How to deal with checking account Identity Theft. (Actually, this is a post about what we did when US Bank did not want to help.)

First call your local police department and file a police report.

Then, file a fraud alert with ChexSystems. They have an online affidavit that a consumer can fill out to report identity theft and fraud.

Then, contact TeleCheck. The link will lead you to a page containing a PDF form to fill out and mail to the companies Texas address. You will need adobe acrobat installed to obtain this form.

We are still in the process of trying to contact Scan, Crosscheck, and International Check Services. We will update this blog as soon as we find the appropriate information.

In addition, try to find out if the accounts listed with your social security number are interest bearing accounts. If so, you may need to contact the IRS. Unfortunately for us, the nutballs at US Bank refuses to tell us anything about the account accept the amount of money they feel they are owed.

Checking account fraud is a very interesting situation because this type of activity does not show up on credit reports. So, even if you are vigilant and check them often (as we do), you will never know that someone has commandeered your personal information to open a checking account (unless they screw up and you cannot open an account on your own).

Now, knowing that someone is using your social security number (or other personal information) is frightening indeed. If that person has the nerve to open a checking account, then there is a good chance that they could begin to acquire credit using your personal information. For that reason, it is a good idea to contact the three credit reporting agencies and have them issue a fraud alert.

Experian allows you to request a fraud alert online or by telephone, Trans Union and Equifax require that you call.

• Experian (TRW) 1-888-397-3742 TDD 1-800-255-0056
• Equifax 1-800-525-6285 TDD 1-800-255-0056
• TransUnion 1-800-888-4213 TDD 1-877-553-7803

Now, I noticed that these companies will try to sell you a service to review your own personal information every month or so for inaccuracies. But what I will tell you next should make you decline their offer.

Credit reports are tracked by both Social Security Numbers and names. So, if someone is using your SSN# as their own, their credit history is kept separate from yours. Now, that does not mean that the fraudulent activity is hidden, by all means no. It is hidden from you, the consumer, not from the lenders that access the reports. The fraudulent activity does not show up on the reports that we pay for, only the reports that businesses acquire. In this way, the fraud does impact our credit ratings, our auto insurance rates, our employment prospects and many other things: but we will probably never know why our credit ratings are so low and our auto insurance is so high.

We are getting shafted by the big three credit reporting companies!

Buying credit monitoring services will do little good until we can access the same reports that the lenders get to see.

Have you noticed that many of the so-called data breaches involve companies in the banking industry? It is also banks, like US Bank, that fail to conduct their due diligence prior to opening up accounts. In this crime, the victims are stuck holding the bag. I guess the banking industry has to create a need (identity theft) in order to sell their products (credit monitoring). It is nothing more than a money grab.

By the way, do not forget that you are entitled to a free credit report each and every year at AnnualCreditReport.com (1-877-322-8228).

My husband and I are so irritated that we are considering a credit freeze. It is possible that some slimeball can get credit or open a bank account with our Social Security Numbers. With a credit freeze, I can at least fight any future incidences of identity theft with a simple statement: ' a freeze was in place on my [our] credit history prior to the existence of this line of credit. This debt is not mine [ours].' If a bank or credit card company is stupid enough to grant credit while a being unable to check my credit, they will be stuck with their debt.

Blessings,

Halieh S.

P.S. If anything I have written makes you want to take action or search for more information feel free to use the links below.

• Click here to find and write to your Representative.
• Click here to find and write to your Senator.

Identity Theft Websites:

• http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/
• Federal Trade Commission - Identity Theft
• Identity Theft Victims Guide
• IdentityTheft.org - Identity Theft Prevention and Survival
• Identity Theft Resource Center
• US Postal Inspection Services: Identity Theft