ID theft caution

[bluepinecones]

The world is still full of mostly honest, good people but there seem to be a growing number who will do anything for money so please take this seriously.

Came across this article today
http://money.cnn.com/2012/04/24/pf/identity-theft-dead-people/index.htm

It can happen before you know it and have far reaching impacts; I know from experience several years ago. Many of you know the story but since membership has grown so much over past few years and some are dealing with losses, decided to reference my 2009 post
http://www.womenrv.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1933&p=20357#p20357

[BarbaraRose]

Thanks for the info! I read your thread and the other responses too, which are all good info as well. Sounds like a total nightmare! Have you had any problems since then?

[HorizonSeeker]

Wow, Sarah, that's a scary story. I was lucky to have a stepson who is a police captain and a dog with a weak bladder. About a week after my dh's funeral I took Gus out for a walk. I noticed that I didn't have the trash can, which I had set out earlier, in the correct spot for pick up the next morning. When I walked over to move the can I realized it was too light as I had cleaned out a cabinet full of old coffee mugs (I no longer needed the best dad and best grandpa mugs and Goodwill stores are already full of them) and I remembered the can being nearly full. When I looked inside I saw that it was half full and had potato peelings and other remnants of a large homecooked meal (again not my style). It was late a night but stepson was at work so I called him to say my trash can had been stolen. He tried very nicely to tell me that putting out the can the night before is a bad idea (but my trash was always picked up very early) and then explained that ID thieves often go into a neighborhood late in the evening on the night before trash pick up and steal cans. They bring in an empty to put in the place of the one they take. Then they go up and down the street taking a can/leaving a can. They can go off with the can to a nearby parking log, go through the trash looking for papers with ID info, then they refill the can and go back to use it to replace another can. They can spend the whole night working like this and sometimes get enough to steal several IDs. Whether or not I was directly targeted or rather my recently departed husband, is unknown. That night after hanging up with him I went online and changed all my passwords. The next day I went to work closing out all the accounts that had been in just his name or in both our names and made sure to include reason for closing account as my husband's death. About a month later I had my banker request a copy of dh's credit report. Hey, his score was still good but all his credit cards were closed due to his death. I filed this report away in a safe place and reopened only the accounts I really needed in my name only. It was a LOT of work. I am now very dilligent about shredding mail as well. It is sad that the honest folk have to work so hard to avoid being taken advantage of.

[Acadianmom]

I think that I posted a while back that we had someone use our checking account number to order things online. I use to pay cash at Walmart but when things got so expensive I started giving them a check because I didn't want to carry that much cash. When our bank statement came in it had what looked like a check to Walmart for $700 and something and Target for $200 and something in Austin, Tx. The number range of the number would have had to have been a check from about 5 years ago and I didn't buy anything from Walmart for $700. At the time I had never even been to Austin. I seldom go to Target and I never give them a check. I went to the bank to see what it was and they told me that it was online purchases. I disputed them and they put the money back in the account. I have yet to find out anything else about it. I no longer give Walmart a check, I use a credit card. That is not the first time I have heard about funny business with Walmart and people's checks. I would bet it is employees selling checking account numbers.

I never mail a check from our mail box, I bring them to the post office. I have heard of crooks picking up mail out of boxes. We also have a post office box. Years ago we were on the same route with my DH's ex-wife. Every year we would be missing bank statements so all banking info and most bills go to the post office. Since we live in the country I burn anything that would have any information on it including junk mail. If I couldn't burn it I would sure shred it.

Martha

[Travelinana]

That's a horrifying thing to happen and right after losing your husband. Widows have always been vulnerable to this. When my father died in 54, a man came to the house and said he would take a photo we already had of the family, frame it and the costs would only be a few hundred dollars. That would be a few thousand dollars now and my mother made payments for I don't know how long. I have that expensive frame today.
I live out so I can burn my papers also. I use my large waste basket at my desk to drop all mail, it then goes to the burning barrel. This info does make us wonder if there is really no way to fully protect ourselves.
Now to get on my soapbox a little...I blame lawyers for much of this. We have become a 'sue' society..many feel 'entitled' to other people's money, plain and simple!

[oregonrambler1]

We are always conscientious about guarding our identities, we shred or burn anything with any smidgeon of identity on it. We got a PO box instead of using our street address for mail. It's sad that we have to do this. I don't blame lawyers for identity theft, I blame technology. There have always been thieves it's just that now, with so much information on a single credit card, debit card or even discarded mail, and with so much information online -anyone who lacks a conscience and steals can find a way to do it. We have to protect ourselves. I also make sure when purchasing or doing any personal business online I see the https:// in the address bar.

Also: have you seen the email going around? supposedly if you have a credit or debit card with the "sound" icon .. (can't picture it here.. can someone? It's sort of like ))))) ), well supposedly if it's in your wallet or purse, anyone walking past you with this gizmo can pick up 'read' all the information on the card. Now you, again supposedly, have to have it protected in a special sleeve that blocks transmission. don't know if this is true or not but I never like the idea of having one of those no-swipe easy-read debit cards.