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Title says it all. I got home last night to find my front door kicked in and all my electronics gone and checkbook stolen. Fortunately I carry my ipad with me to work in addition to my phone so no loss there. I called the credit union to report the lost checkbook, but i'm wondering if there is something more I need to be doing? Would freezing my credit reports do any good? The police are coming back tonight to dust for prints but I don't think they know much about identity theft (at least not the team who does forensics).
I should note; the checkbook that was stolen is for an account I rarely deposit money into, and I haven't written a check in a very long time so I have no idea how many blank checks it contained.
@USF813 wrote:Title says it all. I got home last night to find my front door kicked in and all my electronics gone and checkbook stolen. Fortunately I carry my ipad with me to work in addition to my phone so no loss there. I called the credit union to report the lost checkbook, but i'm wondering if there is something more I need to be doing? Would freezing my credit reports do any good? The police are coming back tonight to dust for prints but I don't think they know much about identity theft (at least not the team who does forensics).
I should note; the checkbook that was stolen is for an account I rarely deposit money into, and I haven't written a check in a very long time so I have no idea how many blank checks it contained.
Sorry that that happened to you. I know it sucks. I would at least temporarily freeze your reports. While there probably isn't much they are going to be able to do with that checkbook you have no idea what other information that they obtained which could be used.
Having said that, you're more likely to be a victim of identity theft from someone stealing info about you withou you even knowing than your typical burglar. They got what they were looking for and that will probably be the end of it but it can't hurt to be a bit cautious.
Rather than a freeze, you might want to look into a less-obtrusive fraud alert.
They are provided for under the FCRA as part of the identity theft revisions to the statute.
Fraud alerts come in two levels... inititial and extended.
Initials are good for only 90 days, and dont need an actual indentity theft issue for the consumer to impose.
Extended alerts are available if there is an actual issue of identity theft, and requre a copy of a police report to put in place.
You might check out the fraud alert provisons under the FCRA to see if they might be an alternative that better meets your needs.
Have you gone through everything very carefully to make sure they didn't take anything else. Like something as small as a tax return, that would give them you DOB & Social Security #? They could use that to make a fake ID to pass those checks, or open up accounts in your name. My old house was broken into over 10 years ago while I was out of town on a biz trip, morning newspapers piling up on the driveway that the neighbor kid was supposed to collect for me was pretty good tipoff for them. Electronics, silver bowl, and some old coins. I thought that was it. But a couple months later I started getting collection calls for a CC I didn't have. Checked again and realized I'd forgotten about a carved wood box that had my passport and old Hawaii drivers license, both were gone. Hawaii DL used to use your Social Security # as the DL# - brilliant idea, lose your DL and they have your name, address, DOB, and Social Security #. I had to put a freeze on the CR for a year, and had to fax that bank a copy of the amended police report to convince them I didn't open that account.
Get an alarm system, not a gun. That will usually deter the burglar..
I have visions of you sitting at your bedroom window and picking off the car thieves! .....