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General Discussion => Welcome and General Discussion => Topic started by: Valhalla on September 08, 2017, 12:38:50 PM

Title: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Valhalla on September 08, 2017, 12:38:50 PM
In light of the Equifax breech, and all of the various data leaks, as someone who has helped a family member go through an identity theft case as a victim, I thought I'd post this quick blurb on how to protect yourself.

These steps are mandatory, in my opinion, to stay reasonable secure as you can, under the circumstances, in today's world of hacked data and leaked secrets.

1. Freeze your credit (some suggest doing step 2 & 4 before this step, read notes below).  If you live in 9 states, freezing it is free: http://blog.credit.com/2015/12/9-states-that-let-you-freeze-your-credit-for-free-132672/  I had to pay to have my credit file frozen, but it is well worth it.  I did it all online in minutes, paid with my credit card, and have had my credit frozen for several years.  I did unfreeze my credit from time to time to apply for new credit cards, etc., and it was super simple to do so. 
       -if you're a victim of ID theft, file a police report, then use police report to get free freezing of your credit.
       -pro tip - fraud alerts do nothing... my relative had fraud alerts on their file, and they still kept becoming victims of credit fraud.
       -pro tip 2 - it is FAR cheaper to freeze your credit, and unfreeze it as needed, than to pay for ANY credit monitoring service.  Do the math.  I wish I had done this years earlier as it would have saved me a lot of money.
       -pro tip 3 - use your credit card benefits, like Discover, Citibank, Chase, etc to monitor your credit score for free.  If you see a dip in credit score, check your credit files ASAP.   

      1.1 - don't forget to freeze your credit with the "4th" credit bureau as well - https://www.innovis.com/securityFreeze/index  (takes 1 minute and is free)

      1.2 - some have suggested, you may want to step 2 & 4 before freezing your credit (creating your IRS account online, and setting up your social security account online).  Also some links for freezing your credit (I recommend googling how to do this in case they change the links, but these are the current links for now)

            https://www.freeze.equifax.com/Freeze/jsp/SFF_PersonalIDInfo.jsp
            https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze/place-credit-freeze
            https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html

2. sign up at IRS to reduce income tax fraud:  http://krebsonsecurity.com/2015/03/sign-up-at-irs-gov-before-crooks-do-it-for-you/  (link:  https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript  - click on 'get transcripts online' and then you will see the log in / create accounts creen).

3. you also should place a fraud alert with Chex Systems.  This is the consumer debit card & check clearing organization.  It will reduce the likelihood of check fraud with your information as well.  No one can open a bank account with your info fraudulently, for example.  (link:  https://www.chexsystems.com/web/chexsystems/consumerdebit/page/securityfreeze/information/ )

4. open an account online with Social Security so no one else can pretend to be you and do it before you do.  https://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/
       -However, if you have frozen your credit, like I did, then you must go to the local Social Security office, present valid ID, to get a special exception to open your SS account online.  So if you have frozen your credit, you are protected from scammers trying to open a SS account online with your data. 
        -still recommend going to local SS office to get the exception so you can monitor your SS online.

5. Use 2 factor authentication as much as possible (I use Google Authenticator app).  With passwords being hacked left and right, you must turn on 2 factor authentication where you can.

6. Protect data on your PC by using programs like Veracrypt to securely store your private data.  I have my credit freeze security codes stored in a secure Veracrypt container, which is then backed up to multiple places. 

7. Set up credit card alerts.  Most credit cards now have instant text / email alerts for transactions over a certain amount (I make mine $0 or $1), as well as alerts for "card not present" or "international transactions" types of activity. Make sure you set up alerts for credit card transactions!!  I get instant alerts on any credit card charges via text AND email, so I can review it and make sure it's legit.

8. DO NOT use debit cards, they expose your actual bank balance to fraud.  Use credit cards as a strong layer of protection between you and your cash.  I never use my debit cards except at the bank and my bank's ATM only.  I never use my debit cards at a merchant or 3rd party ATM.  It's a lot harder to get cash back once it's stolen, than to prevent it from being lost in the first place!!

9. DO NOT use personal checks, if you can help it.  Checks contain your bank account number, your address, and your bank routing number.  That's a TON of data for crooks to use.  I use bank bill-pay to write electronic checks that the bank prints / mails, and they use intermediary account #'s and routing #'s, to pay.  That's a lot more secure than writing personal checks.

10. If you ever do any side-hustle, like 1099 type of work, apply for a free IRS EIN (electronic ID number).  You can give this EIN to potential customers for the W9 form they may ask you to complete.  This will help keep your social security number private.

If anyone else has other tips, please add them here.  Hope this helps.  This is the bare minimum of what I do to stay more secure from ID theft and credit fraud.

More good reads:

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2017/09/breach-at-equifax-may-impact-143m-americans/

Freeze 101
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2015/06/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-embrace-the-security-freeze/

Bottom line - don't be apathetic and stare at this thread doing NOTHING.  Act NOW.  Pretend a pickpocket is actively trying to steal your wallet and all of your credit cards and cash, you have to make this a high priority and just get it done now!  Being a victim is no fun, sucks a lot of time to combat, and get your credit back to normal.  Much easier to do this now than later.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: clash on September 08, 2017, 01:03:16 PM
Great post!

Any best practice recommendations for minors?  Or those w/o credit history?
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Roland of Gilead on September 08, 2017, 01:07:25 PM
Yes, go ahead and reward the credit reporting agencies with free money.

$60 for a married couple to freeze their credit in some states.

$60 for Equifax computer system to flip a bit.

Candy from a baby.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Valhalla on September 08, 2017, 01:10:34 PM
Great post!

Any best practice recommendations for minors?  Or those w/o credit history?
I got a letter from Anthem for my child, who was part of the Anthem ID hack in 2015.  They said they would pay for the credit freeze for my child up to age 18.

So I would recommend you freeze your kid's credit if you can.  It makes the scammer's job harder.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Valhalla on September 08, 2017, 01:13:22 PM
Yes, go ahead and reward the credit reporting agencies with free money.

$60 for a married couple to freeze their credit in some states.

$60 for Equifax computer system to flip a bit.

Candy from a baby.
This reply is NOT helpful and irrelevant.  As someone who has helped a victim of ID theft go through the police filing, fix their credit, etc., I'm only giving useful tips on how to protect yourself.

I agree credit freezes should be 100% free, unfortunately I don't make the decisions on that.  You need to call your attorney generals and senators to demand that this be made free.

https://www.anthem.com/press/indiana/indiana-attorney-general-provides-free-credit-freeze-service-for-indiana-consumers/

http://www.week.com/story/36321699/madigan-calls-for-free-credit-freezes-for-illinoisans-in-wake-of-equifax-breach

Indiana, Illinoi and other state attorney generals are starting to act, but you must push them.

I already called / emailed my local state attorney general, and I plan to contact my senators as well.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Yankuba on September 08, 2017, 01:50:54 PM
Great post!
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Roland of Gilead on September 08, 2017, 02:21:29 PM
Quote from: Valhalla link=topic=78810.msg1688745#msg1688745
[/quote
This reply is NOT helpful and irrelevant.  As someone who has helped a victim of ID theft go through the police filing, fix their credit, etc., I'm only giving useful tips on how to protect yourself.

I agree credit freezes should be 100% free, unfortunately I don't make the decisions on that.  You need to call your attorney generals and senators to demand that this be made free.

I already did the contacting in my state as well.  I am just trying to get this out there to get people less complacent about just handing over money for something that should be free.   If everyone just goes ahead and pays for the freezes with no complaint, the credit reporting companies will never change and will grow stronger on our fat bucks.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Valhalla on September 08, 2017, 03:05:36 PM

I already did the contacting in my state as well.  I am just trying to get this out there to get people less complacent about just handing over money for something that should be free.   If everyone just goes ahead and pays for the freezes with no complaint, the credit reporting companies will never change and will grow stronger on our fat bucks.
I agree with you 100%, we're paying for a sham / scam of a system, but this is the best we can do right now to protect ourselves.  It's not right / fair, hopefully this will change.

Also, I also added security freeze for innovis to the original post, at least that appears to be free!
 https://www.innovis.com/securityFreeze/index
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Cache_Stash on September 08, 2017, 03:43:42 PM
Thanks for the info!  I just did everything on the list and it took about 30 minutes.  Easy peasy.

I live in a state in which no fees were imposed from the credit agencies.  Total cost for me: $0
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Valhalla on September 08, 2017, 03:49:26 PM
Thanks for the info!  I just did everything on the list and it took about 30 minutes.  Easy peasy.

I live in a state in which no fees were imposed from the credit agencies.  Total cost for me: $0
Sweet!! Congrats on taking action!!

I'll be continuously updating the list as I learn of new things we can do to protect ourselves, so keep an eye on the original post and see if any new info pops up!
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Person3 on September 08, 2017, 05:03:22 PM
I can't find anywhere on irs.gov to sign up or create an account. Has anyone else figured out how to do it?
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Valhalla on September 08, 2017, 05:06:10 PM
I can't find anywhere on irs.gov to sign up or create an account. Has anyone else figured out how to do it?
https://sa.www4.irs.gov/eauth/pub/login.jsp?Data=VGFyZ2V0TG9BPUM%253D&TYPE=33554433&REALMOID=06-000ec792-13c4-14b2-b534-483c0adb40c7&GUID=&SMAUTHREASON=0&METHOD=GET&SMAGENTNAME=-SM-m5OrA%2b7FvbGU%2bgLgvTS4wrt26VgObWqx%2b78E5Bj5nDRoJHeUNEeLTNGiERDz%2bh%2fE&TARGET=-SM-http%3a%2f%2fsa%2ewww4%2eirs%2egov%2fopa%2findividual%2fpages%2findi%2exhtml

The link was in the krebs on security article.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: BTDretire on September 08, 2017, 06:01:19 PM
Yes, go ahead and reward the credit reporting agencies with free money.

$60 for a married couple to freeze their credit in some states.

$60 for Equifax computer system to flip a bit.

Candy from a baby.

 Exactly! I froze my credit 2 months ago and it cost me $30. A month later, my son moved and I cosigned for the apartment. (college student) So it cost me another $30 to lift the freeze.
 I may have made a mistake, I should have ask if they check a specific company, I might have saved $20.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Tdub on September 08, 2017, 07:33:23 PM
Has anyone tried getting a police report to waive the fee?

I'm not sure if a police report requires someone to have actually committed identity theft, or if written confirmation from equifax that a hacker stole your personal information is enough.

I'll pay the fee if I need to (cursing equifax every step of the way), but if a police report is not too difficult, I'll do that instead.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Valhalla on September 08, 2017, 07:34:43 PM
Has anyone tried getting a police report to waive the fee?

I'm not sure if a police report requires someone to have actually committed identity theft, or if written confirmation from equifax that a hacker stole your personal information is enough.

I'll pay the fee if I need to (cursing equifax every step of the way), but if a police report is not too difficult, I'll do that instead.
You can try.  I called my local police and they said unless someone has tried to use the information to defraud me, don't bother.  Apparently they don't treat a data breach by hackers as enough of a crime to report on.

Also, when they did do a police report for a relative that was victim of credit fraud, it took a mountain of paperwork, and a visit to the local police station to give a written statement, before we got the police report. It was NOT easy, and we had to file the credit freeze via the mail to the 3 credit bureaus with copies of the ID, social security card info, and proof of residency.  It took a few weeks to get it all done.

If you pay and do the credit freeze online, it takes minutes.  So there's that to consider as well.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: nottoolatetostart on September 09, 2017, 04:42:55 AM
We freeze our credit. Yes, it is expensive and a scam of a system. But, it helps so much rather than worrying or paying a credit monitoring service.

We now use our debit card for everything. I watch my account daily, sometimes twice a day, and we get reimbursed if anything fraudulent on there. I have filed a debit card claim against a company once for goods not received, the bank gave me my cash back same day or overnight (it was $1700 - about 8 yrs ago) while the quick arbitration went on. I also have alerts set up for transactions over a certain amount. I'm over the mental clutter of constantly paying off our credit carsld - just one more thing to do.

Someone did try to file annual IRS taxes in my husband's name and was expecting a big refund because they filed Single. When I tried to file that year,  we could not e-file because taxes were already filed (fradulently) with his Social Security number so I had to call into the IRS (we file MFJ so I was allowed to handle it for my husband). Luckily, IRS was on it and had flagged his scammer return bc it was different address and substantially different income (my box 1 wages were not filed by scammer) and no spouse. Every year, the IRS now sends us a new PIN so no one can file, myself included, without his PIN. Love it!
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Tdub on September 09, 2017, 10:02:04 AM
This list is great. I've been working my way through it.

I'd recommend adding a note that signing up for an IRS account also requires credit to be unfrozen. You mention this for SS, but not IRS. If I knew, I would have changed the order of operations in which I did things. The IRS pings equifax for credit information.

I slept well last night knowing my credit at all 4 bureaus is frozen. Something I should have done even without this equifax hack. Thanks for the nudge.

CA resident. Transunion and experian charged $10 each. Equifax and Innovis were both free. I'm wondering if I should unfreeze my equifax now to set up the IRS ($10) or wait until things cool down. At least no one can set it up on my behalf in the mean time.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: clash on September 09, 2017, 10:16:41 AM
Is anyone else having issues placing a freeze online? Transunion and Experian are saying can't process online.  Phone doesn't work either.

Seems shady as heck; as if trying to prevent customer base from leaving
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Ambergris on September 09, 2017, 10:20:15 AM

I'd recommend adding a note that signing up for an IRS account also requires credit to be unfrozen. You mention this for SS, but not IRS. If I knew, I would have changed the order of operations in which I did things. The IRS pings equifax for credit information.


Hmmm. I was able to set up the IRS account despite having placed a security freeze years ago on Equifax. I wondered if it had accidentally been lifted, but when I went to the Equifax site, the only option it offered was to take off a freeze, not put one on, so I guess it's fine. Perhaps YMMV with this one.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: nottoolatetostart on September 09, 2017, 10:35:09 AM
Someone did try to file annual IRS taxes in my husband's name and was expecting a big refund because they filed Single.

Do you normally get a refund from the IRS?

I always plan our taxes such that we owe anywhere from $100 to $500 each year (well under the percentage that triggers a fine).  Just curious if it is likely that someone would try to file taxes on my behalf believing their would be a refund, when in fact I never have a refund.

No, but because we were in 33% marginal tax bracket at the time and DH had more withheld to help us cover it.  I think we owed money that year (but not subject to the penalty) and we usually try to owe something, rather than expecting income. Scammer didn't include my info or my income (hence the discrepency), which is the reason for such a large refund of DH's income alone. It was $10k refund. I have a hunch info was stolen from someone hacking former CPA. IRS happily took our tax return over scammer, just had to do paper mail-in copy.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: RedmondStash on September 09, 2017, 11:11:57 AM
Great post -- thanks, OP.

Until last week, I'd never even heard of freezing credit.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: lbmustache on September 09, 2017, 11:19:38 AM
This IRS account process has been a nightmare.

I set one up and it defaulted me to a screen telling me to enter how much I owe and what payment plan I want to be on (I owe nothing and received a refund, yes my taxes were done correctly).

I had to enter a mobile phone number etc to be able to continue the account verification process. Entered it, and IRS can't verify that it's my number so they need to mail me something. I figure out that AT&T has my phone number listed under my dad's name, so I go to change it. AT&T tells me I can't change the name because "profanity" (I basically have an ethnic name that has something similar to 'ass' in the middle).

So.... I'm SOL on the IRS.gov front?
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Meowmalade on September 09, 2017, 01:01:11 PM
This IRS account process has been a nightmare.

I set one up and it defaulted me to a screen telling me to enter how much I owe and what payment plan I want to be on (I owe nothing and received a refund, yes my taxes were done correctly).

I had to enter a mobile phone number etc to be able to continue the account verification process. Entered it, and IRS can't verify that it's my number so they need to mail me something. I figure out that AT&T has my phone number listed under my dad's name, so I go to change it. AT&T tells me I can't change the name because "profanity" (I basically have an ethnic name that has something similar to 'ass' in the middle).

So.... I'm SOL on the IRS.gov front?

I created an account but then skipped the payment step.  I think creating an account linking your SSN with your email is the important step.  I can't seem to log in again due to system maintenance though.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Exflyboy on September 09, 2017, 01:48:00 PM
I just signed up with the IRS.

Now we have always filed MFJ.... Do I need to sign up an account for my Wife or is my account good enough?

What do you guys do with checks?.. I mean if you are on holiday and someone breaks into your house and steals your checkbook.. How do you protect against that? Does the FDIC protection cover you against losses?
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Exflyboy on September 09, 2017, 01:50:31 PM
Do you have to do the same for State taxes??.. We are in Oregon.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: lbmustache on September 09, 2017, 01:51:48 PM
Do you have to do the same for State taxes??.. We are in Oregon.

I'm wondering about this too. But I always owe money to the state so... have fun identity thieves???

Innovis was a little weird. Didn't ask for any confirmation of details or my identity, and said they'd mail something to me.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: nottoolatetostart on September 09, 2017, 03:26:29 PM
I just signed up with the IRS.

Now we have always filed MFJ.... Do I need to sign up an account for my Wife or is my account good enough?

What do you guys do with checks?.. I mean if you are on holiday and someone breaks into your house and steals your checkbook.. How do you protect against that? Does the FDIC protection cover you against losses?

We had an account for hubby, but I went ahead and signed up for me via IRS. As mentioned above in my experiences, scammers filed DH fradulently as a single guy, not MFJ like have done for years. I would open one for simply to avoid hassle.

For checks, if they were stolen, you could stop payment on all those check numbers (if you know them). The bank will likely want to shut down your account to protect you and reopen new account.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: nottoolatetostart on September 09, 2017, 03:37:35 PM
Valhalla - you should also mention that if your credit is frozen, the bank will not open an checking account in your name without that soft credit pull. I just tried two months ago to save some money and only thawed 2 reports (hoping the mega large bank would pull from those 2 agencies and save me $10 from thawing the third. This has worked for me in the past with Chase (so only thawing 1 report instead of all 3) when I applied for the Sapphire Card. I got declined since the report my new bank used was not yet thawed. Once I thawed the 3rd report (sigh, but I got an opening bonus), I got my account opened expeditiously. Hope that puts some worries to rest.

Hope that helps!
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: zinnie on September 09, 2017, 04:31:37 PM
Thanks, Valhalla! I just froze my credit and was wondering what else I should do. Thanks for the list. Look forward to any additional tips other posters may have as well.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Valhalla on September 10, 2017, 11:24:42 AM
This list is great. I've been working my way through it.

I'd recommend adding a note that signing up for an IRS account also requires credit to be unfrozen. You mention this for SS, but not IRS. If I knew, I would have changed the order of operations in which I did things. The IRS pings equifax for credit information.
Thanks, I added a note for suggestion doing step 2 & 4 before step 1.   It's good to know that freezing your credit protects scammers from creating your social security and IRS account though!!
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Valhalla on September 10, 2017, 11:27:15 AM
Valhalla - you should also mention that if your credit is frozen, the bank will not open an checking account in your name without that soft credit pull. I just tried two months ago to save some money and only thawed 2 reports (hoping the mega large bank would pull from those 2 agencies and save me $10 from thawing the third. This has worked for me in the past with Chase (so only thawing 1 report instead of all 3) when I applied for the Sapphire Card. I got declined since the report my new bank used was not yet thawed. Once I thawed the 3rd report (sigh, but I got an opening bonus), I got my account opened expeditiously. Hope that puts some worries to rest.

Hope that helps!
Interesting, I'm wondering if this only applies to Chase.  I was able to open new accounts with Wells Fargo, Capital One, and others after freezing my credit.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Valhalla on September 10, 2017, 11:28:11 AM
Is anyone else having issues placing a freeze online? Transunion and Experian are saying can't process online.  Phone doesn't work either.

Seems shady as heck; as if trying to prevent customer base from leaving
Hopefully it's working now, perhaps their servers are over-loaded from the rush of people freezing their credit.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Valhalla on September 10, 2017, 11:29:09 AM
Do you have to do the same for State taxes??.. We are in Oregon.
You would have to check on a state by state basis.

I think as long as you've dealt with the IRS, the states are less important. Most states will not let you file unless you have filed Federal, so if Federal is locked, the states should be safe.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Valhalla on September 10, 2017, 11:30:18 AM
...
What do you guys do with checks?.. I mean if you are on holiday and someone breaks into your house and steals your checkbook.. How do you protect against that? Does the FDIC protection cover you against losses?
I treat my checkbooks same as cash, keep them in a safe.

The good thing about checks is you can change your account number if they are ever compromised, although that can be a pain in the rear.  So best thing to do is just keep them as safe as you can and not worry about it unless some thing happens.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Valhalla on September 10, 2017, 11:35:25 AM
Do you have to do the same for State taxes??.. We are in Oregon.

I'm wondering about this too. But I always owe money to the state so... have fun identity thieves???

Innovis was a little weird. Didn't ask for any confirmation of details or my identity, and said they'd mail something to me.
Innovis and Chex systems both take about 30 seconds to freeze.  They both should mail you a confirmation with a PIN number or something to authenticate yourself in the future.  Don't lose those letters...keep the PIN numbers in a very safe place (or multiple safe places).
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Valhalla on September 10, 2017, 11:43:14 AM
...
We now use our debit card for everything. I watch my account daily, sometimes twice a day, and we get reimbursed if anything fraudulent on there. I have filed a debit card claim against a company once for goods not received, the bank gave me my cash back same day or overnight (it was $1700 - about 8 yrs ago) while the quick arbitration went on. I also have alerts set up for transactions over a certain amount. I'm over the mental clutter of constantly paying off our credit carsld - just one more thing to do.
...

I'm not sure it's worth the hassle to monitor debit cards like a hawk... credit cards offer rewards / cash back, and you have far better consumer protection.

To me, it's just not worth the hassle to expose yourself to debit card fraud.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/get-there/beware-the-debit-card-crooks-with-new-technology-hacking-is-easier-than-ever/2017/07/21/fca95a22-6c96-11e7-b9e2-2056e768a7e5_story.html

Quote
Under the federal Electronic Fund Transfer Act, if you report that your card is missing or stolen before someone uses it, you are not responsible for unauthorized transactions.

But if someone uses your debit card before you get a chance to report the fraudulent activity, your liability depends on how fast you spot the hack. Within two business days the most you could be held liable for is $50. Wait longer to notify your bank and you could be on the hook for up to $500. If you report the loss 60 days after receiving your bank statement, you may not get back the money you lost.

And even if you do report the loss right away, it can take a while for the bank to investigate and replace your funds.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Cache_Stash on September 10, 2017, 03:14:29 PM
"working on my TPS reports...don't bother me, or take my red stapler!"

Yeah, but are you putting cover pages on your TPS reports.  That's what matters. :)
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: crimwell on September 10, 2017, 08:52:12 PM
This IRS account process has been a nightmare.

I set one up and it defaulted me to a screen telling me to enter how much I owe and what payment plan I want to be on (I owe nothing and received a refund, yes my taxes were done correctly).

I had to enter a mobile phone number etc to be able to continue the account verification process. Entered it, and IRS can't verify that it's my number so they need to mail me something. I figure out that AT&T has my phone number listed under my dad's name, so I go to change it. AT&T tells me I can't change the name because "profanity" (I basically have an ethnic name that has something similar to 'ass' in the middle).

So.... I'm SOL on the IRS.gov front?

Can you just have the IRS mail you the thing? It will take longer but seems like it will still work
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: lbmustache on September 11, 2017, 09:52:17 AM
This IRS account process has been a nightmare.

I set one up and it defaulted me to a screen telling me to enter how much I owe and what payment plan I want to be on (I owe nothing and received a refund, yes my taxes were done correctly).

I had to enter a mobile phone number etc to be able to continue the account verification process. Entered it, and IRS can't verify that it's my number so they need to mail me something. I figure out that AT&T has my phone number listed under my dad's name, so I go to change it. AT&T tells me I can't change the name because "profanity" (I basically have an ethnic name that has something similar to 'ass' in the middle).

So.... I'm SOL on the IRS.gov front?

Can you just have the IRS mail you the thing? It will take longer but seems like it will still work

Yep, I had the IRS mail me something. I believe it said that without a mobile number I can't register, regardless of what they mail me. I'll update in 10-15 days, lol.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Meowmalade on September 11, 2017, 05:45:52 PM
TransUnion just came out with a new product: free freezing, credit reports, etc.

https://www.transunion.com/product/trueidentity-free-identity-protection
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: madamwitty on September 11, 2017, 06:10:17 PM
TransUnion just came out with a new product: free freezing, credit reports, etc.

https://www.transunion.com/product/trueidentity-free-identity-protection

I looked it up and thought to myself, what's the catch? Based on a quick web search, it looks like the catch is: "signing up for TrueIdentity also means signing up for “My Savings” which is a credit card curation service". Basically ads, right? I'm ok with that. Anything I'm missing?
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: alex753 on September 12, 2017, 07:45:13 AM
Nice, from the Equifax Link:

Thank You

Based on the information provided, we believe that your personal information may have been impacted by this incident.

Click the button below to continue your enrollment in TrustedID Premier.

Enroll

Question: Does freezing affect your credit score? 
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: GuitarStv on September 12, 2017, 07:54:19 AM
Canadian question . . . can we do credit freezes too?  We absolutely don't need credit in the foreseeable future (paid off house, not planning on buying a car, don't use credit beyond our one credit card.)  I'm kinda confused at the information I've been reading online.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: clash on September 12, 2017, 02:04:07 PM
Looks like Discover offers card holders a new service; Social Security Number Alerts and New Account Alerts

Has anyone used this?
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Valhalla on September 13, 2017, 12:45:59 AM
...

Question: Does freezing affect your credit score?
No it does not. It only gives you added protection to prevent others from applying for credit in your name.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Valhalla on September 13, 2017, 12:47:14 AM
Canadian question . . . can we do credit freezes too?  We absolutely don't need credit in the foreseeable future (paid off house, not planning on buying a car, don't use credit beyond our one credit card.)  I'm kinda confused at the information I've been reading online.
Sorry it looks like Canada is behind the US in consumer protection.  You need to lobby your government to allow this.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Valhalla on September 13, 2017, 12:48:02 AM
Looks like Discover offers card holders a new service; Social Security Number Alerts and New Account Alerts

Has anyone used this?
I enrolled in it. It did alert me to a new inquiry / credit card I opened recently.  It's nice to see Discover offer some great services.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Valhalla on September 13, 2017, 12:48:53 AM
TransUnion just came out with a new product: free freezing, credit reports, etc.

https://www.transunion.com/product/trueidentity-free-identity-protection

I looked it up and thought to myself, what's the catch? Based on a quick web search, it looks like the catch is: "signing up for TrueIdentity also means signing up for “My Savings” which is a credit card curation service". Basically ads, right? I'm ok with that. Anything I'm missing?
I'm wondering what the catch is... but I'm thinking TransUnion is trying to be pro-active about consumer privacy and offering this service for free.  It looks like a nice option but I have not tested this.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: mikemj on September 13, 2017, 10:11:22 AM
Is anyone else having issues placing a freeze online? Transunion and Experian are saying can't process online.  Phone doesn't work either.

Seems shady as heck; as if trying to prevent customer base from leaving

I'm having this same issue at all 3 of the agencies today.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Shinplaster on September 13, 2017, 10:22:27 AM
Canadian question . . . can we do credit freezes too?  We absolutely don't need credit in the foreseeable future (paid off house, not planning on buying a car, don't use credit beyond our one credit card.)  I'm kinda confused at the information I've been reading online.
Sorry it looks like Canada is behind the US in consumer protection.  You need to lobby your government to allow this.

I've been searching our options too.  Not many.  It looks like you can put an 'alert' on your file, which just means they are supposed to check with you if someone is trying to open new accounts, etc.   I don't have much confidence it would be all that effective.   We live in Ontario, which means they are legally obligated to inform us if our info has been compromised.  I'm going to wait and see if a letter shows up.  We did a credit report check a few years ago, and all the info was way out of date (employment, etc.).   Now I'm glad we never corrected it - it may give us one more layer of protection from fraud. 

Have you set up accounts with CRA?  That would help protect from anyone trying to change your address for tax refunds, etc.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: madamwitty on September 13, 2017, 02:02:28 PM
This IRS account process has been a nightmare.

I set one up and it defaulted me to a screen telling me to enter how much I owe and what payment plan I want to be on (I owe nothing and received a refund, yes my taxes were done correctly).

I had to enter a mobile phone number etc to be able to continue the account verification process. Entered it, and IRS can't verify that it's my number so they need to mail me something. I figure out that AT&T has my phone number listed under my dad's name, so I go to change it. AT&T tells me I can't change the name because "profanity" (I basically have an ethnic name that has something similar to 'ass' in the middle).

So.... I'm SOL on the IRS.gov front?

Can you just have the IRS mail you the thing? It will take longer but seems like it will still work

Yep, I had the IRS mail me something. I believe it said that without a mobile number I can't register, regardless of what they mail me. I'll update in 10-15 days, lol.

I don't have a mobile phone account with my name on it, either. I'm interested to see how this pans out for you. In the meantime I guess I'll just freeze my credit - if that means an IRS account can't be generated.

Edited to add: I started the process, myself, before freezing my credit. I was able to complete the step with verifying a credit card, so it seems pretty likely freezing my credit after this point will not affect my ability to complete the process once I receive my confirmation code (or whatever) in the mail.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: lifeanon269 on September 14, 2017, 10:30:13 AM
Is anyone else having issues placing a freeze online? Transunion and Experian are saying can't process online.  Phone doesn't work either.

Seems shady as heck; as if trying to prevent customer base from leaving

I'm having this same issue at all 3 of the agencies today.

I'm having the same issues on all three agencies today as well. Very annoying!
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: geo_kale on September 14, 2017, 10:52:15 AM
Hi! Does anyone use Credit Karma to keep track of credit score/monitor accounts opened in your name? Is this another good tool to use to protect oneself? I'm assuming this isn't enough - if so, can someone explain why?
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Valhalla on September 14, 2017, 09:11:23 PM
Hi! Does anyone use Credit Karma to keep track of credit score/monitor accounts opened in your name? Is this another good tool to use to protect oneself? I'm assuming this isn't enough - if so, can someone explain why?
Credit Karma / credit.com / quizzle / credit sesame all are free credit monitoring sites... this site does a good review of the options:  https://www.doctorofcredit.com/credit-monitoring-services/free-credit-monitoring-services/

They can be helpful to monitor your credit, but they do nothing to prevent someone from trying to apply for credit in your name.  It's like having a car that calls 911 after you get into an accident, versus a car with active accident avoidance technology that prevents you from getting into an accident in the first place.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: N on September 15, 2017, 12:38:22 AM
Thanks for the info. Its helpful to have it in one place.

I live in a state where it costs to freeze and unfreeze, which is annoying, especially as I travel hack with credit cards.
I wasnt planning to open any in the next couple of months, so Ill have to see how this all affects my plans for next years cards.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: espyfamoffour on September 15, 2017, 12:28:12 PM
Equifax: I tried calling the number for Equifax, went through the prompts and it told me it couldn't place a freeze on my credit report and to mail in a form. Also tried submitting form online with an error result.

TransUnion: I got through and successfully froze my credit for $10 fee.

Experian:  I tried calling the number, went through the prompts and was told it couldn't place a freeze through the automated system, and again gave me mailing instructions. Tried the online application and it won't load. *Opened the link in an ie browser (vs. google chrome) and was able to submit & pay.  3 out of 4 frozen.*

Innovis:  I was able to place the freeze online for free.  Wonderful concept....

How frustrating is it when you can't even place a freeze!?!  And then have to pay $20 to do it, and another $20 for the spouse.

I submitted a complaint form to my attorney general about the existing fees to place a freeze on the reports, hopefully enough complaints will force action. 



Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: gggggg on September 16, 2017, 12:48:22 AM
PRBC? I wiki'd credit bureaus and noticed there is an additional, non-traditional bureau called PRBC. Does anyone know if this can, or needs, to be frozen?
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Mr Mark on September 16, 2017, 12:53:33 AM
PTF
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: nottoolatetostart on September 16, 2017, 05:30:19 AM
...
We now use our debit card for everything. I watch my account daily, sometimes twice a day, and we get reimbursed if anything fraudulent on there. I have filed a debit card claim against a company once for goods not received, the bank gave me my cash back same day or overnight (it was $1700 - about 8 yrs ago) while the quick arbitration went on. I also have alerts set up for transactions over a certain amount. I'm over the mental clutter of constantly paying off our credit carsld - just one more thing to do.
...

I'm not sure it's worth the hassle to monitor debit cards like a hawk... credit cards offer rewards / cash back, and you have far better consumer protection.

To me, it's just not worth the hassle to expose yourself to debit card fraud.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/get-there/beware-the-debit-card-crooks-with-new-technology-hacking-is-easier-than-ever/2017/07/21/fca95a22-6c96-11e7-b9e2-2056e768a7e5_story.html

Quote
Under the federal Electronic Fund Transfer Act, if you report that your card is missing or stolen before someone uses it, you are not responsible for unauthorized transactions.

But if someone uses your debit card before you get a chance to report the fraudulent activity, your liability depends on how fast you spot the hack. Within two business days the most you could be held liable for is $50. Wait longer to notify your bank and you could be on the hook for up to $500. If you report the loss 60 days after receiving your bank statement, you may not get back the money you lost.

And even if you do report the loss right away, it can take a while for the bank to investigate and replace your funds.

Sorry, I didn't have a chance to respond to this sooner. I typed up something and then the system timed out.

I think this article is behind the times. A debit card is no different than a credit card. It has chip technology and there are other means of avoiding giving retailers my card - like the mobile pay options where a new unique code is provided and my actual card number is not used. I have $0 liability protection on my card as long as it is reported promptly. Also, I can deactivate my card through my bank's mobile app. I can set alerts for transactions over a certain dollar amount. We use cash if it looks seedy. Taking normal precautions will get you far.

The banks push the responsibility back to the retailers to avoid fraud at point of sale (checking ID, enforcing chip use, asking for zip code (that's a weak one anyway), etc). If there was a dispute, the money comes out of the retailer slush fund (every day the retailer is getting new money from other people's credit/debit card transactions). Having intimiate knowledge of how this process works, the banks simply take the money back from retailer in question and balance it out by giving it to you until arbitration is over - it's just a series of debits and credits to the bank.

My own experience of getting my money back when I had a dispute with a retailer ($1700 on my debit card) was that my money was back in my account within a few hours of filing the case or by overnight, which I think is expeditious. That was also 8 years ago. So I would imagine it would be just as fast. I just think this article sounds biased. No offense.

Here are some other things:

- if some fraudster gets my debit card #, there is a max daily amount. I can adjust this myself. If I large purchase coming up, I can temporarily raise it to cover my expense and then go back to my day-to-day. My credit card is an open ended 34k - I don't know if there is a daily limit on what can be spent. Sure, bank might get suspicious, but is there a ceiling on purchases if not caught by the bank sooner?

- We don't have overdraft set up on my checking. If it's zero, it's zero. No one is gonna go much further than that amount I have in my account anyway.

- A good chunk of fraud happens by a family member or someone you know within arms length. The article does not state if the people cited were due to some kind of arms length transaction (which will delay getting your funds back due to your account).

- Zero liability if reported promptly

- I like big banks. Fraud area is one of the fastest growing areas within big banks (maybe for small banks, too, I don't know) and where more money and resources are going to. I like the 2-step verification, voice ID, ability to shut my debit card off temporarily through my phone or online. I can tell you that our other bank (also a medium/large-ish one but obviously, to me, outsources many capabilities and uses similar platform as other medium banks that don't want to build in-house capability) feels very behind the times compared to one of our main daily use mega bank. That makes me uneasy.

- Setting alerts for certain dollar amounts. Yes, this applies to credit and debit


To your other point, I don't happen to check my accounts actively for fraud, it's not something I think about, but just happen to check each day as I keep an eye on the markets.

I am far, far more concerned about someone opening an account fraudulently in our names, which is why we have frozen reports on and off for years, routinely check our credit reports, etc.  Thanks to your article, I also stepped up the IRS registration for myself.

We have exclusively been doing the debit card for only a month now, and I think it is one of things that has simplified my life. Even though we had the cash to pay off our credit card every month (and have not paid a dime in interest since I was stupid at 25), it also took up mental space. How much do I owe? Did my payment go through? Did I pay the right amount to avoid interest? Should I pay now or closer to the due date? I get that not everyone has these same thoughts (my husband is an example of someone that does not think like this), but it is just not how my brain works. Right now, I feel so effing rich that I want simplification.

If we do travel hacking, I have found that the most bang for our buck happens when we open new cards for the new account opening bonus, not the ongoing use of cards. YMMV. But it's not worth the hassle to me anymore. I like to be done and done after I pay. In 20 years use of a debit and/or credit card, I don't think I have ever had an actual fraudulent charge (and this includes extensive use of travel all over the world). Will it happen in the future? Yes, but I am not losing sleep over it as I feel on top of my game and am far more educated.

We will disagree on this topic and I am sure others will weigh in also disagreeing with me. It's our accounts, our life. Didn't rich off of using my credit cards. We will continue to do 'one off' travel hacking of opening new credit accounts, but it will not be daily use, but rather a planned all at once kind of thing. I want simplification. Too effing 'rich' to care anymore. LOL. We only have so much time on this planet, it's not how I want to spend my time.

Hope this helps explain my position. Sorry for long note. Lots of points to discuss!
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Exflyboy on September 16, 2017, 12:24:33 PM
When I set up my IRS account it did not require a soft pull on my credit.. Which is good because I had previously frozen my reports.

I went to set up an IRS account for my Wife and noticed the IRS now require a soft pull.. So short of unfreezing my credit report I cannot set up an account for her.

But the flip side of course is no one can open an account in her nae because the credit report is frozen.

Does that sound adequate protection to you guys?

I guess I'm also worried about vendors having credit card info.. Amazon. Netflix, my power company etc.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Valhalla on September 18, 2017, 03:00:46 PM
PRBC? I wiki'd credit bureaus and noticed there is an additional, non-traditional bureau called PRBC. Does anyone know if this can, or needs, to be frozen?
Good question. https://www.prbc.com/home/Consumer-affairs  Personally I'll leave PRBC alone, haven't heard of it before, probably too small to worry about.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Exflyboy on September 20, 2017, 12:28:47 AM
After I froze my Creports.. I got a letter in the mail from Experien..

"Dear sir, we have stopped sending your (private) info to our trusted (by us) suppliers for 5 years... If you want that to be permanent (like why the hell would I want you to send info to ANYBODY after I PAID you money to NOT send any of MY info anywhere), please fill in this form and send it back.

OK so I'll take more of my time and the cost of a stamp to reinforce what I already did.

I got halfway down the form and it wants me to write out my SS number and send it back in the mail..

Like WTF does it take to get you guys in the boat?.. No I am not fucking well sending my SS number through the mail with my name and address for any scumbag willing to open a letter addressed to a CREDIT REPORTING AGENCY!

So I added a note of indignation telling them they had 5 years to go do the job I PAID them to do and look up my SS number from their records.

Like FFS!!!

Grrrr....:(

I am currently setting up 2 factor authentication (to send a one time code to my cell upon log in) on all our accounts. Its a giant PITA but well worth it I think.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: nottoolatetostart on September 20, 2017, 12:56:56 PM
Exflyboy - I just wouldn't bother. I got one of those too (either for me or hubby). I just shredded it and moved on. I have added this stuff frequently to our files and I feel like I frequently get these letters. Do Not Mail, writing to individual banks/retailers/etc will do more because for whatever reason they must abide by these laws, but the credit reporting agencies? Not so much. 
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Hvillian on September 22, 2017, 08:37:03 AM
Just want to give a huge THANK YOU to Valhalla for compiling the info in the first post.  You saved me a bunch of time and made it easy to overcome my procrastination on this.  Thanks.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: VeggieTable on September 22, 2017, 11:43:02 AM
This is an awesome post! Thanks for the info, Valhalla!

Has anyone tried TrueIdentity thru TransUnion? I went to the TransUnion website to freeze my credit, and they seem to be pushing enrolling in TrueIdentity pretty hard. It says you can "lock" your credit - whatever that means - for free, whereas they charge a fee to freeze it. I figure there must be a catch since they're undercutting their own service, but free sounds pretty good.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Hvillian on September 22, 2017, 03:02:06 PM
This is an awesome post! Thanks for the info, Valhalla!

Has anyone tried TrueIdentity thru TransUnion? I went to the TransUnion website to freeze my credit, and they seem to be pushing enrolling in TrueIdentity pretty hard. It says you can "lock" your credit - whatever that means - for free, whereas they charge a fee to freeze it. I figure there must be a catch since they're undercutting their own service, but free sounds pretty good.
I signed up for the TrueIdentity product instead of freezing my credit at Transuion.

It is discussed briefly earlier in the thread, and I poked around online a little bit.  It seems to benefit TransUnion to have you sign up for TrueIdentity because they get to avoid the legal/regulatory requirements associated with an official credit freeze, and can still use/sell your information for marketing purposes.  They may also try to upsell you later to other credit monitoring services.

It benefits the consumer because you can turn your lock on/off quicker than freezing/unfreezing your credit, and in some states you also have to pay each time you freeze/unfreeze.  It also seems to come with other credit reports and information that may be useful.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: VeggieTable on September 23, 2017, 10:51:55 AM
This is an awesome post! Thanks for the info, Valhalla!

Has anyone tried TrueIdentity thru TransUnion? I went to the TransUnion website to freeze my credit, and they seem to be pushing enrolling in TrueIdentity pretty hard. It says you can "lock" your credit - whatever that means - for free, whereas they charge a fee to freeze it. I figure there must be a catch since they're undercutting their own service, but free sounds pretty good.
I signed up for the TrueIdentity product instead of freezing my credit at Transuion.

It is discussed briefly earlier in the thread, and I poked around online a little bit.  It seems to benefit TransUnion to have you sign up for TrueIdentity because they get to avoid the legal/regulatory requirements associated with an official credit freeze, and can still use/sell your information for marketing purposes.  They may also try to upsell you later to other credit monitoring services.

It benefits the consumer because you can turn your lock on/off quicker than freezing/unfreezing your credit, and in some states you also have to pay each time you freeze/unfreeze.  It also seems to come with other credit reports and information that may be useful.

Thanks! I guess with the choice between paying TransUnion money to protect data I didn't give them permission to use, or letting them continue to use it in other ways for free while having *some* control over it, I'll choose the latter. At least it's free...
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Valhalla on September 25, 2017, 07:49:13 PM
This is an awesome post! Thanks for the info, Valhalla!

Has anyone tried TrueIdentity thru TransUnion? I went to the TransUnion website to freeze my credit, and they seem to be pushing enrolling in TrueIdentity pretty hard. It says you can "lock" your credit - whatever that means - for free, whereas they charge a fee to freeze it. I figure there must be a catch since they're undercutting their own service, but free sounds pretty good.
I signed up for the TrueIdentity product instead of freezing my credit at Transuion.

It is discussed briefly earlier in the thread, and I poked around online a little bit.  It seems to benefit TransUnion to have you sign up for TrueIdentity because they get to avoid the legal/regulatory requirements associated with an official credit freeze, and can still use/sell your information for marketing purposes.  They may also try to upsell you later to other credit monitoring services.

It benefits the consumer because you can turn your lock on/off quicker than freezing/unfreezing your credit, and in some states you also have to pay each time you freeze/unfreeze.  It also seems to come with other credit reports and information that may be useful.
Glad this thread is of value to others.

Very interesting info about the TransUnion TrueIdentity option.  It's good to have options, that's for sure!
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: facepalm on October 01, 2017, 10:21:29 AM
Just want to give a huge THANK YOU to Valhalla for compiling the info in the first post.  You saved me a bunch of time and made it easy to overcome my procrastination on this.  Thanks.
I'll second that thank you. I found the info extremely helpful. I had already set up an account with SSA, but had not thought to do one with the IRS. Now that that is done, I have one less thing to think about.

I was able to pull two of three of my credit reports online, the third one I have to mail in a request. Sheesh. However, I was able to put a freeze on my Equifax account without paying the $10 fee, as I had heard they finally stopped charging people for their own incompetence.

The thing that really chaps my hide is that their recently resined CEO is getting a 90 million golden parachute. Insult to injury.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Trede on October 02, 2017, 01:17:30 PM
Does anyone know if there is a permanent blacklist or required wait time when you get a failure to complete a credit freeze with Experian through the online process?  I ask because Mr. Trede and I are currently sitting at 5 out of 6 success rate on credit freezes for the three agencies for each of us.  It took many tries online.  Experian for one of us is the only one we are missing, having tried the online form and personal info quiz multiple times and apparently not passing (or just some other back-end failure to process).

I'd kind of like to know if it's worth to keep trying or if it will never go through (like, blacklisted for online form attempts or something).  We're not so keen to gather up documents they request for the through the mail enrollment option and send that off complete with SSN, DOB, etc.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: facepalm on October 05, 2017, 08:04:24 AM
Does anyone know if there is a permanent blacklist or required wait time when you get a failure to complete a credit freeze with Experian through the online process?  I ask because Mr. Trede and I are currently sitting at 5 out of 6 success rate on credit freezes for the three agencies for each of us.  It took many tries online.  Experian for one of us is the only one we are missing, having tried the online form and personal info quiz multiple times and apparently not passing (or just some other back-end failure to process).

I am also having issues with Experian.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: jbcivics on October 05, 2017, 03:43:19 PM
This IRS account process has been a nightmare.

I set one up and it defaulted me to a screen telling me to enter how much I owe and what payment plan I want to be on (I owe nothing and received a refund, yes my taxes were done correctly).

I had to enter a mobile phone number etc to be able to continue the account verification process. Entered it, and IRS can't verify that it's my number so they need to mail me something. I figure out that AT&T has my phone number listed under my dad's name, so I go to change it. AT&T tells me I can't change the name because "profanity" (I basically have an ethnic name that has something similar to 'ass' in the middle).

So.... I'm SOL on the IRS.gov front?

Can you just have the IRS mail you the thing? It will take longer but seems like it will still work

Yep, I had the IRS mail me something. I believe it said that without a mobile number I can't register, regardless of what they mail me. I'll update in 10-15 days, lol.

I don't have a mobile phone account with my name on it, either. I'm interested to see how this pans out for you. In the meantime I guess I'll just freeze my credit - if that means an IRS account can't be generated.

Edited to add: I started the process, myself, before freezing my credit. I was able to complete the step with verifying a credit card, so it seems pretty likely freezing my credit after this point will not affect my ability to complete the process once I receive my confirmation code (or whatever) in the mail.

I think for the IRS account there are two different issues in play: 1) IRS using your mobile number to verify your identity (i.e. account is in your name), and 2) IRS requiring you to have a mobile phone to be able to receive a text message with a security code for logging in.

I'm in the same boat as you guys in that my T-mobile account is prepaid so not associated with my name or credit history, thus can't be used to verify my identity. I think the thing they send in the mail solves issue #1, and once #1 is solved, issue #2 is not dependent on your phone actually being in your name, it's only dependent on you being able to somehow receive text messages. So I am assuming we'll all be good once we get the thing in the mail.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Dictionary Time on October 12, 2017, 12:22:09 PM
Ok, I set aside my day off to conquer this problem.  Of course, nothing is easy and the IRS has to send a letter because pre-paid cell service isn't good enough, and the SSA has locked me out for 24 hours for unknown crimes.  So I can't even get to the locking step.

I was planning to lock me, DH and my 3 kids.  But... the kids don't have a credit card or loan in their names, so I can't do the IRS for them. 

And I wonder if I should really lock them up.  They are in college, one is graduating in the spring.  Getting an apartment, utilities, etc is all going to take $30 a pop.  Then there are employment checks.  They're going to be at that stage in life where they are needing to thaw it often.  Does it make more sense to just leave them unprotected to expedite life?
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: madamwitty on October 16, 2017, 02:43:19 PM
To anybody else who tried to sign up for the IRS site but needed a PIN sent in the mail: have you gotten your letter yet? I am realizing it has been over a month since I requested it, and still nothing.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: topshot on May 09, 2018, 03:57:48 PM
Another article from Krebs (https://krebsonsecurity.com/2018/05/another-credit-freeze-target-nctue-com/) on how Equifax is still managing to screw us over and there's yet another place where you need to file a freeze.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Rocket on May 09, 2018, 04:52:00 PM
I put a freeze on my credit a couple of years ago after my office mate got caught up in the Sony mess.  He did it and I thought it was a good idea as well.  Now I need to unfreeze Equifax to get a new saving/checking account and I cant get Equifax to unfreeze my account.  Tried online, over the phone and sending two letters and nada.  Online and phone say I need to send in the request by mail.  Mail gets ignored.  No response from Equifax.  I have the pin to unlock but never get to the point where I can enter it.  Equifax is the worst.  I guess my next step is try to get a real person on the phone.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: pdxvandal on May 09, 2018, 05:17:56 PM
I called Equifax last week to unfreeze my credit. Took 10-15 minutes and giving out some personal information over the phone, as I didn't have, or couldn't find, a PIN.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: topshot on May 09, 2018, 07:13:51 PM
I didn't have an issue unfreezing mine online a couple weeks ago, but given their incompetency, I wouldn't be surprised if they broke their site since then.
Title: Re: Freezing your credit and a half dozen other tips to protect your identity
Post by: Greenback Reproduction Specialist on May 09, 2018, 07:29:49 PM
You can go beyond what was talked about by the OP. Basically, dont provide personal identity information anywhere that it has the potential to be entered electronically. If there is a service such as this forum where they are requesting your information, misspell your name, provide a mailing address that is off by a digit or two, etc. They cannot begin to try and collect basic information required to steal your identity if the information collected online during data breaches doesnt actually point to your identity or your real identity data that would be used to further scam information from institutions you do business with.

I remember my parents back in the day saying "dont provide ANY personal information online", I would expand that to "dont provide ANY personal information to anyone that is entering it into a computer". Scammers cant use your stolen information to steal your identity if the stolen information(birth date, home address, phone number, mothers maiden name, first name, last name) is mispelled or inaccurate. It is legally a grey area, and would be troublesome if your intentions a fraudulent. So I wouldnt recommend doing anything illegal, but it is true that if you type in your name into a computer, the computer wont find it if it is misspelled. It would be the same if someone tried to scam a help assistant at the phone company into providing additional information on your account.

A good book I would recommend would be "How to Disappear", topic of the book is more along the lines of dodging someone out to hurt you. But, it will open your eyes to how easy it is to use pretty basic information about a person to scam the missing pieces of personal information required to steal an identity. Data breaches arent a big deal if the data that is breached contains information that isnt 100% accurate.

Something to keep in mind, the nice lady at the automotive shop taking down your information does really know if that data is being reported back to a third party. Their computer program could report back to credit agencies or advertising/marketing companies without the lady even knowing. That oil change could put your information at risk of breach at two or three businesses.