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my identity was violated while i slept


wacky1980

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i had a fraudulent transaction on one of my credit cards two days ago. it was a card that i only use for purchases on amazon and aliexpress. i didn't think too much of it at the time; i just assumed a vendor i bought something from was hacked and i lost the card info thru them. so i killed the card and ordered a new one, changed passwords, and put the whole thing out of mind.

woke up this morning to a couple notifications that i had two new hard inquiries on my credit bureau records. after doing a bit of digging, i figured out that someone opened a capital one credit card in my name, and tried to open another with american express. i managed to get some dink at capital one to tell me how much info was used to open the card with them. ssn, dob, and full name. well, that's pretty much all of the important stuff. american express doesn't have a credit department operating 24/7 (the f??) so i have to wait until monday to figure that one out, but i was reassured no cards were opened in my name with them.

i'm pretty good about identity security. i mean, i coach people at the bank on identity protection and best practices for card use. the only issue i've ever had in the past was when my wallet was stolen at college, and one of my cards was used to buy some shit online. so i got to thinking: what could have happened? then it hit me. fucking equifax.

if you recall, equifax was breached in 2017, and the identities of something like 150 million people were "potentially" compromised. i went to their site, and filled out the "am i affected?" thing. sure as shit, i'm in the group. so i kept reading about what info was compromised. sure as shit, ssn, dob, and full name. oh, and address and possibly driver's license info. fuck me, i'm an equifax breach victim.

so i spent an hour freezing my credit files and reviewing my credit reports. i also set a fraud alert, so i would be notified if anything new hits my files. financially, i should be in the clear for now. but that doesn't protect from medical or insurance fraud, and i'll have to be extra attentive at tax time next spring. i'm sure there will be other fun little shit pop up here and there too. superb!

psa time, folks. privacy is dead. know how to protect yourself, but also know how to fight back when (not if) it happens to you.

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Just now, Nabloom said:

Capital one WILL NOT stop sending me pre approved cc bullshit every single week of my entire life. Bullshit ass company that should have its business license revoked just for even presenting  themselves about being willing to give me a credit card 

they're the only ones who approved a card for my new doppelganger. fuck 'em.

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13 hours ago, wacky1980 said:

i had a fraudulent transaction on one of my credit cards two days ago. it was a card that i only use for purchases on amazon and aliexpress. i didn't think too much of it at the time; i just assumed a vendor i bought something from was hacked and i lost the card info thru them. so i killed the card and ordered a new one, changed passwords, and put the whole thing out of mind.

woke up this morning to a couple notifications that i had two new hard inquiries on my credit bureau records. after doing a bit of digging, i figured out that someone opened a capital one credit card in my name, and tried to open another with american express. i managed to get some dink at capital one to tell me how much info was used to open the card with them. ssn, dob, and full name. well, that's pretty much all of the important stuff. american express doesn't have a credit department operating 24/7 (the f??) so i have to wait until monday to figure that one out, but i was reassured no cards were opened in my name with them.

i'm pretty good about identity security. i mean, i coach people at the bank on identity protection and best practices for card use. the only issue i've ever had in the past was when my wallet was stolen at college, and one of my cards was used to buy some shit online. so i got to thinking: what could have happened? then it hit me. fucking equifax.

if you recall, equifax was breached in 2017, and the identities of something like 150 million people were "potentially" compromised. i went to their site, and filled out the "am i affected?" thing. sure as shit, i'm in the group. so i kept reading about what info was compromised. sure as shit, ssn, dob, and full name. oh, and address and possibly driver's license info. fuck me, i'm an equifax breach victim.

so i spent an hour freezing my credit files and reviewing my credit reports. i also set a fraud alert, so i would be notified if anything new hits my files. financially, i should be in the clear for now. but that doesn't protect from medical or insurance fraud, and i'll have to be extra attentive at tax time next spring. i'm sure there will be other fun little shit pop up here and there too. superb!

psa time, folks. privacy is dead. know how to protect yourself, but also know how to fight back when (not if) it happens to you.

Had it happen twice.  Both times, both credit cards were all over it.  I also had the Equifax check & did the dark web check.  Thankfully, the data that was out there was from a decade ago, the first time my cards got compromised.  Pretty much did the same as you - froze everything, got new cards (then) and set up alerts.  Amex is hypervigilent about things that seem out of the norm as far as purchases.  Citibank surprised me in alerting me just by noticing I had supposedly purchased gas over 200 mi away, then 10 min later bought a haircut where I live.  Very pleased they jumped on it.

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18 minutes ago, wacky1980 said:

i noticed that when i was on the site yesterday. they just keep adding thousands upon thousands of people who were compromised in that breach. makes one warm and fuzzy.

Well they do have a lawsuit against them so if you want to join in you might want to

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25 minutes ago, Kuroko said:

Well they do have a lawsuit against them so if you want to join in you might want to

If you took the "free darkweb scan" from Equifax, you signed away your ability to sue or join a class action suit.

 

Lifelock promo code Rush

 

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30 minutes ago, Ginguy said:

If you took the "free darkweb scan" from Equifax, you signed away your ability to sue or join a class action suit.

 

Lifelock promo code Rush

 

Yeah, those class action lawsuits always move the goalposts.  I did that one against that telemarketed free cruise ship deal.  Used the website that checks your number & tells you if you were called.  It said I was (and I probably was) so I entered the suit and it said that was all I'd have to do.  FF to a couple months ago & they move the goalposts, stating I have to come up with documented proof they called me - from almost a decade ago.

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9 minutes ago, tsar4 said:

Yeah, those class action lawsuits always move the goalposts.  I did that one against that telemarketed free cruise ship deal.  Used the website that checks your number & tells you if you were called.  It said I was (and I probably was) so I entered the suit and it said that was all I'd have to do.  FF to a couple months ago & they move the goalposts, stating I have to come up with documented proof they called me - from almost a decade ago.

Yeah, amazing how that happens isn't it.

You are always better off filing your own action. Even if you end up settling for a cheaper amount, you can usually come out ahead.

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