Identity Theft advice

[WolfShirtSophomore]

Just found out that someone applied for unemployment benefits in my name.

Anyone else gone through this? Currently going through the steps provided by FTC. Arghhhh! What a pain in my ass. Just what I wanted to deal with for thanksgiving holiday.

[JayhawkLifer]

Same here...Contact your local Department of Labor to ensure the claim is rejected. They should also give you a case number. Best bet is to freeze all your credit reports, but at least put a identity theft alert on them. I also contacted the IRS to get a pin for my tax return. There is a thread on the phog that talks about this very thing. It sucks, but, at least for me, it seems to be the only thing they have tried.

[MissTCShore]

I've never had to deal with this, however, I do have "Identity Shield" through work. Hopefully, if this ever happens, I have someone to help me through the process.

[lumberjack]

Happened to me this week. I put in a fraud report with state of KS, then I went online with Equifax and put a 1 year fraud alert on my credit which forces anyone hitting the account to establish credit to proactively check with me first. Unemployment fraud has been rampant this year. Have had 3 or 4 in my company get hit with this, just this week.

[WolfShirtSophomore]

Happened to me this week. I put in a fraud report with state of KS, then I went online with Equifax and put a 1 year fraud alert on my credit which forces anyone hitting the account to establish credit to proactively check with me first. Unemployment fraud has been rampant this year. Have had 3 or 4 in my company get hit with this, just this week.

Yep, that's what I'm doing this morning.

So far it appears this is the only thing they've tried to do with my SSN#.

[WolfShirtSophomore]

Same here...Contact your local Department of Labor to ensure the claim is rejected. They should also give you a case number. Best bet is to freeze all your credit reports, but at least put a identity theft alert on them. I also contacted the IRS to get a pin for my tax return. There is a thread on the phog that talks about this very thing. It sucks, but, at least for me, it seems to be the only thing they have tried.

Yeah, it's so rampant apparently that they don't even have enough staff to deal with it a Kansas DOL they told me to call back later.

[sean]

Happened to me a month ago. It. Was. A. Pain. In. The. Ass.

My employer contacted me because the unemployment benefits had to be approved by them (and they obviously didn't approve). But they sent me a bunch of steps to take and places to go to file paperwork. Sucked.

[qwertyu123]

I have some great tips to combat identity fraud but i need your SS# so i know you're going to take my advice seriously.

[WolfShirtSophomore]

I have some great tips to combat identity fraud but i need your SS# so i know you're going to take my advice seriously.

555-66-7777

[JayhawkLifer]

Mine is 003-28-7448

[qwertyu123]

Thanks to you two, you've made a very wise decision.

[WolfShirtSophomore]

Thanks to you two, you've made a very wise decision.

Much thanks.

So how long till you can tell me what just happened to my entire 401k?

[FrobozMumbar]

At this point, I have no idea why everyone doesn't have their credit frozen. It's free and it stops identity theft in its tracks (at least the most damaging part).

It likely wouldn't prevent using your SSN for a fraudulent unemployment claim or the like, but at least it limits the possible fallout.

[sean]

As a victim of identify theft, we are entitled to extended fraud alert. I've done it. https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/article...credit-freezes

Snippet: An extended fraud alert means that a business must verify your identity before it issues new credit. An extended fraud alert, lasting seven years, is available only to identity theft victims. To get an extended fraud alert, you’ll first need an Identity Theft Report, which you can create at IdentityTheft.gov.

They also take your name off of prescreened credit offers, etc.

[WolfShirtSophomore]

Co-worker got hit with one yesterday. These fuckers need a kick to the nutz.