117
votes
Accepted
Why do banks seem to be indifferent about identity theft?
Banks are not indifferent to identity theft. They are just not sharing with you what they are doing.
As well as the privacy reasons cited in the other answer, and the inability of the banks to conduct ...
- 33.1k
102
votes
Does a company have to have your login information to verify your identity?
No. Anyone who asks for your username and password is very likely a scammer. Access to id.me is especially valuable as it would allow the scammer to essentially steal your whole online identity. Make ...
- 165k
90
votes
Private Bank requesting user name and password to verify identity before sending money to acct
I think that's a steaming crock of cow manure.
The (well, a) standard method for determining whether an account is "on the level" are micropayments: you give them your bank's "routing number" (name ...
- 50.6k
85
votes
Accepted
Didn't apply for credit card but got an application denied letter?
fine because the application was declined anyway.
No it isn't fine. Credit card applications generally need a hard pull, so get it rectified.
Firstly check if an application was really made on your ...
- 10.6k
65
votes
How to safely destroy (a large quantity of) valid checks?
The norm for disposing of old checks is destroying them, if you really wanted a non-shredder option you could cut a significant portion off and just burn those, or dispose of larger pieces at separate ...
- 69.1k
59
votes
How can I protect myself from a scammer who has my information?
You fooled yourself into thinking that you could get something for nothing, and now you're fooling yourself that this will all just go away if you are sufficiently clever. What happens if the folks ...
- 12.5k
57
votes
What can someone do with a stolen wallet for a few seconds?
Don't be so paranoid! An ill-wisher would just have pocketed your wallet. Somebody did you a good turn by handing it in to the desk, so that nobody else would be tempted. Be thankful and stop worrying!...
- 647
56
votes
My credit card was unexpectedly charged 1$, the merchant wants my SSN and personal data to tell me why, do I risk identity theft?
This is clearly an identity theft fraud in stages. To be specific, this is called one-dollar scam.
Even OP didn't provide further information to the said entity, some data is already leaked into the ...
- 4,173
46
votes
Accepted
Do businesses save their customers' credit card information until the payment is finalized?
I wouldn't regard that article as knowledgeable about credit card processing systems, however:
Does the restaurant's credit card system typically store the
customer's credit card information ...
- 709
45
votes
How to safely destroy (a large quantity of) valid checks?
Use them to make papier mache. Place them in a bucket of water, let them sit for a while, stirring/mashing occasionally, until they become a pulp. Then either discard the mess, or use it creatively: ...
- 11.2k
37
votes
How to safely destroy (a large quantity of) valid checks?
Why on earth did you only consider burning them inside your apartment?
Go outside and find somewhere without many people. Could be a park, side of the road somewhere, even an alleyway if you can't ...
- 2,402
34
votes
Private Bank requesting user name and password to verify identity before sending money to acct
This sounds like scam. There is no reason for any one to know your username and password. Are you sure it is your fiancee or some fraudsters.
They may run with your money or use it for illegal ...
- 57k
33
votes
Accepted
How to safely destroy (a large quantity of) valid checks?
Simple: Use a secure shredding vendor. Some vendors offer different tiers with different disposal practices, for checks you would obviously want to choose the more (most) secure option.
Many office ...
- 17k
30
votes
If I have given my bank details to someone by email what should I do now?
Do not disclose any more information and change your passwords to the bank website. You might possibly have to change your phone number that you have linked to the bank account. This is important ...
- 376
30
votes
Why do banks seem to be indifferent about identity theft?
I asked for the account number or name of the entity on that account,
and they refused to give me that information.
If the transfer was made directly from the card to the destination account, then ...
- 2,557
29
votes
Accepted
How do you file taxes earlier than an identity thief?
I agree, it is not a great suggestion.
The idea for it comes from the fact that a tax return can only be e-filed for an individual once. If a second tax return is attempted to be e-filed, it will ...
- 115k
27
votes
Didn't apply for credit card but got an application denied letter?
This can be a case of someone trying to use your identity to obtain credit. I would put a fraud alert on my credit immediately. I went through something similar... got denial letters for credit I ...
- 271
27
votes
Accepted
What can someone do with a stolen wallet for a few seconds?
If I’m prepared and have a camera ready I can take photos of all your cards and note the security codes on the back. With that I can make payments with your card.
A stupid criminal could use that to ...
- 22.4k
26
votes
Accepted
I gave a scammer my telephone number, address, and name. How bad is it?
Your name, address, and telephone number are all more or less public information. Think about it: how many people do you give this information to every month? If this is the only information you ...
- 115k
25
votes
Why do banks seem to be indifferent about identity theft?
I understand your frustration at feeling as though banks may not care about fraud, but they do. You have to realize though that there are limits to what they can do. It is up to the police or other ...
- 5,370
23
votes
Accepted
Are there any dangers in publicly sharing my personal finance data?
Status alone shouldn't be a problem. A fellow blogger publishes a blogger list at Rock Star Finance where he lists nearly 1000 personal finance bloggers web sites. You can see that many of them ...
23
votes
Accepted
What happens if an identity thief files a fraudulent return for you, but you owe taxes?
When a thief submits a fake tax return in your name, it doesn't matter whether you actually owe taxes in real life or not. The thief will make up numbers and claim a refund. The IRS typically sends ...
- 115k
22
votes
How bad would a leaked tax return be?
They would have access to information about your entire life. They have your name and SSN, but they also know:
the name and SSN of your spouse
the name and SSN of your children
the name of your ...
- 136k
21
votes
How to safely destroy (a large quantity of) valid checks?
At least in the UK (but I suspect also in the US), many offices use secure collections bins (see below) to dispose of confidential papers that are no longer needed. These are collected periodically by ...
- 9,105
21
votes
How can I protect myself from a scammer who has my information?
It sounds like the main thing to worry about is your bank account. If it were me, I'd call the bank and tell them you've been the victim of identity theft, and see what they say you need to do from ...
- 1,157
21
votes
What can someone do with a stolen wallet for a few seconds?
Everything is risk vs reward.
You left your wallet on gym floor. A group of guys saw it and returned it to the front desk. I have two things to say - I managed a Golds Gym for a while and I also ...
- 4,684
19
votes
How to safely destroy (a large quantity of) valid checks?
Take them to the bank branch, ask them to destroy the cheques for you.
- 927
18
votes
Private Bank requesting user name and password to verify identity before sending money to acct
To reinforce an earlier answer; it is a steaming pile of cow manure. Not only is the bank username/password the most important information you carry, for the real Macoto Bank it would be utterly ...
- 281
18
votes
My credit card was unexpectedly charged 1$, the merchant wants my SSN and personal data to tell me why, do I risk identity theft?
That $1 from a transaction that day or at most a few days old is not unusual. Many vendors do that as the first part of the transaction process. I see this from gas stations, grocery stores, and even ...
- 136k
15
votes
What can someone do with a stolen wallet for a few seconds?
In addition to the issue with your credit/debit cards, you may be subject to future targeted phishing or identity theft attacks, depending on what's in your wallet. Addresses, pictures, loyalty cards, ...
- 2,096
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible