An Update on Life After An ID Theft

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Many months ago I promised to periodically post about how the theft of my personal financial information has impacted my life. As I wait for a business meeting to begin, now seems like as good a time as any to make good on that promise.

To review: Three times now I've discovered (twice through a letter from the State of California and once in the course of my own reporting on a major retail breach) thieves have made off with my private data. Since this spring, I've had a credit freeze in place which has meant I can't take out any more credit, but neither can anyone else. It's led to some hassles and a lower credit rating, but that's to be expected.

Under a credit freeze, any time you use your credit card, a warning's supposed to alert the card processor to take extra precautions. If it's a Sunday, the approval may not ever go through, I've discovered. That usually means either a curious stare or averted eyes from the cashier handling the transaction. My impulse to explain myself has embarrassed my family to the point I now just stare back blankly unless asked for an explanation. I cut up all but two credit cards, one personal and one used mainly for business trips. I couldn't convert my VISA check card into a credit/debit. It's debit only. This has led me to avoid businesses that don't accept debit cards. (Telltale sign: The card swipe is in the control of the buyer, not seller, on the store counter.)

That's actually good because I now think twice about a purchase when my payment options are limited.

All those credit card offers also are supposed to freeze up. This is because thieves know where you live and can go through your mail and fill out the forms accurately. Of course, the drought lasted only a couple of months and then the thaw turned into the usual heated frenzy. I called the credit bureaus to complain, to no avail. So instead I shred my mail weekly.

Next up is to buy another round of credit reports from the Big 3. This time, I'll correct the mistakes that I failed to act upon last time. Who knows what has happened to my good name since then.

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