OT: - PSA: Fraud Alert | The Boneyard

OT: PSA: Fraud Alert

storrsroars

Exiled in Pittsburgh
Joined
Mar 23, 2012
Messages
19,717
Reaction Score
38,485
Posting this here as I just had an unusual experience for first time. I have a subscription with TransUnion for checking my credit, also with CreditWise through one of my credit cards. I get an email from CreditWise about a new account opening from a bank with which I've never had an account. It was reported by Experian, so TransUnion didn't alert me.

I contacted the credit card company and had the thing cancelled. No card had been sent yet as the account opened just today. The card application used an email address I hadn't used since 1996 from a company I thought was defunct. I am hoping to get a copy of the application to see what other info is on there, like employer, and what they used for security questions.

I also get dark web reports. The email address used for this application doesn't appear in any of them, which is concerning. I have no idea how to cancel the thing. Guess I'll be researching that tomorrow.

Not exactly sure if they planned on raiding my mailbox to get the actual cards, or whether they'd simply use the number online make a few purchases, then move on.

Anyway, if you don't have a credit monitoring service like CreditWise, or subscriptions to all three bureaus, you should. Just saved me $5K.
 
Joined
Aug 25, 2011
Messages
13,642
Reaction Score
70,241
I have a credit monitoring subscription because this happened to me a few years ago. North of six figures in credit card charges that they walked away from.
 

Fishy

Elite Premium Poster
Joined
Aug 24, 2011
Messages
17,958
Reaction Score
129,185
There’s a scam, mostly in New York state, where someone takes out a car insurance policy on line in your name.

Apparently, the act of taking out the policy results in the insurance company providing the scammer with your driver’s license number which they then use to file for unemployment benefits.

Out of the blue over the summer, I received a welcome package from Progressive - I called them, was sent to the fraud department and they handled it immediately. The state also flagged the benefit claim, so there was no harm done, but still, kinda annoying.
 
Joined
Apr 16, 2020
Messages
1,765
Reaction Score
2,869
Posting this here as I just had an unusual experience for first time. I have a subscription with TransUnion for checking my credit, also with CreditWise through one of my credit cards. I get an email from CreditWise about a new account opening from a bank with which I've never had an account. It was reported by Experian, so TransUnion didn't alert me.

I contacted the credit card company and had the thing cancelled. No card had been sent yet as the account opened just today. The card application used an email address I hadn't used since 1996 from a company I thought was defunct. I am hoping to get a copy of the application to see what other info is on there, like employer, and what they used for security questions.

I also get dark web reports. The email address used for this application doesn't appear in any of them, which is concerning. I have no idea how to cancel the thing. Guess I'll be researching that tomorrow.

Not exactly sure if they planned on raiding my mailbox to get the actual cards, or whether they'd simply use the number online make a few purchases, then move on.

Anyway, if you don't have a credit monitoring service like CreditWise, or subscriptions to all three bureaus, you should. Just saved me $5K.
Agreed. I have 2 or 3 services that send me alerts.

When I first saw the caption, I thought the prostate tests were a fraud. If so, what would the other monitoring be other than an invasive procedure.
 

temery

What?
Joined
Aug 14, 2011
Messages
20,267
Reaction Score
37,155
Posting this here as I just had an unusual experience for first time. I have a subscription with TransUnion for checking my credit, also with CreditWise through one of my credit cards. I get an email from CreditWise about a new account opening from a bank with which I've never had an account. It was reported by Experian, so TransUnion didn't alert me.

I contacted the credit card company and had the thing cancelled. No card had been sent yet as the account opened just today. The card application used an email address I hadn't used since 1996 from a company I thought was defunct. I am hoping to get a copy of the application to see what other info is on there, like employer, and what they used for security questions.

I also get dark web reports. The email address used for this application doesn't appear in any of them, which is concerning. I have no idea how to cancel the thing. Guess I'll be researching that tomorrow.

Not exactly sure if they planned on raiding my mailbox to get the actual cards, or whether they'd simply use the number online make a few purchases, then move on.

Anyway, if you don't have a credit monitoring service like CreditWise, or subscriptions to all three bureaus, you should. Just saved me $5K.

Dark web reports?
 

storrsroars

Exiled in Pittsburgh
Joined
Mar 23, 2012
Messages
19,717
Reaction Score
38,485
Dark web reports?
A list of how often your email or other personal data has been identified as being for sale, who was breached enabling that, etc.
 

temery

What?
Joined
Aug 14, 2011
Messages
20,267
Reaction Score
37,155
This is kind of funny

A328017B-942B-4619-9307-F6896831A9FA.png
 
Joined
Aug 29, 2011
Messages
4,205
Reaction Score
7,074
Just freeze your credit, its a little annoying to unfreeze if you want some new credit (loan or credit card) but keeps some of the bad stuff from happening. I had someone file a fake tax return about 10yrs back, pretty certain they bought info from a bank as we'd applied to 3 places for home equity lines a year or so before that happened. Happily caught it before they got anything.
 

temery

What?
Joined
Aug 14, 2011
Messages
20,267
Reaction Score
37,155
Just freeze your credit, its a little annoying to unfreeze if you want some new credit (loan or credit card) but keeps some of the bad stuff from happening. I had someone file a fake tax return about 10yrs back, pretty certain they bought info from a bank as we'd applied to 3 places for home equity lines a year or so before that happened. Happily caught it before they got anything.

I just signed up with experian for $19.95/month. There's got to be a cheaper option. Even with experian, I can only lock with them, not with the other two. And they need me to enter account numbers for all checking, savings, and credit accounts in order to track activity.
 

HuskyHawk

The triumphant return of the Blues Brothers.
Joined
Sep 12, 2011
Messages
31,862
Reaction Score
81,491
I just signed up with experian for $19.95/month. There's got to be a cheaper option. Even with experian, I can only lock with them, not with the other two. And they need me to enter account numbers for all checking, savings, and credit accounts in order to track activity.

You don't have to pay them to freeze it. Any of them. How to Freeze Your Credit For Free - Experian

I got idnotify from TurboTax MAX at no charge. Doesn't do much except provide breach notifications.
 
Joined
Aug 29, 2011
Messages
4,205
Reaction Score
7,074
I just signed up with experian for $19.95/month. There's got to be a cheaper option. Even with experian, I can only lock with them, not with the other two. And they need me to enter account numbers for all checking, savings, and credit accounts in order to track activity.
If your credit is locked you don't need the reports, they are a total waste IMO. Cancel that and lock your credit.
 
Joined
Aug 17, 2011
Messages
14,300
Reaction Score
78,541
You don't have to pay them to freeze it. Any of them. How to Freeze Your Credit For Free - Experian

I got idnotify from TurboTax MAX at no charge. Doesn't do much except provide breach notifications.
You just have to pay a nominal fee, I think $5, to unlock it each time you apply for a credit card, get a loan, etc. It is kind of a pain to do each time but it does seem to be an easy way to protect yourself.
 

Edward Sargent

Sargelak
Joined
Aug 28, 2011
Messages
3,594
Reaction Score
8,761
There’s a scam, mostly in New York state, where someone takes out a car insurance policy on line in your name.

Apparently, the act of taking out the policy results in the insurance company providing the scammer with your driver’s license number which they then use to file for unemployment benefits.

Out of the blue over the summer, I received a welcome package from Progressive - I called them, was sent to the fraud department and they handled it immediately. The state also flagged the benefit claim, so there was no harm done, but still, kinda annoying.
Did you speak to Flo?
 
Joined
Mar 4, 2020
Messages
3,004
Reaction Score
5,937
Posting this here as I just had an unusual experience for first time. I have a subscription with TransUnion for checking my credit, also with CreditWise through one of my credit cards. I get an email from CreditWise about a new account opening from a bank with which I've never had an account. It was reported by Experian, so TransUnion didn't alert me.

I contacted the credit card company and had the thing cancelled. No card had been sent yet as the account opened just today. The card application used an email address I hadn't used since 1996 from a company I thought was defunct. I am hoping to get a copy of the application to see what other info is on there, like employer, and what they used for security questions.

I also get dark web reports. The email address used for this application doesn't appear in any of them, which is concerning. I have no idea how to cancel the thing. Guess I'll be researching that tomorrow.

Not exactly sure if they planned on raiding my mailbox to get the actual cards, or whether they'd simply use the number online make a few purchases, then move on.

Anyway, if you don't have a credit monitoring service like CreditWise, or subscriptions to all three bureaus, you should. Just saved me $5K.
Show them the picture in your avatar, if they think it’s you they’ll leave alone.:eek:
 
Joined
Aug 26, 2011
Messages
2,580
Reaction Score
7,042
There’s a scam, mostly in New York state, where someone takes out a car insurance policy on line in your name.

Apparently, the act of taking out the policy results in the insurance company providing the scammer with your driver’s license number which they then use to file for unemployment benefits.

Out of the blue over the summer, I received a welcome package from Progressive - I called them, was sent to the fraud department and they handled it immediately. The state also flagged the benefit claim, so there was no harm done, but still, kinda annoying.
That's crazy....how do you not have to INPUT your DL #?
 

Fishy

Elite Premium Poster
Joined
Aug 24, 2011
Messages
17,958
Reaction Score
129,185
That's crazy....how do you not have to INPUT your DL #?

You would think that would be a prerequisite, but nope. The real horror there is that the state hands them your DL # when they open the policy. They do not have to enter a DL or put down a dime - the policy will cancel for non-payment in 30 days.

That’s the loophole they exploited.
 
Joined
Mar 20, 2018
Messages
2,764
Reaction Score
8,335
I got a year of Experian credit monitoring for free when company I use got hacked. Now I'm constantly getting credit card offers from Experian. I didn't realize that was what I was signing up for.
 
Joined
Aug 27, 2011
Messages
16,036
Reaction Score
23,102
Just freeze your credit, its a little annoying to unfreeze if you want some new credit (loan or credit card) but keeps some of the bad stuff from happening. I had someone file a fake tax return about 10yrs back, pretty certain they bought info from a bank as we'd applied to 3 places for home equity lines a year or so before that happened. Happily caught it before they got anything.
Correct, I did this because of the number of times being hacked.
 

HuskyHawk

The triumphant return of the Blues Brothers.
Joined
Sep 12, 2011
Messages
31,862
Reaction Score
81,491
So my employer emailed me tonight that a fraudulent unemployment insurance claim was made in my name. They informed the state that I was employed and it was a fraudulent claim if filed against them. They listed things to do next along with another list from the govt at identity theft.gov

1. report the fraud to the state using online form - done
2. file credit fraud alert (freezes for a year - all three) - done
3. Check credit reports - done
4. File police report - tomorrow I suppose.
5. Check, change passwords - mine are pretty solid but I’ll change some.
6. Report to DOJ NCDF - tomorrow

I had heard about this and the email from work confirmed that this is nationwide and millions of fraudulent claims have been filed in the last year.

This is one of those times where working for a very large company is helpful. I can only imagine that small businesses would have a harder time managing this and responding so quickly.
 

Online statistics

Members online
72
Guests online
2,719
Total visitors
2,791

Forum statistics

Threads
155,799
Messages
4,032,043
Members
9,865
Latest member
Sad Tiger


Top Bottom