Identity Theft

[leslie]

I mentioned in another thread that my and my husband's identities were stolen, and our checking account was emptied. We found out we had no money when my husband went out for some groceries and his card was denied. We lost $650! We just had the money replaced back into our account, but it has been a hassle.

We weren't able to access our own money from our savings account for awhile. All of our cards were cancelled. For 30 years our accounts at our local bank had served us without a problem, even while traveling. Till now.

Discussions with bank officers, policemen, and our fellow RVers here in the resort have led us to take the following steps:

1. We have savings and checking accounts with our local bank, but also now with a bank with branches all over the US. It is unlikely that both banks would be affected at the same time by identity theft, unless someone were to steal our wallets, which did not happen in this case.

2. We believe we were victims of a skimming device when we both used a bank's ATM to get cash. Both of our cards were used the following day to empty our checking account. From now on, when swiping our cards, we check the swiping mechanism to make sure it is secure and that there is no extra plastic there, which could mean a skimming device is being used.

3. I go online twice a day to check my bank accounts.

4. Carry a dummy wallet with just a few dollars in it. If someone demands I hand over my wallet, I should throw the dummy wallet on the ground about 15-20 feet away from me, then run away.

5. Go to a police supply store to buy a pepper spray that police use. It is stronger than what you can buy in a regular store, and you can aim a solid spray for up to 25 feet. Usually the pepper sprays available commercially put out a mist, which can affect you as well as against the person from whom you are defending yourself. A cop told me I should have this in my hand anytime I am walking to or from a store. This spray also works if a bear charges you.

[pjcd]

http://bestpepperspray.net/pepper-spray-laws/

Don't know how accurate this site is, but be aware of pepper spray in regards to the law.

I agree with all your precautions,, here is one I've been using for years.


I have my bank card and one credit card, (not associated with my bank). The credit card is for web purchases 

[Merlin]

Thanks for the update Leslie. I'll be sure to check card readers every time from now on.

[djsamuel]

If your bank offers daily account balance text messages, that's good too.  I have that with Sun Trust, and I could tell right away if something is wrong.

[TLBones]

Sorry to hear about your theft.    Someone attempted to open a credit card online in my name last summer.    I still don't have any idea where or how they got my info.   I am very careful about my info so it was puzzliing.   Afterward I got the Costco version of lifelock.  It's called complete ID.   It's $10 a month.   You can log on any time an view your info, 3 credit scores, and see if anyone tries to open a fraudulent credit account or other questionable activity.   It will email you automatically if it notices anything unusual which it did do once early on so it does work and does give me SOME peace of mind.   

[Paul]

My credit card number was stolen once with the card still in my pocket! Not sure how it happened but the credit card company called me

[leslie]

Paul, that is what happened with me and my husband! We were in Florida with all of our cards with us. Our cards were used in Indiana to empty out our account. We think a skimmer was used for our numbers, which were sold on the Web to someone who made new cards with our numbers. My head spins...

[Paul]

That's what they told me that my credit card number was on sale on a website, but they caught it before it was sold to someone. So I didn't lost anything. But it was a credit card and not a bank card. I found it's more scary to get your bank account emptied!

[leslie]

Update on my identity theft experience: My husband received a letter today from a CPAP device dealer that my husband had ordered from, about how their computers had been hacked last month, and my husband's confidential information had been stolen. This makes twice this year so far.

The only good (?) thing about it is that he hadn't updated his info since the identity theft that occurred in January. The thief had his old credit card number that was cancelled in January. However, his birthdate and possibly SS number were also stolen.

The company is providing him with protection for a year from unauthorized use of his personal information. This is still a hassle for us. We hadn't had any problems like this before this year. My husband is so angry over all of this hassle, especially considering that we have not been careless with regard to our personal info.

[Merlin]

How frustrating!  My wife had the same kind of experience when the university system was hacked and faculty/staff personal data was stolen. The "free" monitoring of credit for a year that was offered seems so useless because it only informs you AFTER something else bad happens.

Anyway, we are going to be extra careful when traveling to only use "secure" connections to the Internet and to not do any online purchases or banking while on the toad.

[Merlin]

When we returned from our trip east a couple days ago, my wife routinely checked our credit card accounts and found fraudulent charge on one of them. Based on the date and the pattern of attempted use, we think the theft of the account information occurred at a private campground in Quebec while we were camped there. We never log on using insecure connections (i.e. open wifi) so we suspect a point-of-use grab. The bank fixed everything on our end right away, but it sure is a hassle. All the good prevention ideas are in previous posts on this thread, but my wife suggests frequent and regular checks of account charges and to (sadly) assume the worst.

[Paul]

I am glad the bank fixed it! What did they tried to buy with it?

[Merlin]

Gas at a Speedway gas station (in the states) and a large charge at a Walmart checkout.