Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Identity Theft
Today I learned someone set up a fake credit card in my name, and has been trying to order thousands of dollars worth of crap on the internet with it. One of the catalogs this tasteless thief ordered from called an old phone number to confirm; the person who sub-let my old apartment to me still uses that number, and called me.Now, identity theft is scary, but it's unlikely they'll manage to get any orders through, due to lots of card verification procedures. However, they have stolen my time, because trying to report identity theft is a nightmare. I can't contact the bank that issued the card, because I don't know which bank it is. The credit report agencies, like Experian, have only automated systems - they don't let you talk to a real person, nor specify which account in your name is fraudulent. I contacted the FTC, and am supposed to contact the police. I've just spent the last 2 hours on the phone in automated Catch-22 systems, and online, trying to resolve the problem but instead probably digging a deeper hole for myself. Of course every report I attempt to make requires my Social Security number first, which makes me more paranoid.
So, even though I probably won't be charged for $6,000 for dozens of Ladies' Dresses and Accessories (if you have to steal, why that?), I will lose countless more hours or days of my life dealing with this BS.
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