Identity Theft Prevention Tip
11/05/2007
Recently my 82 year old mother became a victim of
identity theft. Someone from Kentucky stole her name and social security
number and opened a credit card with Capital One. The culprit not only
received the card, but they charged it to the limit and never made a
payment.
All of this was discovered when she inquired into
moving into a different apartment. Upon inquiring into her credit, the
landlord informed her of this account with Capital One which had been placed for
collections. This is where the fun begins.
Both my mother and I have spent countless hours on
the phone being transferred between departments at Capital One. From
one ignorant or unhelpful representative toe the next, each time resulting
in an ultimate transfer direct to their collection agency. Needless
to say, this has become a very stressful and frustrating
situation. These so-called "Customer Service Representatives" either hung
up the phone or refused to transfer our call to a supervisor. When asked to
speak with the fraud department, they asked for the account number of
the credit card, and transferred the call right back to the
collections agency.Now I know why Capital One has that commercial
about vikings pilaging a suburban mall. After several unsuccessful
attempts to reach the appropriate individuals in the fraud department, I
felt like pillaging Capital One's corporate offices myself. The truth
is that Capital One is just as guilty as the person who stole her identity
in that they granted this credit without asking for any
identification. This whole situation destroyed my mother's credit in
the process.
The one thing I learned from all of this is that
you can avoid identity fraud. You need to write to all three credit
companies(Equifax, Trans Union, Experian) and ask to add a "Consumer Statement"
to your credit report. This is a statement that tells any potential
creditor, who is inquiring into your credit, that you must be notified by
telephone before extending credit. This is a safety net in the
event that someone is using your identity. Each time your credit is
inquired this statement will appear on your credit report.
At least this can avoid any potential future
problems. The next time someone asks you "What's in your wallet?",
tell them it's none of their business.
Contact info for the three credit reporting agencies:
Contact info for the three credit reporting agencies:
- Equifax: 800-685-1111; www.equifax.com
- Experian: 888-EXPERIAN (888-397-3742); www.experian.com
- Trans Union: 800-916-8800; www.transunion.com
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