How Identity Theft Cost Me My New Home.
I was in the process of applying for a loan for my very first home, a new two bedroom condo. A week after I sent in my mortgage application, the loan officer at my bank called me at my office and told me there was a problem with my credit rating. Over 3 of "my" credit card accounts were past due, for a total of over $10,000. But the real problem was that I had never opened any of these credit cards. I didn't even know they had been opened.
I couldn't believe it had happened to me. I had heard of identity theft, but I assumed it happened to people who fell for phone or mail scams. I was always so careful about giving out my social security number and my address information. It turns out that it was probably information stolen from my home computer. My tech-savvy nephew was loading new software and adding a printer to my computer. He noticed on the computer's log files (which keep a record of the activity on a computer) that there had been "unusual port traffic". According to my nephew, this means that someone was probably hacking into my computer, most likely to steal information.
When I called the credit bureau to try to fix the problem, it got even worse. I couldn't find the right person to talk to, the people I did talk to were rude and treated me as though I was a criminal, not a victim. I had to file what is known as a fraud alert with each of the big credit bureaus just to put a stop to the thief opening any more accounts under my name. I also filed a police report, and had to contact each of the credit card companies to report the fraud and theft. I had to get a new drivers license number and am in the process of trying to get a new social security number. From reports I have read on the Web, I'm even considering changing my name.
Needless to say, in the middle of all this, I didn't have the time or strength to continue to pursue the home loan. Now all of the condos in the development are sold and I am still renting.
If it could happen to me, it can happen to you. My advice is to protect yourself as much as possible. Don't just throw away documents that contain your name and account information, get a paper shredder to completely destroy them. Get a firewall for your computer to help keep hackers out, anti-virus software is not enough. I had anti-virus software on my computer when this happened. Check your credit rating at least twice a year. Lastly, be careful when you give out your social security number-many companies use this number as your account number, and identity thieves know it.
By Sarah Mayweather
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