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Anyone here been Identity Thefted?

Total Heckler

Beer and Bike Enthusiast
Apr 28, 2005
8,171
189
Santa Cruz, CA
I got a confirmation email from an Apple Store in Kings of Prussia PA this morning for an 8g iPhone for $399. The email I received went to my only email address and the email had my full name first and last.

I immediately checked my credit/debit card to make sure there wasn't any purchases on it that I didn't make and it was all good.

Then I called the store and gave them a HUGE wtf?

I was told by the person there that the purchase was made, then returned so no actual balance was tendered. Or that the transaction did not go through. So the balance was $0.00. I asked if the phone that was purchased/returned was still in inventory and she couldn't give me an answer because she "was not the manager". I let her know that she would need to take my information and have it immediately forwarded to her manager so this can get resolved. I also asked her if I could get the last 4 digits of the credit card used so I can actually see if this was a mistake on the email address or which card of mine was used and she said "because it was returned or didn't actually go through, there was no credit card information on the receipt" that she was able to view. So again I stressed that her manager be informed of the situation and to contact me ASAP.

What is going on here? Is there something else I should do? No charges were actually made on my card (yet). I'm a little concerned.

I gave them the reference number for the purchase and was told t
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
Change your identity...give yourself a real cool name like Max Chainsaw and get a new SS# on the black market. You'd get so much poontang with a name like that.
 

Red Rabbit

Picky Pooper
Jan 27, 2007
2,715
0
Colorado
Be worried, they could have opened a credit card with your information. They they will decide not to pay the bill, and the creditors will come after you.
 

deadatbirth

Monkey
Aug 29, 2007
657
0
In a van down by the river
i had someone who stole my CC # and paid their f-ing bills with it. the CC company asked if i paid someone else's bills with the remaing $2k i had left on my debit card. i laughed and asked if they were joking. unfortunately they couldnt tell me the person's name.

same thing happened to my old man. they called india and racked up a $1k phone bill and then paid the electric bill.

luckily the cc company in both cases didnt hodl us liable to anything.
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,037
7,554
i had $1500 in bogus paypal charges rang up one year (with someone else's account with which they somehow got my card associated). didn't pay a cent.

do make sure to check your credit reports RELIGIOUSLY for the next few years.

www.annualcreditreport.com <-- use it. it's free to use once a year x the 3 agencies, run by the govt.
 

FCLinder

Turbo Monkey
Mar 6, 2002
4,402
0
Greenville, South Carolina
Yes, last Christmas!!!! It sucked A$$!!!! I got E-Bay scammed . Fell for the old E-Bay needs all your new up to date info plus you Card # you use on E-Bay e-mail. I should have known better. I had to freeze everything for 4 months. I was lucky that was all I had to do. Western Union called me a 4am asking if it was ok to transfer $10K out of my account. I was like, "NO!!!!"
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,942
13,135
Portland, OR
I know a bus stop where you can get a new SS#. Give the guy "Max Chainsaw" and $20 and he will return in about an hour. Kinda like Lens Crafters.
 

Snacks

Turbo Monkey
Feb 20, 2003
3,523
0
GO! SEAHAWKS!
Currently going though it from a break-in back in April of this year.

#1 thing to do is file a police report and put a hold on your credit reports. I'm still getting calls from storee where fake checks in my name were written. Once I send them a copy of the police report from the break in they leave me alone.

Keep copies of everything documeting this. I would suggest scanning them into a pdf and saving them to disc instead of keeping paper copies....hahaha they could get stolen.

Good luck!
 

Austin Bike

Turbo Monkey
Jan 26, 2003
1,558
0
Duh, Austin
I got hit with a $3200 paypal charge. I was traveling a lot to asia so a $6K amex bill seemed in line, so I paid it. Later, when I was reconciling, I just assumed it was one of my wife's classes because she was going to school at the time.

If I hadn't made a smart ass comment about the cost of her class, it would have slipped through. Luckily amex reversed it after a few calls.
 

geargrrl

Turbo Monkey
May 2, 2002
2,379
1
pnw -dry side
you can have a lock put on your credit report so that any time someone wants to open credit in your name, they ( the store, agency issuing credit) have to phone you and talk to you personally to get it OK'd. We have this since I had a wallet stolen several years ago, and thousands of $$ racked up on stolen credit cards.

funny thing is, if they would just check the fricking ID to see a DL photo/signature match to the name/signature on the card. When my cards were stolen, Sears asked for ID and the f***ers ran from the store, Sears almost busted them but not quite.

Another helpful hint: many dept stores ( sears, macy's etc) offer a ID prompt option. You have to ask for it. It's a computer prompt that makes the saleperson verify photo ID before the transaction can be completed. They don't tell you they offer it, and I didn't find out until AFTER all my cards were stolen. I have it now, though.

gg