It Had to Happen Sometimes, I Guess (Identity Theft)

[BrigandTwoFour]

Hey guys, I'm wondering if anyone can offer insight or tips on this. I was part of the OPM hack a few years ago, so it was only a matter of time, I suppose.

I received alerts over the weekend of activity on my credit reports. I noticed three inquiries in rapid succession, all from what appear to be Pay Day loan companies. Nobody was open to answer the phones on Sunday, so I had to wait to this morning. Upon talking to them, it appears that all applications were done online and were rejected (thankfully) due to "questionable info".

Upon talking to the third agency, I found out that whoever did this also turned in a pay stub with my name and SSN on it. That takes me down a whole new rabbit hole with the IRS and Social Security Administrations.

Here's what I've done so far:

- Fraud alert/freeze with all three credit bureaus
- Reported incident to local LE, including the employer of "fake me," the person at the third loan agency has a lot more information to share when she is contacted
- Trying to pull employment history from social security admin to see if this is recent or ongoing
- Informing IRS of possible fraudulent income reporting

Is there anything else you guys might suggest? It seems I caught this early enough that I might be able to squash it before it snowballed.


I don't count myself as a judgmental person, but the employer of "fake me" turns out to be a company that helps felons find employment as they re-integrate.

[elephant]

chances are, they don't just have your information but hundreds of other people. If they don't get what they want with yours, they move on to the next. But taking precautions is a first step.

[Tigereye]

Let your bank know. They may be able to put an alert on your accounts for ID. Make sure all of your finances, cards, etc. don't share the same passwords. I had something similar two years ago and got an app called Keeper for passwords. The IRS issued a PIN to us. Someone actually submitted a return on us early this year but the IRS alert stopped them.
I heard a presentation a month ago about ID theft. What you've done and what I suggested covers most of it.

[HardToHandle]

The first prosecution of similar OPM breach victims just occurred...

https://m.govexec.com/oversight/2018...k-data/149302/

Democrats. Handed your data and millions of other national security cleared individuals over to only God-knows-who.

[ggammell]

I’ll just throw out some cautionary words. Aside from being able to provide the appropriate agencies/companies with case numbers, don’t expect a lot from the LE end. Often times they are catagoried by loss and solvability. If it’s local you’ve got a better shot but if there’s a state line involved or it’s takes intensive investigation you may not get an arrest and/or prosecution. Best of luck to you. These are extremely frustrating cases for both the victims and the police.

[BrigandTwoFour]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the help. I received some good information over PM as well.

None of my major accounts share passwords, and they are all complicated- so that's a bonus.

This is across state lines, but the fraudster listed his current address, phone number, and employer (all using my name). I think that should speed up the investigation a bit.

[Coal Dragger]

Show up to your other house and commit suicide..... not homicide. Because homicide would be killing someone else, but if you kill like 1/2 of you that would be OK right?

Just make sure the bad 1/2 gets to take the dirt nap.

[SkiDevil]

I have been through it a few years ago. It is a real pain. Hopefully your credit line or access to cash is not easy.

Step

1. Contact your local Police Department and file a report. -some companies will ask for a report number when you begin the dispute process

2. Contact all of your major credit cards and Banks and request a freeze or hold on any new accounts, credit lines, or major purchases

3. Contact all of the three major credit bureaus and request a hold or freeze on your credit activity

4. Request a unique pin number for all of your credit cards to access account via phone or internet

5. Pay for and pull a copy of your credit reports, then do it again in a month -you normally have a month to dispute new charges

6. Request new credit cards if you have any reason to believe the account numbers may be compromised

7. Contact all of the suspect creditors or dispute unauthorized charges

8. Pay for a credit monitoring service - I.E. Lifelock, etc.

I use this company. https://www.identityguard.com/contact-us/

They are very thorough in keeping tabs on your identity, finances, and credit.

Good luck

[eightmillimeter]

Check with the office of Attorney General in your state. Many have specific resources and people who can assist you with parts of this. Some go so far as to issue you a special ID you can use to prove you’re the real you in certain future financial situations.