Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Help!! Credit Card Fraud! Maybe also Identity Fraud?!

C

Chiuy

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 24, 2011
305
0
NorCal, Bay Area
Hey guys!
I was wondering if you guys ever been into a CC or Identity fraud?
Cause it just happened this morning when I got my mail, all these credit card bills came out of nowhere with new credit cards, probably over $12,000 of purchases.

I've just contacted all the credit card company to report fraud and to stop all credits. This is a total nightmare!!! There was even some situations that the bank couldn't confirm who I was. My mother maiden name I told the bank was this and they say that wasn't the mother maiden name. So I assume that person took over my account?!

I'm looking at all the bills and I assume is a Woman and probably a girl. Some purchases made were a $2000 Gucci Watch, Girls clothes, bags, shoes, etc.
You know, woman/girl stuff.

Some of the credit card that came in...

MACY STAR REWARDS CARD
Radioshack
TOYS R US
APPLE
A NEW CHASE CARD
A NEW BANK OF AMERICA CARD
BEST BUY
KOHLS
HSBC BANK
NORDSTORM
And like 10 others.

How is this possible? How can you or I even apply to that many credit cards? (I'm quite impress this person's credit limit is actually higher)
And don't stores usually check IDs if you were to spend a lot of money, like a $2000 Gucci watch!?
Unless it's identity fraud!? DAMMIT.

I'm the type of person that keeps all my SSN and personal information very safe and will never reveal to anyone except when applying to credit card.
How could this had happened? Someone sold out my SSN or a very smart hacker?

Anyway, I'm having quite a headache this morning.
What should I do next now?

My friends told me to contact the police, but how do I file a report? Just walk down to the nearest police station and explain my story, cause I assume 911 is only for life threaten emergency.

What should I do?
 
Rodimus Prime

Rodimus Prime

macrumors G4
Oct 9, 2006
10,136
4
call the policy non emergency line and they will tell you how to file the report.

First thing first is you do need to file a police report because it makes your life a lot easier to fight the bogus bills and stick the credit card company with the charges since they failed to run even a basic back ground check to prove that the thief was who they are.

This also allows you to freeze your credit report. These means no new credit can even be extended to your name. Your current cards and accounts that you use stay active but lets say Macy could not issue a new credit card to you. The account is frozen and an automatic denial and does not even get reported because the reports is frozen.

It is required by law that allow you to do it for free if you are a victim of ID thief. You can unfreeze the report when you need new credit, you get the credit then you can freeze it again. All of it for free because you are a victim of identity thief.
 
C

Chiuy

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 24, 2011
305
0
NorCal, Bay Area
Thanks for the reply, Rodimus.
I'm about to file a police report soon.
I find it really funny how the stores don't check background of people.
Like seriously, don't you think it's a bit suspicious if a person just apply for a new credit card then spends over $7000 on purses, bags, clothes, jewelry?

Do you think this person will be bought to justice? Or it's basically a hit and run thing?
 
Rodimus Prime

Rodimus Prime

macrumors G4
Oct 9, 2006
10,136
4
Chiuy said:
Thanks for the reply, Rodimus.
I'm about to file a police report soon.
I find it really funny how the stores don't check background of people.
Like seriously, don't you think it's a bit suspicious if a person just apply for a new credit card then spends over $7000 on purses, bags, clothes, jewelry?

Do you think this person will be bought to justice? Or it's basically a hit and run thing?
Click to expand...

All the stores run is the SSN and if credit comes back good they give you a card. They do not even bother checking the id's 1/2 of hte time.

As for person being bought to justice chances are nope they will get away with it. CC companies loss the money and the person keeps all their free stuff to do it again to someone else.

Sucky part is you get stuck with the hours of your time fighting collection agencies, getting everything cancelled and spending huge amount of time fixing your credit rating.

It sucks and it is not fair. Personally I think the company that gave out the bad credit should each have to hand you over a chunk of money to help compesant you for your time, money loss fighting it ect.
The ID thief person if caught there is not much they could take from them since chances are they are broke any how but you can make it painful to the credit card companies and make it worth the money to them to fight credit fuad.
Make it cheaper for them to go after the theives than it is just to write off the losses.
Hell I would almost add say those losses could not be counted as business expensises at all. They can not be written off and those come out post taxes.
 
C

Chiuy

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 24, 2011
305
0
NorCal, Bay Area
Yeah, that would be awesome if CC gives me something back in return for the headache and time I'm going to spend fixing this.
It's also scary to know that a person out there has my SSN and probably still trying to apply for new card.

Update - A new credit card company just called me awhile ago saying that I have authorized a new credit card that has a limit of $10,000 and has been maxed out already. I'm like... wth. And once again, they told me to talk to their fraud department.

This person is spending money faster than you can drink water.

I'm still wondering how they got my SSN, address, #, and everything else.
Could it be that someone working for a company decided to sell my SSN?
I just recently applied for a new Apple car to financial my new MBP 13". That was the last time I remember giving out my SSN, but it was online. Could it be Apple or someone working in Apple sold my info out? I wouldn't surprise if they did. But that's just a guess. This is the first card I've applied since 3 years ago.
 
ejb190

ejb190

macrumors 65816
Apr 5, 2002
1,381
286
At the intersection of Indy Cars and Amish Buggies
Chiuy said:
Yeah, that would be awesome if CC gives me something back in return for the headache and time I'm going to spend fixing this.
Click to expand...

Yah, that would be nice. So sorry to hear you are in this position. The worst I have had happen is a few fraudulent charges on a credit card. Easily taken care of - I canceled the card.

My number one suggestion is start a call log. Write down every phone call, every name of someone you speak to, the time and date and the details. I wish you luck with this. It's a rock and a hard place...
 
C

Chiuy

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 24, 2011
305
0
NorCal, Bay Area
iJohnHenry said:
No, fixed income. :(

But my point was is there someone new that would have access to your personal info?
Click to expand...

Nope. I don't believe so.
I live in California and the person that is using my credit card is all the way in like Georgia which is at least 5000 miles away from me.

The only way I can think of is that someone sold my info out.
 
C

Chiuy

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 24, 2011
305
0
NorCal, Bay Area
Update 6/27/11

I have file a local police report.
I have contacted all the credit card company about the fraud and that they were very helpful. They say the account will be block and that I won't have to pay for any of this since this was a fraud and that each of their own company, such as Kohls, Bestbuy, etc. have their own investigation department and they will be looking into it.

The fraud has spent over $25,000 so far, maxing each and every card.
Example, Best Buy, $1000 limit, he/she maxed it out by purchasing $999.27 of stuff.

I have also contacted all three of the fraud government, bureau.

More credit cards are coming in now. Such as JC Penny, Frys, etc.

Most purchases are from 6-14 to 6-16. As of right now, I don't see any bills going past 6-16, but we shall see.

This person is on a massive shopping spree.


They should really catch this person, she/he has already have $25,000 of stuff.
Might as well rob the bank.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom