someone impersonating me in TX

I just got the oddest call....someone in Texas is apparently using my name and social security number, not only my real given name (patricia - have never used this name other than formaility) but pebble which is the name I have used since birth.
The caller was from American Lenders. Apparently this gal bought a suzuki in 1998 and it is being repossessed, and he called to see if I knew anything about it, although he did say he thought I had just been a victim of identity fraud, and that I wasnt involved in a Suzuki in Texas from Vancouver.

I am going to call the credit bureau.

Any ideas or suggestions?
how on earth could this have happend?

Pebble ~~~

Identity theft, a growing concern, is a Federal felony, as it usually involves interstate fraud.

You should document all your evidence of the identity theft ~~~ carefully review EVERY credit card bill for the last few months and see if there are any discrepancies.

Notify ALL your credit card companies and have them change your credit card numbers and close old accounts.

Contact ALL lenders, including mortgage lender, bank, brokerage firm, etc, and do the same.

You may wish to see if these companies will put a requirement on your accounts that any changes to them must be done in writing. This will protect you if people try to make changes over the phone.

Notify relevant law enforcement agencies. You bank and credit card companies can direct you to the appropriate ones.

Do everything in writing. Get the full names and employee numbers of everyone you speak with. Follow up all telephone communications with written ones (certified mail, return receipt requested).

Please note, that in legal matters, certified mail / return receipt, is the requirement for documents to be construed as evidence.

Following link id the US government central information resource for people who believe they are victims of identity theft:

www.consumer.gov/idtheft/

I hope this little bit of information helps.

Sorry you have to deal with such a potentially large issue.

Please act quickly, as people engaged in this crime are skilled and work fast.

Adam.

Dang, that's got to be a really creepy feeling, Pebble! Good information, Adam.

Pebble, I am so sorry this has happened to you and pray that the situation will be resolved soon, with no lasting or lingering problems in its wake. Aotearoa gives very good information.

Another trick they use is to change your mailing address - so notify your local post office - quick! They might change it to a PO box somewhere so they can even get your new credit cards and checks. This is an awful thing - so sorry.

Pebble, so sorry that you got hit with this, you have been given good advice. Will send good energy your way and also hope that they get caught soon.

Pebble, I went through something similar to this quite a few months ago, but not to the extent it sounds like you are. You have been given wonderful advice about what steps to take and who to contact about this. Please do all of them, even if they seem unnecessary. They really are necessary, as doing them now will save you lots of hassle in a few months.

What happened to me was one morning as I was getting ready for work I got a phone call that at first I thought was a telemarketer, and I was going to hang up. But, something kept me on the line long enough to realize that this guy was trying to tell me something. He asked me if I had sent a gift certificate to (so and so) for (an outrageous amount of money)? Ah.....no.......I didn't. I don't even know the person who these were sent to. He then told me that this was the reason he was calling to confirm the order, as it looked suspicious to him. He canceled the orders they had, but advised me to contact my credit card companies because it appeared that someone was using either my credit card or my identity. (I no longer hang up on those I believe are telemarketers until I am certain they are trying to sell me something rather than tell me something.)

I contacted all my credit cards, and it was only that particular one that had been messed with, and there were many charges on there that are still in dispute.

I contacted our banks and credit unions also, so they would know what was going on.

I am now trying to figure out how to contact the people who do the credit ratings to find out if any other credit cards or anything were taken out in my name or social security number. I don't think so, since I haven't gotten any more phone calls or mail that was strange. But, I still want to check it out.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that your situation is as easy to fix as I'm thinking mine was. Identity theft is getting to be a very scary and very real threat to us. It makes the simple credit card theft look like child play. It appears that my situation was simply a case of credit card number theft. I really hope that you can resolve your situation as easy.


Hugs, and I'll be thinking of you.
Joan

Adam, thank you for your sound advie, I will definately follow your guidelines.

Joan, I do remember when something like this happend to you (I think it was you who posted a while back)

Thanks everyone for your support and encouregement.

I still can't believe it, but am trying to remedy the situation. I'll let you guys know how it ends up.

Adam, I just went to the ssite you posted and filled out a claim. Thanks for posting it.
Should I make a police report? go to the police I mean?

Pebble ~~~

I am going to venture an opinion, but make the disclaimer that I could be mistaken (sounds like a lawyer talkin', eh?):

You could contact your local police department and ask for guidance about what process to follow to protect yourself. However, your local police department has jurisdiction over criminal matters in your locality only, and we are speaking of inter~state fraud.

I would venture to guess that the office of your State Attorney General could offer better guidance, as that is the level at which state law enforcement interacts with Federal authority.

There are several things you are trying to protect:

1. The security and inviolability of your personal identity.

2. The things that give you good standing in your community, such as your personal and professional reputation, credit rating, etc.

3. Your physical property, such as your home, etc. What I mean by this is that, if someone had enough information about you, they could take out a mortgage on your home and pocket the money, but under current legal theory you are still responsible to make payments on the note.

I know that this is really not the sort of thing you wish to hear during the holiday season, yet, to be well armed when dealing with this sort of complex and slippery issue is to triumph over it.

God bless you.

Adam.

(Changed one word)

This message was edited Saturday, Dec 28th 6:35 PM

ay yayy yaayyy Adam, it is scary to me.... I will try to contact the attorney general of my state, should I contact the one for texas also?

You are a resident of Washington State.

Let your tax dollars do the walking ;~)

You are not trying to solve a crime, you are trying to protect your..., uhm.., er..., ASSets.

A group of people in Nigeria (I think) have been indicted for more than 30,000 ID thefts. Very possibly a lot of info was gathered during all those stupid spam letters about "Can you donate to the people of Nigeria" or some such thing. I know several viruses attempted to attach when I accidentally opened a couple in the past few months.

Pebble, I am sorry that this has happened to you. You have received great advice from the above posts. I will also add that when a credit card application comes in the mail don't just put it in the trash. I put mine in our burn barrel, but you could also use a shredder if that is not available. There also has been items on the news, where people are going through mailboxes and taking out credit applications.
A friend of mine went through a similar credit problem last year. Someone had her name and SSN and opened up a credit card in her name in a different state. Since her home was paid for, she had an established credit line with a few major credit cards, and didn't have a car payment she felt she had no reason to apply for additional credit or check her credit report. They gradually took cash advances and made the minimum monthly payments until they had maxed out the credit limit and then they stopped making the payments. That's when she was finally contacted. It took a bit of time and work, not to mentioned headaches, but she did get it straightened out. I hope you can get this cleared up soon.

I'm really glad to have a mailslot in our front door!