Questions tagged [identity-theft]
The identity-theft tag has no usage guidance.
110 questions
79
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9
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Should I sign the back of my credit card?
When getting a new credit card, what is the policy in regards to signing the strip on the back? Should I sign it? Should I write "See ID"? Should I leave it blank? Should I sign it AND write "See ID"? ...
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50
votes
7
answers
43k
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Didn't apply for credit card but got an application denied letter?
I was recently forwarded a letter by the owner of my old address that turned out to be from a credit card company, informing me my application had been declined. Ignoring that this letter was sent to ...
- 1,062
49
votes
5
answers
12k
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Why do banks seem to be indifferent about identity theft?
Several years ago, I was in a terrible relationship in which my girlfriend fraudulently opened a credit card in my name. I forget the specifics, but she ended up transferring the full cash advance on ...
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37
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19
answers
33k
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How to safely destroy (a large quantity of) valid checks?
A while ago I had my bank issue me new checks due to a change of name (I got married). However I still have many hundreds of checks with the out of date info (they're an online bank and issue about ...
- 1,886
35
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5
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My credit card was unexpectedly charged 1$, the merchant wants my SSN and personal data to tell me why, do I risk identity theft?
I received a phone message from my credit union's fraud detection department about a transaction for $1 that raised a flag. I called them back and was given the information recorded with the ...
- 719
33
votes
3
answers
5k
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How do you file taxes earlier than an identity thief?
One of the recommendations to avoid tax return fraud/identity theft is to file your taxes as early as possible:
FTC
Smart Money
Identity Theft Resource Center
USA Today
Notably, the IRS does not ...
- 5,327
30
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7
answers
19k
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Private Bank requesting user name and password to verify identity before sending money to acct
I have been asked to provide my user name and password, so my fiance' can have his bank, Macoto, verify my identity, before they will send the funds. Does this sound right? I figure if he gives the ok,...
- 325
25
votes
6
answers
9k
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How do I permanently opt out of having a credit history?
In the past, I activated a credit block (freeze) on all major credit bureaus and from reading information, this should prevent anyone from being able to report on my credit or gain access to it. ...
- 2,413
23
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4
answers
7k
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Do businesses save their customers' credit card information until the payment is finalized?
Paying by credit card is sometimes a multi-step process. In some of those cases, only the initial authorization is made at the point of sale; the finalized transactions are usually entered as a batch ...
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21
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9
answers
7k
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What can someone do with a stolen wallet for a few seconds?
I was recently in the gym and left my keys, phone and wallet together on top of my jumper. I took my eyes off of them for maybe 5 seconds, which I now know is too long, whilst I went and got some more ...
- 1,668
21
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I gave a scammer my telephone number, address, and name. How bad is it?
Updated question because old one was embarassing:
I saw a spam email from "PayPal" and I didn't realize that it was a phishing attempt. I gave the phishing site my name, telephone number, and email. ...
- 313
19
votes
4
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7k
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If I have given my bank details to someone by email what should I do now? [duplicate]
I have given someone my bank account details including my home address and phone number by email, supposedly so that money can be transferred into my account.
I am now quite sure this is a scam.
...
- 199
18
votes
5
answers
775
views
What strategies could be employed so as to avoid identity theft and credit card frauds?
Other than getting a credit card with a minimal limit and using it exclusively for online purchases, what other strategies could be employed so as to avoid identity theft and credit card frauds?
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If the former owner of my home is still using the address, can it harm me?
My wife bought a condo in foreclosure a couple of years ago. We both live here and most weeks I get a couple of pieces of mail for the previous owners; who apparently ran a business here. Most of the ...
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15
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1
answer
7k
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Does a company have to have your login information to verify your identity?
A loan company said they needed my logins to my account and got a couple closed and also logged into my id.me and got it locked. Do they need my username and password? He said that he needed another ...
- 159
15
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3
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3k
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Are there any dangers in publicly sharing my personal finance data?
I wanted to blog about my financial status and was curious if somebody ever did that and couldn't find anything on google.
So the idea is to share on a monthly basis what I have on my bank account ...
- 153
15
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1
answer
3k
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How do I freeze my credit?
If freezing your credit is a better way to protect your identity and the associated credit that goes along with it, how do I freeze my credit?
- 25.3k
15
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1
answer
825
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How was someone able to open an account?
A while back I was surprised to see a collections account go onto my credit report for an unpaid amount of a few hundred dollars. I immediately believed it to be a mistake since I had never heard of ...
- 407
13
votes
1
answer
2k
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What happens if an identity thief files a fraudulent return for you, but you owe taxes?
For taxes this year I'm going to owe the IRS, not get a refund, and I won't have any W-2 (although my wife will). So I'm curious what would happen if someone used this Equifax breach to file my tax ...
- 433
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6
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5k
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Do I need ID theft Insurance?
Identity theft insurance?
Dave Ramsey says yes. Consumer reports (CR) says no.
The complication is that Dave recommends an identity theft insurance from Zander Insurance, where as CR says to say no ...
- 557
12
votes
2
answers
3k
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How bad would a leaked tax return be?
If my entire tax return was somehow leaked, how bad would that be? What potentially harmful information is included other than my name and social security number?
- 1,417
12
votes
5
answers
619
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What should I be doing to protect myself from identity theft?
You see ads all over the place for services that purport to protect you from identity theft, but my gut tells me that most of these are at best marginally effective and at worst outright scams.
Are ...
- 53.5k
12
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4
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959
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How should I protect myself from the Equifax breach without making my own life much harder?
The FTC recommends those who may be impacted by the Equifax data breach do the following:
Check credit reports at annualcreditreport.com.
Enroll in the 1 year of free credit monitoring provided by ...
- 3,385
12
votes
1
answer
363
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Should I dispute fraudulent hard inquiries on my credit report?
A store credit card was opened fraudulently in my name, and I am going through the process of disputing and having it removed from credit reports.
Within a few days of that account being opened, ...
- 221
11
votes
4
answers
8k
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How can I protect myself from a scammer who has my information?
I was scammed by someone who had stolen another sugar daddy’s identity and pretended to be him and offered to spoil me.
Long story short, they were able to have my name, school ID, phone number, ...
- 159
9
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3
answers
19k
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Credit Check -> someone took out a loan in my name -> what are the next steps
I've just been made aware that there are some items on my credit history that are not mine, the largest is for over $1000. I've never used a credit card or taken out a loan, so I can be sure they are ...
- 191
9
votes
2
answers
560
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What can a customer do to reduce damage from a data breach?
A larger retailer admitted recently that hackers were able to steal credit and debit card data for about 40 million customers. Reports say that names, payment card numbers, expiration dates and ...
- 2,640
9
votes
1
answer
342
views
If my identity is stolen, is there another way to authenticate identity to the major credit bureaus other than my credit history?
Supposedly, one is able to monitor their credit rating with the three major credit bureaus to prevent/stop identity theft. However, the yearly report can only be viewed by answering questions about ...
- 193
9
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2
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368
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Credit Freeze for Minor Child
I was told that identity theft of a minor's credit is a very sought after goal for thieves. Is it true that credit agencies will offer lines of credit to individuals who are not yet 18? Is there any ...
- 1,781
9
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1
answer
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Credit freeze and affect on perception as credit risk
In light of the Equifax hack I keep reading that people should apply a credit freeze on themselves at the 3 main bureaus. However, someone told me that their mortgage consultant said that placing a ...
- 93
8
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7
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3k
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Are file attachments in email safe for transferring financial documents?
What kind of risks are involved sharing financial statements, tax returns, check stubs, and things like that over email?
I imagine if a financial institution receiving documents over some secure file ...
- 1,781
8
votes
3
answers
664
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I've started two credit agency disputes with the originators of the credit (CC company and a bank). Is there anything more required from me?
I found a CC that I had nothing to do with opening on my credit report. I called the issuing company and told them as much and they opened a dispute with the 3 agencies. Also, in an effort to increase ...
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7
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4
answers
405
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What's the fuss about identity theft?
I know, people can steal your money, or can borrow money in your name, etc. But in the end you should be able to demonstrate that you didn't do that, right?
What would worry me is somebody getting my ...
- 2,459
7
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2
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13k
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Credit freeze in UK
I've read a lot that in US people can protect themselves from identity theft by applying credit freeze on their credit history, is there similar option in UK?
- 173
7
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2
answers
2k
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What do i do about a loan check, received in the mail, being cashed by someone other than myself?
I don't know how to resolve this with my name upheld and all monies intact. I recently was approved for a small personal loan. This is the first time I've ever gotten a loan.
I received a check for $...
- 73
7
votes
2
answers
514
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Equifax class action settlement—opt-in or opt-out?
I'm trying to figure out whether it's better to include or exclude oneself from the Equifax class action settlement. I've been torn on the issue, for reasons I'll explain below.
Note to readers: ...
- 3,385
7
votes
2
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372
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How to monitor for identity theft of minor child
It's important to monitor your own credit for signs of identity theft and for errors, because recovery can be time consuming and expensive. What steps should parents take to monitor their minor ...
- 1,746
6
votes
1
answer
212
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Identity theft?
I recently checked my credit report through 3 different sites and everything seemed OK. But recently I applied to finance a car and had to confirm 6-8 years of previous addresses. Two unknown ...
6
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Strange withdrawal from checking account
I got a notice that there was an ACH withdrawal yesterday from my checking account of $225.38 by OPENSKY PHONE PMT. I'd never heard of OpenSky before and I'm not sure what a "phone pmt" is. I called ...
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6
votes
1
answer
2k
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Stolen wallet containing check. What are the proper steps to take now?
My wallet was stolen. I cancelled all my cards, but I also had a check written to me that I hadn't deposited yet. I have contacted the issuer of the check and asked him to cancel it, but he says he is ...
- 267
6
votes
1
answer
1k
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How are brokerage accounts protected from theft, computer glitches and fraud?
I'm thinking about investing in stocks, but I'm worried about losing my investments for reasons unrelated to changes in the market.
I know that brokerage accounts are not FDIC-insured.
What if a ...
- 531
6
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3
answers
639
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Is there a surefire way to prevent anyone from opening a line of credit in my name?
With this Equifax thing going down, I wonder:
What steps can I take to prevent anyone from opening a line of credit in my name? Is there any surefire way to stop this?
- 217
5
votes
4
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420
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What could be the harm in sharing my American Express statements online?
I would like to store my American Express statements in Google Docs so that my virtual assistant can log the line items into my accounting spreadsheets. It is also handy so that they are in one place ...
- 151
5
votes
3
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1k
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Stolen Check honored by bank (maybe after being cancelled). What should I do?
My daughter's checkbook was stolen last Saturday, she reported it to the bank Monday morning 10am and told them to cancel all the checks. She told the police earlier. We're in the USA.
Her account ...
- 153
5
votes
1
answer
411
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Identity Theft: Counterfeit Checks but no Traceable Bank Account
I've been dealing with an ongoing identity theft problem for the past 4 months. Back in March, somebody stole my wallet at a restaurant and it was returned to me by the staff completely empty. All I ...
5
votes
1
answer
20k
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How a company in India can misuse my PAN number and its scanned copy that I provided as an interview candidate?
Two companies in Bangalore and Pune (India) asked me to send PAN number (government ID number used as ID for income tax return and transaction, like social security number in the US) and scanned soft ...
- 51
5
votes
3
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3k
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Do I need multiple credit monitoring services?
I currently have credit monitoring through Experian and I pay extra for it to monitor all three credit bureaus. In light of the recent Equifax breach and Equifax offering credit monitoring for those ...
- 10.2k
4
votes
3
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Why do you need to provide your credit card's expiration date in order to make a purchases?
This question is similar in spirit to Why do some online stores not ask for the 3-digit code on the back of my credit card?.
I don't see how asking for the credit card's expiration date as well as ...
- 899
4
votes
2
answers
2k
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Stolen Social Security number used to obtain MasterCard - does my friend owe any money?
So... my friend just told me that someone used his SSN to create a MasterCard and used around $6000. So he needs quick money from me. I personally do not understand how. Even if someone can make a ...
- 199
4
votes
1
answer
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What happens to money paid by IRS in fraudulent refund?
Please forgive my ignorance with this question... According to FRAUD Magazine and Identity theft tax refund fraud, fraudulent refunds cost billions of dollars a year. The article lists some ...
- 384