Green Dot Identity Validation on EX?

[tieton]

I received an alert this morning stating that Green Dot, the issuer of pre-paid and reloadable cards, had used my Experian information to validate my identity. This seems odd to me. Anyone know if this is legit or the begninning of a fraud attempt?  I recently opened a Walmart credit account, but that is through Synchrony and shouldn't have anything to do with Green Dot. I previously used a pre-paid Walmart card for a little while, but have not used it for 3 or 4 years.

[tieton]

Just got off the phone with Green Dot, and someone indeed opened and activated a pre-paid debit card at 7:28 this morning. That person was not me, since I was at work by 7. They used my information and I'm not really clear as to the benefit of opening a pre-paid card with someone else's information. However, I am concerned that there may be other app sprees now. How ironic, since I was just enjoying my own little app spree . . . actually using my own information. Dirt-bags, why don't these people actually get a job and make an honest living like the rest of us? I have no tolerance for the filth that parasitize hard working folks that do-for-themselves.

[myjourney]

Fraud alert

This is a commonly used tool for identity theft 

My house was broken into they didn't get any SS# or personal info other than my name...but what they were able to do in my case was use another address and my name to open multiple account via greendot and another company who's name slips my mind at this moment.

Greendot accounts can be opened online with no ID verification....WTH

So the bums/crooks go to free WiFi spots to open accounts.... that way there's no electronic foot print ...(IP address)

Police investigation revealed they use addresses of vacant buildings or apartment complexes where they know no one lives and then break into the mailbox or just simple go by an abandon house everyday to collect the pre-paid cards.

They then load the cards especially during tax season with ID theft IRS refunds and things of that nature amongst other things (laundering drug money)

It's also a way to load the pre-paid cards using stolen CC's and then use the pre-paid cards to shop at say Bestbuy, Walmart  or other retailers for electronics which at that point can't be traced other than if caught on video...

Watch your CR's carefully because it seems they may have gotten more info about you than they did about me....My son was also effected so I had double concern during this process.

[tieton]

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@myjourney wrote:

Fraud alert

This is a commonly used tool for identity theft 

My house was broken into they didn't get any SS# or personal info other than my name...but what they were able to do in my case was use another address and my name to open multiple account via greendot and another company who's name slips my mind at this moment.

Greendot accounts can be opened online with no ID verification....WTH

So the bums/crooks go to free WiFi spots to open accounts.... that way there's no electronic foot print ...(IP address)

Police investigation revealed they use addresses of vacant buildings or apartment complexes where they know no one lives and then break into the mailbox or just simple go by an abandon house everyday to collect the pre-paid cards.

They then load the cards especially during tax season with ID theft IRS refunds and things of that nature amongst other things (laundering drug money)

It's also a way to load the pre-paid cards using stolen CC's and then use the pre-paid cards to shop at say Bestbuy, Walmart  or other retailers for electronics which at that point can't be traced other than if caught on video...

Watch your CR's carefully because it seems they may have gotten more info about you than they did about me....My son was also effected so I had double concern during this process.

 

Good grief! So sorry that happened to you. What an operation . . . I'm not sure I'd want to put THAT much thought into a scam, just to be a criminal. LOL Thank you for the information, this is good to know. I'm not sure at this point if I should put a freeze on my reports or not. I'm a little paranoid about this, but haven't lost all logic.  It sounds like it makes it more difficult to app, although I'm not sure how much more difficult. However, I've been working hard to rebuild my credit, and I don't need some clown destroying it again. So, maybe it might be worth it. Thoughts??

[myjourney]

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@tieton wrote:

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@myjourney wrote:

Fraud alert

This is a commonly used tool for identity theft 

My house was broken into they didn't get any SS# or personal info other than my name...but what they were able to do in my case was use another address and my name to open multiple account via greendot and another company who's name slips my mind at this moment.

Greendot accounts can be opened online with no ID verification....WTH

So the bums/crooks go to free WiFi spots to open accounts.... that way there's no electronic foot print ...(IP address)

Police investigation revealed they use addresses of vacant buildings or apartment complexes where they know no one lives and then break into the mailbox or just simple go by an abandon house everyday to collect the pre-paid cards.

They then load the cards especially during tax season with ID theft IRS refunds and things of that nature amongst other things (laundering drug money)

It's also a way to load the pre-paid cards using stolen CC's and then use the pre-paid cards to shop at say Bestbuy, Walmart  or other retailers for electronics which at that point can't be traced other than if caught on video...

Watch your CR's carefully because it seems they may have gotten more info about you than they did about me....My son was also effected so I had double concern during this process.

 

Good grief! So sorry that happened to you. What an operation . . . I'm not sure I'd want to put THAT much thought into a scam, just to be a criminal. LOL Thank you for the information, this is good to know. I'm not sure at this point if I should put a freeze on my reports or not. I'm a little paranoid about this, but haven't lost all logic.  It sounds like it makes it more difficult to app, although I'm not sure how much more difficult. However, I've been working hard to rebuild my credit, and I don't need some clown destroying it again. So, maybe it might be worth it. Thoughts??

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Due to this somehow getting to your CR alerts somehow I would take all precautions and probably freeze them....But that's just me because trust me you don't need the nighmare .....It was a pain in the you know where 

[tieton]

Yeah, no kidding . . . I don't even want to deal with that mess. It occured to me last night that about a month ago, I was doing some home file, spring cleaning and tossed out some old papers and things. I believe included in that small pile, was an old un-activated GreenDot card that was sent to me after my first one had expired. It was still attached to the paper and everything. This had to be the cause, as it makes complete sense. Anyone could've grabbed it out of the bin or perhaps even a Waste Management employee, since there actually IS  a sorting line at their facilities. I normally shred everything including cards, that I believe have sentive info. I think I just tossed this one into the recylce bin. Gah, total oversight on my part. I thought, "it is just a pre-paid card, it will be okay." Well, this just goes to show that even with a pre-paid card someone can find an opening into your personal info. And where there is a will, there is a way. I went to the Green Dot website and if a person has a card in their posession, all they have to do to activate it is type in the card number, last 3 digits on the back, and the last 4 of your social. I don't know how they got the last 4 of my social, but it is a pretty simple process. So far, nothing else has popped up on any of my reports and I monitor daily so . . . I'll keep a look out and hope this is the only incident.