I don't open my bills until I'm ready to pay them. Don't ask me why. I think it makes me feel better not to see the results of my foolishness until I can pay for them. So, I realized last night that my "bill" from my student loan company had shown up a bit early. I opened it, and discovered chaos.
Apparently, my information was on a computer that was stolen from the loan company's proccessing center. Not to be tricked by a fraudulent claim, I dialed the number on my normal billing statement from the previous month to make sure that the letter was legitimate.
It was. So, aside from voting, which I did and you should do, too, I spent a good portion of my morning on hold with various creditors, and I'm still not done. I had to call one of the credit reporting bureaus, which will notify the other two as well. To be on the safe side, I'm going to go home and call my phone companies as well. Then I realized that, being the mature adult that I am, I have a retirement fund that I should protect. All so that I don't become a victim of identity theft.
And here's what I'd like to know: Who in the hell would want my identity? I'm serious. I tried to get a car loan a couple years ago and I was denied because what I make doesn't balance with what I owe. Don't ask me how I've managaed to avoid living in a cardboard box if that's actually the case, but the fact remains that, in spite of my amazing hotness, I am not very attractive on paper. It's not like you'll get rich off my identity, kids. A co-worker told me that I was really calm, and I said, "Well, there's nothing I can do about it now, anyway." I guess I've always expected to be a target of identity theft at some point, given our current society. I'm glad I got a heads up before I got any "past due" notices in my mailbox.
So I'm taking all the neccessary precautions, but I know that, given the opportunity, no one in their right mind would want my ID. And I'm reminded of the bag of papers that needs to be shredded collecting under my desk, and it actually makes me laugh. I'm very careful to sort through receipts and junk mail for anything with my name and/account number on it. I went to all that trouble, and my identity is at risk because of my bank. The things we do to head the identity bandits off at the pass that end up being totally irrelevant in the end will be the only thing our generation is remembered for.
Posted by LoWriter at November 2, 2004 12:48 PMScary dude! i try to be careful too, but its really hard. especially with internet sales and transactions. no one would want my identity either, with my debt... yik. but you can still apply for credit cards and wreck credit altogether. stupid people looking to make a quick buck! well, onward i go, fighting evil-doers from stealing identities!
Posted by: Dr. Gonzo at November 3, 2004 10:58 AMI am sorry you got your identity stolen!! You should get a copy of your credit report if you have a chance...
stupid theives and really stupid bank!!
Posted by: 10lees at November 4, 2004 10:43 PMWhile my identity hasn't officially been stolen at this juncture, I still have to act like it has, which creates all manner of hassle for me. I can't call the people who deal with identity theft because my identity hasn't been stolen. However, I can't ignore the situation because my social security number has been stolen. I've heard various answers as to whether or not you can even get a new social, but even if you can, it's not a good idea because it makes you look more suspicious to creditors. So basically, my credit is f-ed for the rest of my life because my bank (and I'm not naming names here, but you can shoot me an email, and I will tell you that way)is crappy. This is not the first time sensitive data has been stolen from this company. I'm going to try to switch my student loan elsewhere. Look for the best of the phone conversations coming up soon.
Posted by: Lo at November 5, 2004 08:10 AMAlso, since I notified the credit bureaus, they are sending me free credit reports. Additionally, the bank is offereing us a free year of an identity theft program, which sends free credit reports as well.
Posted by: Lo at November 5, 2004 08:16 AMi actually read about this whole scandal in the paper. they think it was an "inside" job, or at least someone with knowledge of the inside. creepy, disgusting and sooooo frustrating! you're not the only one, Lo, but i sure hope to hell that they find who did it, so they can be violated too!
Posted by: Dr. Gonzo at November 5, 2004 10:29 AMYeah, and what is this, like the 4th time they've had confidential info stolen? They need to do something about their security, and they need to do something more than a year of identity theft protection. I'm pretty pissed because yesterday, I talked to one of the most useless people I've ever spoken to in my life. They should have people on staff who can help the people the bank f-ed over.
Posted by: Lo at November 5, 2004 10:50 AM