PSA for all members

[Murph]

Identity theft; its the growing crime, and its a b**ch to investigate and even worse to prosecute. I have 40 such cases on my desk right now, and I might be able to get a prosecution on 2 or 3 of them.

Some tips for Texas Photo Forum members.

a) Everyone gets those pre-approved credit card mailers. You know how many you normally get in a week. If you do something that generates credit, such as buy a car or house, the number increases temporarily and then goes back to the normal level in a month or so. If you start getting an increased number, and you HAVEN'T done anything to generate it, WORRY, and check your credit report. Because SOMETHING is generating an increase.

b) If you sell on Ebay, and the winning bidder communicates via Yahoo, and sends you a check larger than the bid was won for with instructions to cash the check and send it to someone for "Processing fees" "Customs fees", etc ITS A SCAM. 100% guaranteed. Yahoo is used by scammers 90% due to the anonymous nature of Yahoo.

c) Emails from people telling you that you have won a lottery, or letters telling you the same with a check or money order enclosed with directions to cash the check and mail some amount to Canada or another country for fees under "International Law" IS A SCAM.

d) If you live in the country and discover mail is missing, example you mailed a bill but it never arrived, there is a 75+% chance that the mail was stolen, and you are getting ready to become a victim of ID theft. NEVER, EVER put outgoing mail in your mailbox, take it to your office, or the Post Office to mail.

e) If you even suspect that something is wrong, check on it, and contact your local law enforcement agency ASAP, time is critical.

Thanks all.

[Daniel Bates]

And thank you for posting the tips. I'll keep them in mind...

[gardener]

We tend to hear similar tips all the time but the majority of the population thinks it will never happen to them. Does too...

Thanks for the reminders Murph. It really can't be said often enough...

[AndrewCCM]

Pretty sad times when you can't put mail in your mailbox.

Good stuff here.. Thanks.

[darktiger]

f) Use common sense...

[Nocturnus]

Man, i've won the lotto sooo many times I should retire now.

[Abel]

thanks a ton for the info..

[JamesB]

yes some great info.

several years before I met my wife she was a victim of ID theft. luckily and I mean luckily they did NOT run up thousands of $$$ in charges. she had her credit report locked with a fraud watch (or what ever it is called when you lock your credit report) and was able to take care of the situation before it got out of control.

James

[Jim Victory]

You can be aware and do all of the right things and it can still happen to you.

I shread every bill or piece of mail I get with my name on it. I never put my mail in my mail box. I only do business with reputable online companies. I have never had a credit card compromised but six months ago someone got my SS# and name and were off to the races.

The only place I can think they may have gotten it was from my employer or employee records. I had retired about a year before and my guess they didn't dispose of my records properly and they got in the wrong hands. It was a local ID theft so I'm pretty sure it wasn't from any online transaction because they wouldn't have my SS# anyway only my credit card #.

It was pure luck I find out about it. Dell sent me a credit card in the mail that I hadn't applied for. The information was for a different address but Dell sent it to my real address because I had done business with them before using my personal credit card.

I turned it over to the local police but by the time they checked it out the had gotten away with about 10K in goods. The address they used was a drop for drug users and dealers. It has taken me 7 months, and several fraudulent accounts open in my name, to straighten it out and they still haven't caught anyone.

[Murph]

These cases are harder than murders to solve, because no one uses the correct ID, the mailing addresses are either dopers mail drops, Mailboxes Etc, or similar things. Plus prosecutors don't want to prosecute an alias, and its almost impossible to get a real name.

[DEMDeepEllumMusic]

Also with unexpected checks, even small ones-DO NOT CASH even if you know it will bounce and just are messing with them because that check with YOUR BANKING ROUTING INFORMATION AND ACCOUNT # will get back to them!

Almost wants you to go back to the good old cash society but then you have to worry about getting knocked in the noggin.

[Toad]

I guess that's one good thing about having crappy credit. I can't get any credit cards at all, so good luck to the ID theives getting one.
Toad

[Murph]

New scam came in today. Elderly victim, told she had won a "lottery", they called her and asked all sorts of personal information: bank account balances, what stocks/bonds/funds she had, IRA accounts, then they asked her to send a "passport sized" photo signed on the back to them to "Verify her identity".

This set off all sorts of red flags, and I immediately called the State Department Passport office (got an answering machine), and the local FBI, and they were VERY interested in this. Beware, this is new the first time I have seen this particular scam, but it tells me that they are getting valid passports using these photos, and then either replacing the photo, or otherwise using the passport.

If you get one of these scams call your local FBI (I know, I know, I said I would never say anything nice about Fart barf and Itch, but d@mn it, sometimes I have to eat my words).

[Murph]

Another one: Members who are Hispanic or have Hispanic last names, you are at much higher risk of ID theft now, because the people who are movers in the illegal immigration smuggling business are getting SSNs for people with Hispanic last names, selling them to Illegals, and they are then using them to get work. The Bad Thing is they work, the IRS wants their taxes, and you get a letter from the IRS telling you to pay up for X amount of money for the wages you made working construction in Outer slobbovia. The down side is the IRS DOES NOT CARE, AND DOES NOT WANT TO ADMIT THEY ARE WRONG. THEY WANT THEIR MONEY AND DON'T CARE HOW THEY GET IT! I have 1 doctor, a lawyer, and three average Joes right now that we are fighting that battle.

At the first sign that ANYTHING is wrong (i.e. someone stealing your identity) call: Your local law enforcement, and then the IRS. Its ugly, its painful, and we (the good guys) win in only about 10% of these cases. This is the dark side of Illegal immigration that no one talks about, and these cases are increasing rapidly. Two years ago I had one, last year four, this year so far one, but its early. Be wary folks! And it really, really sucks to have to worry about this sh*t.

[jerrykr]

thanks for this thread. as far as putting outgoing mail in your mailbox, I agree. I pay nearly all my bills online, but, of course that can be compromised with key loggers, etc. but at least I don't leave checks out in my mailbox.

this leads me to ask for a suggestion. I still have to pay a few bills by check, so that means that I have to occasionally order printed blank checks. where do they end up?, in my mailbox of course, and is there any doubt to a thief what is in the box of checks? nope. I have considered ordering them thru my bank, and getting them delivered to a local branch, and going by to pick them up.

it will be awhile before I need more, but any good suggestions for a secure delivery method? PO Box?

thanks,

-=- Jerry -=-
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