In 2021, approximately 23.9 million people (9% of U.S. residents aged 16 or older) had been victims of identity theft in the previous 12 months. I never thought it would happen to me, but it did. About 8 years ago, I received an email from my credit card company stating that I had reached the limit on charges, $15,000. Initially, I thought it was a bank error, but a few hours later I received a call from the fraud department. They confirmed that I was a victim of identity theft and assured me that all charges would be removed, and a new credit card would be issued. I checked all my account balances and everything seemed fine, so I assumed it was all over.
A couple of months later, a friend suggested I freeze my credit by contacting the three credit bureaus. It was a hassle, but I did it and thought that was the end of it.
One Monday morning a few weeks later, I got a phone call from a bank in another state informing me that my equity loan for $50,000 had been approved. I informed them that I never applied for such a loan. They were surprised but agreed to cancel the application. The bank officer mentioned that she had all my personal information including my address, birth date, social security number, and the name and address of my employer. It was then that I realized the seriousness of the situation. Within a week, I started receiving phone calls from numerous financial institutions about loans, maxed out credit cards, new bank accounts, etc. I knew my credit was ruined, and this was only the beginning. So, I contacted a legal firm that specialized in identity theft. I provided them with notarized documents detailing what had happened, all of my personal information, and letters of character reference. After 3 or 4 years of dodging bill collectors, receiving overdue bill notices, having no credit, and paying a legal firm $10,000, I finally felt whole again. I was issued a new social security number, driver's license number, new financial accounts, and an ID Theft alert on all credit bureaus and various state and federal agencies. It was an eye-opening experience, but not one I would wish upon anyone.
While you cannot completely protect yourself from identity theft, there are many steps you can take to greatly reduce the likelihood. Hopefully, we can discuss some of these in this thread.
A couple of months later, a friend suggested I freeze my credit by contacting the three credit bureaus. It was a hassle, but I did it and thought that was the end of it.
One Monday morning a few weeks later, I got a phone call from a bank in another state informing me that my equity loan for $50,000 had been approved. I informed them that I never applied for such a loan. They were surprised but agreed to cancel the application. The bank officer mentioned that she had all my personal information including my address, birth date, social security number, and the name and address of my employer. It was then that I realized the seriousness of the situation. Within a week, I started receiving phone calls from numerous financial institutions about loans, maxed out credit cards, new bank accounts, etc. I knew my credit was ruined, and this was only the beginning. So, I contacted a legal firm that specialized in identity theft. I provided them with notarized documents detailing what had happened, all of my personal information, and letters of character reference. After 3 or 4 years of dodging bill collectors, receiving overdue bill notices, having no credit, and paying a legal firm $10,000, I finally felt whole again. I was issued a new social security number, driver's license number, new financial accounts, and an ID Theft alert on all credit bureaus and various state and federal agencies. It was an eye-opening experience, but not one I would wish upon anyone.
While you cannot completely protect yourself from identity theft, there are many steps you can take to greatly reduce the likelihood. Hopefully, we can discuss some of these in this thread.
Last edited:
