esau caught red handed trying to earse slave history from school books.