Identity Theft by David Bancroft

I suspect there are a few readers of NetNacs! who have had the very unpleasant experience with identity theft.

Having heard some of the horror stories, it was very numbing to find out that it happened to me as well . . . My social security number became available to at least one individual locally about a month ago.  And while being lucky so far about this fraud that can be devastating to finances and credit rating, it is very troubling that it even occurred.

I have always been very careful, never giving my social security number to any third party over the phone.  The only exception is when speaking to a representative to a service that I already have an account with and where it is only required.  And I only provide social security and/or credit card information online through a secure process with established businesses.  (I even shred all receipts and statements that list the full account number and are no longer needed.)

Still, an individual somehow came across my social security number that allowed him/her opening a second account with Sprint PCS.  Fortunately, he/she did so one day before the billing statement for this account was processed and just three days after I sent my payment on my real account.

Within an hour of opening this other statement from Sprint PCS, the fraud division of Sprint had closed the account without any cost to me.  I then filed a police report and obtained an associated case number for due diligence purposes that should protect me in the event more theft occurs.  I even placed an identity theft fraud alert with the three major credit bureaus.

Alas, how my identity was stolen is still unanswered.  It might actually be related to an employee or former employee of a company that I have an account with that requires a social security number.  (One of my neighbors and others in this area share similar experiences.)

And that is one aspect that we cannot protect ourselves against no matter how careful we are with providing information . . . Just think about who might have your social security and/or credit card numbers on file.  It can range from your doctor, hospital, medical clinic, phone company, online retailers, financial institutions, and etc.  Even many companies and services that offer affiliation programs require social security numbers of website owners if they are a proprietorship.

Oh yeah, make sure to remove your social security card from your wallet . . . as it can be an invitation to criminals to use at your expense.