Identity theft, what should I do now?
 

Cliff notes: new credit card got stolen from my mailbox, someone activated it and used it, I'm not sure what all I should do to keep this from happening again?

OK a couple of weeks ago I ordered a rewards card from Bank of America (credit card where they give you back 1% of what you spend with it). It was supposed to arrive in my mailbox like a week and a half ago, but since I'm lazy I don't check my mailbox every day. I checked it last Saturday and there was nothing in there, which I thought was a little weird since I was expecting some other stuff too plus I usually have a fair amount of junk mail in there when I don't check my mail for a week. I live in an apartment complex where you need a key to access your mailbox but the mailman can open all the mailboxes at once with a lever.

Then on Tuesday morning I got a call from the fraud department at BOA and they said someone had been using my card that weekend to buy a bunch of crap, and they deactivated it for me. I assume the card was stolen from my mailbox so I filed a police report, and asked my landlord to change the lock on the box which he did.

After talking with the people at the bank again yesterday I was told that the perp would have needed other details about me in order to activate the card, such as date of birth, SSN, etc, which I have no idea how they obtained such information. Anyone here have experience with this sort of thing and can recommend what I should do now to protect against getting my identity stolen again?

Re: Identity theft, what should I do now?
 

Time to wreck your credit rating before they get the chance.

Re: Identity theft, what should I do now?
 

Before I answer, how do I know you're even you?

Re: Identity theft, what should I do now?
 

Very nice landlord (unless he's the one who's doing this).

Start putting alerts on your credit reports. Then not much major can happen without you being notified.

Re: Identity theft, what should I do now?
 

suicide?

Re: Identity theft, what should I do now?
 

make a post in OOT about it...

Re: Identity theft, what should I do now?
 

Call the 3 major credit bureaus and put an alert on each, if you're lucky the first one will notify the others. Cancel the credit card. Hunt the bastard down and kill him. The AF somehow allowed my to get stolen, it's not fun.

Re: Identity theft, what should I do now?
 

I live in an apartment complex where you need a key to access your mailbox but the mailman can open all the mailboxes at once with a lever.




someone working for the complex did it. Something like this is rarely, if ever a random deal. does anyone have access to your apartment/trash?

Re: Identity theft, what should I do now?
 

I can check on this. What was your SSN# again. Oh, and your mother's maiden name. Oh and contact me via PM so we can verify other details such as address.

Re: Identity theft, what should I do now?
 

[ QUOTE ]
I can check on this. What was your SSN# again. Oh, and your mother's maiden name. Oh and contact me via PM so we can verify other details such as address.

[/ QUOTE ]

lol

Re: Identity theft, what should I do now?
 

[ QUOTE ]
someone working for the complex did it. Something like this is rarely, if ever a random deal. does anyone have access to your apartment/trash?

[/ QUOTE ]

That was my first thought as well and I mentioned it to the police officer, but I'm not sure what else to do about it. I'd feel kind of weird flat out asking my landlord who has access to the mailbox. There's one dumpster for the whole apartment complex but I'm pretty careful about not putting things like bank statements in there in case someone goes dumpster diving.

Re: Identity theft, what should I do now?
 

Sry to hear.

Story even more troubling, since most banks require you to call from your home phone (or the number you've provided on your credit card application) to activate the card.

Has somebody actually been in your apartment?

Re: Identity theft, what should I do now?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Sry to hear.

Story even more troubling, since most banks require you to call from your home phone (or the number you've provided on your credit card application) to activate the card.

Has somebody actually been in your apartment?

[/ QUOTE ]

I've never had to call from my home phone to activate cards. I've called my cell before with no problems.

Re: Identity theft, what should I do now?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
someone working for the complex did it. Something like this is rarely, if ever a random deal. does anyone have access to your apartment/trash?

[/ QUOTE ]

That was my first thought as well and I mentioned it to the police officer, but I'm not sure what else to do about it. I'd feel kind of weird flat out asking my landlord who has access to the mailbox. There's one dumpster for the whole apartment complex but I'm pretty careful about not putting things like bank statements in there in case someone goes dumpster diving.

[/ QUOTE ]

[img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] man I would be in there DEMANDING to know who has access to a LOCKED MAILBOX FROM WHICH MY CREDIT CARD HAD BEEN STOLEN

Re: Identity theft, what should I do now?
 

If you wanted to steal someone's identity you don't need to steal their mail or dive in a dumpster. All you would need is a phone book.

Sounds like the card did get stolen though since OP had requested said card & it was the one that wound up with charges on it.