[NA] Identity theft watch

[Let'sgoflying!]

Apparently I was part of some data loss (as a customer) and the company sprung for us all to have free monitoring to see if our ID was being shared etc.
So the monitoring company periodically sends me notices (Experian) such as "your email was found on the dark web" but the instructions to follow are vague or involve purchasing some product from them.
I am tempted to do what I do best; nothing.

 

[Baked Potato]

Make sure that you check the credit bureau reports of all of your lines of credit and open accounts. You can do this with each of the three once per year for free, but for the most of us who have received free monitoring from the myriad leaks and their associated settlements, we can typically do it on demand as part of the settlement deal.

Just do it for peace of mind and to ensure that nothing has been opened in your name that's not actually you.

 

[ChopAndDrop]

“It’s a trap!!!”

this in itself is a possible scam / sales pitch:
“Hey your identity was compromised, but sign-up all your personal info to our site and well keep you safe”. Uh, no.


If you are worried, go direct to the 3 credit agencies and put a fraud watch/ hold yourself. It’s free.
Hint: they try to trick you into paying also, if they ask for a credit card you are not at the correct site.

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

How would a credit report help reveal identity theft?
Would a nefarium get a loan in my name then not pay it?
I think I'd know well before a credit check would reveal that.
Thanks

 

[ChopAndDrop]

How would a credit report help reveal identity theft?

To be clear, a Credit Report doesn’t prevent future fraud, it’s only a checkup to make sure nothing there you don’t recognize currently/ previously.
To be proactive, you wan to place a “Fraud Watch” or “Freeze” via the big 3 credit agencies. that is supposed to trigger extra scrutiny for anyone opening a line-of-credit in your name for the next ~1 or 3 years whatever the timeframe is.

Would a nefarium get a loan in my name then not pay it?

not an expert, but … In the few examples I’ve seen: yep, they taking a loan and not paying it. Maybe a Payday loan kinda place. Or a store credit like Bass Pro Shop / Home Depot / Belk/ Circuit City / Sears store credit account. Or just a credit card with an online bank. A lot of times it’s not buying personal items, They buy seemingly random stuff, but it’s things they can easily resell for cash.

I think I'd know well before a credit check would reveal that.

In the examples I’ve seen: they get the money (and bill statements) sent to them somewhere else address. You might find out later when it’s delinquent and goes to collection, and some collections agent finds you and starts hounding you.

Yeah you could try to fight-off the collections agents but that’s a hassle and meanwhile they’re making your life harder, hassling you…easier to stop it closer to the source (with the banks/credit agencies).

 

[DaleB]

Hint: they try to trick you into paying also, if they ask for a credit card you are not at the correct site.

Equifax (at least) makes me click past a screen signing me up for their extra-cost monitoring every single time I visit.

I get free credit score reporting from nearly every bank and credit card company I deal with. We’ve had more than one class action suit (the largest single category of scam in the country, but I digress) give is “free” monitoring before, which seems to never actually be for free.

 

[danhagan]

If you're not taking out loans often, they have to let you FREEZE your credit which will stop a lot of this. You'll have stuff on the "dark web" due to your house central appraisal district, your business info gets leaked on Duns and Bradstreet, a lot of info available at FAA both license and plane etc....

 

[Albany Tom]

Apparently I was part of some data loss (as a customer) and the company sprung for us all to have free monitoring to see if our ID was being shared etc.
So the monitoring company periodically sends me notices (Experian) such as "your email was found on the dark web" but the instructions to follow are vague or involve purchasing some product from them.
I am tempted to do what I do best; nothing.

People buy and sell lists of compromised credentials, hoping they can make some use of them to gain access to other things. Often that's by way of people using the same password for different accounts. If you've changed the password for whatever the account was where it was compromised, AND you've change the password at any place where you used the same password, then I wouldn't worry about any of it. Posters advice about periodically checking your credit report are correct...but that said I don't do that very often. I wouldn't pay any money to Experian. They're in the industry that created this mess in the first place. No conspiracy, just lack of competence, which is the normal scenario for most things.

 

[strangebird]

You would trust Experian?