Husband Got Hacked - Need Help

[Queen_Etherea]

Hey guys, so I was in the bathroom doing my make up and my husband rushed in and said someone had applied for a Target credit card in his name. He got an email from Credit Karma saying there was a hard inquiry on his report from TD Bank Target. His credit is in the 800's so I'm sure they got approved. He tried calling TD Bank just now to have them close the account, but they just forwarded him to a number that was closed. I know today is Sunday and they're probably closed, but we want to get this handled ASAP before they start charging a bunch of **bleep** on this account. 

Also, may be worth noting, I just installed anti-virus and all that jazz on my computer and sent an email with our W-2's to our tax person. Then 2 days later, this happens. The software is through McAfee, so don't they have some claim against this? Like they say you're completely protected? He's pissed right now because he didn't want to send this info through email to begin with and he was right. 

Anyways, should we start with filing a police report? 

How do I lock all three of his reports? I already locked Experian and he's working on Equifax, but I don't know how to lock TransUnion, so if someone could please help, we'd greatly appreciate it. 

[AllZero]

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@CreditInspired wrote:

Freeze your credit with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion

Credit Bureau	Online	By phone	By mail
	Visit: Equifax Credit Freeze page	1-800-685-1111 (NY residents call 1-800-349-9960)	Equifax Security Freeze, P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348
	Visit: Experian Credit Freeze page	1-888-EXPERIAN (1-888-397-3742)	Experian Security Freeze, P.O. Box 9554 Allen, TX 75013
	Visit: TransUnion Credit Freeze page	1-888-909-8872	TransUnion LLC, P.O. Box 2000 Chester, PA 19016

I found this on https://clark.com/credit/credit-freeze-and-thaw-guide/

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[AllZero]

Victim of Identity Theft?? What To Do to Protect Yourself 

[AllZero]

@Queen_Etherea  Follow the links provided. Good luck and hope it all gets resolved quickly!

[Queen_Etherea]

Thank you everyone for the quick responses! We managed to lock all 3 bureau's for both of our reports and he contacted our local PD to file a report. Does anyone know if you can use a Target card immediately after applying?

[AllZero]

I don't have this card. Hopefully, more experienced members can advise.

[Anonymous]

Just want to say there is some good advice.  All three CR's also have apps for locking- which you should do, while your husbands does a credit freeze.  So sorry this happened.  I know you were working hard on your credit.

[chiefone4u]

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@Queen_Etherea wrote:

Thank you everyone for the quick responses! We managed to lock all 3 bureau's for both of our reports and he contacted our local PD to file a report. Does anyone know if you can use a Target card immediately after applying?

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It is possible to use the card online same day if submitted online (at least it was in 2018).

On the bright side, you won't be responsible for the charges on the fraudulently opened credit card... the downside, most creditors have more hoops to jump through for a fraudulent opening of an account than with a stolen or hacked card. 

Best of luck

[Iusedtolurk]

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@Queen_Etherea wrote:

Hey guys, so I was in the bathroom doing my make up and my husband rushed in and said someone had applied for a Target credit card in his name. He got an email from Credit Karma saying there was a hard inquiry on his report from TD Bank Target. His credit is in the 800's so I'm sure they got approved. He tried calling TD Bank just now to have them close the account, but they just forwarded him to a number that was closed. I know today is Sunday and they're probably closed, but we want to get this handled ASAP before they start charging a bunch of **bleep** on this account. 

Also, may be worth noting, I just installed anti-virus and all that jazz on my computer and sent an email with our W-2's to our tax person. Then 2 days later, this happens. The software is through McAfee, so don't they have some claim against this? Like they say you're completely protected? He's pissed right now because he didn't want to send this info through email to begin with and he was right. 

Anyways, should we start with filing a police report? 

How do I lock all three of his reports? I already locked Experian and he's working on Equifax, but I don't know how to lock TransUnion, so if someone could please help, we'd greatly appreciate it. 

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If you request a Credit Freeze on your account you have to notify all 3 bureaus to have it done. As you stated it may not be done right away as it is Sunday.

You can immediately put a Lock on your credit reports by the list below:

For free you can use these two sites to lock your reports:

EQUIFAX-LOCK https://www.equifax.com/personal/products/credit/credit-lock-alert/
TRANSUNION LOCK https://www.trueidentity.com/

With Experian I know if you have an account you can lock your report on the dashboard.

Super easy with all three all you do is push a button to lock or unlock and only takes a few seconds .

You may want to also put a Fraud Alert on your credit also...

All you have to do is notify 1 bureau and they will notify the other 2 major bureaus (this usually lasts for 1 year where creditors have several steps to perform to verify your identity for any actions regarding your credit).

[Queen_Etherea]

So there's a difference between a lock and a freeze? I get the fraud alert thing and he's going to take care of that today for sure. He did manage to get a hold of Target Card Services and they couldn't find any accounts under his name. Unfortunately, TD Bank was closed yesterday, so he's going to call the bank directly today.