IDENTITY THEFT

A while back I received my visa bill and discovered  several charges for internet purchases that I had never made.  The charges totaled over $700.00.  I called customer service and went through the routine and red tape to get this taken care of.  After it was straightened out, I never heard if they had caught the culprit.  I was told that often they don’t because it is usually not a real person who is making these charges.  Less than a year later I received my discover bill and there was over $7000.00 in charges to numerous stores and merchants in another state.  I then started receiving bills from jewelry stores, department stores, and gas companies.  All totaled over $25,000.  Well it took quite a lot of time and headache to get this mess straightened out.  These people were so bold that they kept calling to try and re-open these accounts after I had closed them. This time Discover traced some calls to some of my ex-husbands family.  I don’t know if anyone was ever charged or convicted.  I doubt it because I haven’t heard anything and it has been about a year and a half.  A couple of weeks ago, I applied for a name change on my social security card because I had recently gotten married and when I received it, someone had torn my name and social security number off of it.  All this took place within 3 years time.  People working in banks and hospitals are stealing identities and selling social security numbers.  I think it is going to get a lot worse before something is done to curb this activity.  I recommend that everyone keep a close eye on their credit report and if there is any suspicious activity, place a fraud alert on your credit report immediately!  The telehone number for fraud alert is 1-800-680-7289 and it is an automated system that only take a few moments.