Help with Identity Theft!

[-Never4ever-]

Don't know where to put this, so I'll put this here. Apparently someone is using my Mom's Name and SS# to rack up phone bills in her name. It's driving her nuts because she can't link it back to the thieves, she's gotten an address, but that's in. We've tried the Buffalo PD, but they were little more than useless. Is their anything we could do? It's supossivly a federal offense, so is there any way to sic the feds on them? Any site we can use? Any and all help is appreciated.

 

[Kastides]

first of you need to invest some money on a paper shredder.

Next google search "Identity theft victims" helpful sites would logically come up.

 

[b0bx13]

If there's anychance it happened from something being stolen from the mail, contact the postal inspector. They PO doesn't take lightly to fraud.

 

[wilcat]

Sorry to hear that. Check out http://www.idtheftcenter.org/index.shtml. In particular, go to the Victim Resources link at http://www.idtheftcenter.org/vresources.shtml.

The fact sheet (http://www.idtheftcenter.org/vg17A.shtml) will give you a step-by-step process of what to do. For example, notify the credit bureaus, creditors, log all conversations and communications with various agencies, etc.

Your mom can also put a password on her phone accounts which must be used prior to any account change.

 

[H-Town Info]

identity theft is growing at a rapid pace. jw, if ur mom gets the phone bill throught ur mailbox, what kind of mailbox is it? is it a mailbox an old school one (where the flag is raise up when u got mail and stops by each house on ur street) or mailbox where u need a key to open up to get ur mail?

FYI here's some tips to prevent identity theft:

1. invest in a paper shredder (a cross cut one is much more useful) to shred important documents that could id theft possibies (credit card offers, bills, etc). usually they cost about 20 bucks at walmart or target.

2. get a free credit report statement every 3 months at least or maybe every month. go through a few different credit report statements from different credit agencies to make sure everything is intact.

3. i would also suggest to check ur credit card and bank statements online (if applicible) EVERY DAY to check for any suspicious activity b/c u can take action right away and report to the authorities. i know it might be a lil bit of a hassle but its worth a couple of minutes of ur time a day.