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Excellent information!
Excellent information!
Jeff writes:
\"In Item #15, trixare4kids writes, \"When the collection agency says they need you to fill out their form and send it back, call and make sure they have received it.\" Here's a better idea: before you send the form in, make a copy of it. Send the original form by certified mail, return receipt requested. Staple the certified mail receipt to your copy of the form. Once you receive the return receipt, staple that to your copy of the form also. This gives you written proof that the form was received by the collection agency. I got this tip from an attorney who specializes in consumer debt.\"
Jeff. Total genius. Where were you when I needed you 5 years ago!? I would also like to mention that if you use this method DO follow up with a phone call to make sure that they are actually taking action on it. I found I had to be very persistent to get them to take action or my letter or form would end up languishing in a pile someplace. This true mostly of the collection agenies.
Step 19: Since you're doing all that record-keeping anyway, record how much time you're spending on fixing up the mess. It might not be possible now, but eventually, gods willing, it'll be possible to sue for that. And it's good research info anyway. -M.
Transuranic writes:
Re: #14: \"Hey guys - shouldn't we ALL be putting a fraud alert on our files? You don't even need to be a victim - the text on the line states \"if you feel you are at risk for becoming a fraud victim\" ... well, given the way I bandy about my SSN in order to even buy a cuppa starbucks(tm), I'd much rather have to deal with a few expected phone calls every time I apply for credit (rarely to never) than with one iota of what Trix described.
3 types of alerts depending on who you are:
Anyone: An initial-90 day alert.
Confirmed as a fraud victim, and have the report to prove it - 7-year extended alert.
Military on Active Duty: 2-year Active Duty alert.
Here are the numbers for the agencies. I called just now to do it. This is yet another example of something that a company SHOULD be doing on your behalf anyway... May I suggest doing this every time you move, too. (I had to leave my info on a voicemail since the numeric portion of my addr didn't match their records...)
⢠TransUnion: 800-680-7289 (menu's not bad)
⢠Equifax: 800-525-6285 (quick & easy menu)
⢠Experian: 888-397-3742 (slow menu, told me to do the website instead of doing it by phone, and had spam-flavored ad offers. Told me that adding a phone number for the creditors to call me could slow down instant credit, duh. Bitches.)\"
Here's my tip: Between the ages of 18-23, act in an appallingly irresponsible manner and completely ruin your credit rating. Then no one will WANT to steal your identity! Worked for me, even if cleaning up the aftermath of my college years is taking me the rest of my 20's.
umpteen... it's umpteen.
Oh man, I knew the grammar and spelling police where going to crash the party.
Karen writes:
\"I found out a couple of weeks ago that someone has been using my identity and my credit is a mess. I've been FREAKING OUT and instead of taking action I have just been frozen - that whole deer in the headlights thing, you know? So much information and I didn't know where to start and I've just been avoiding the whole situation. How dumb is that, I know! Then this weekend I happened across the consumerist site and read the article by trixare4kids (silly rabbit!) about how to get through having your identity stolen. Today I'm feeling empowered to get some folder togeter, get reports, make a police report etc etc etc etc The step by step instructions along with dealing with some of the emotional issues was totally invaluable and I wanted to thank her personally for taking the time to write it.. I don't have a login for your site, can you pleae forward or post this to her? I wanted to throw some good karma her way.
Karen\"
#14 - Ben, I'm completely with you. Instant credit is one of the worst ideas of the last and this century and the evil should be stopped. Can the call thing be renewed every 90 days?
One of the most difficult things about fighting identity theft if you're a woman is the whole married name thing. If you've changed your name and/or moved, it'll be more difficult to communicate with the credit bureaus, and you'll likely have to put at least your initial requests to them (even for access to your credit file!) in writing, as their automated phone systems may reject you. But you must, must, must be persistent.
What happened to trix happened to me. The only difference is that I know exactly how the thieves got my information. I am one of those that responded to a phishing email (ebay). They managed to hit my email while I was on ebay bidding on several items and at that time I was very uninformed about this kind of criminal activity and also it was the very day the credit card I was using online was expiring! I had one of those awakenings about 2 hours after this happened to me and luckily I was able to secure everything very quickly. That was in early 2004,now skip ahead to mid 2006. This is when they finaly decided to really hit and I was not watching things as closely as I should have been. After over 2 years I had let my guard down. I was still doing credit monitoring but that does not always alert you quick enough. Fraud alerts had long expired on my credit reports. My advice to anyone else who has been phished and responded to the email is: NEVER let your guard down, keep fraud alerts in place at all times on all 3 credit reports. Sign up for online banking at your bank and look at your accounts everyday. If I had done these things I would have gotten off with very little trouble. It will soon be 3 years since that email changed my life forever. I really feel stupid for having fallen for such a scam and that makes the whole thing much harder to deal with.
@dog1: Ebay phishters got me years ago too.
Thanks for the tip. I wouldn't be surprised if these guys sell lists of credit info every so often so that the new 'owner' takes another shot at your credit.
Try not to be so hard on yourself, uninformed and stupid are not synonymous.
Might wanna fix the \"IDENTITY THEFT\" tag...