Identity theft?

[Anonymous]

Hi all,
I have a little weird of a case of ID theft it seems. Whoever has my info keeps applying for the same exact card over and over. I just got done last month having Chase bank send a notice to the credit bureaus to remove 7(I think) credit inquiries over the last year and a half. All those inquiries were for the Amazon card by Chase. And now I wake up this morning to ANOTHER inquiry Chase!!

The only other history of ID theft I've had was someone using my SS# back in 2007 to file taxes. That was a huge mess, and I've been using Pins from IRS to file taxes ever since it's got cleared up. No other credit card fraud. No other incorrect info in my reports.

What do I do about this??? It seems really weird that someone has applied repeatedly for the Amazon card and won't stop for almost 2 years. They apply with the incorrect address, one of my old addresses from over 10 years ago.

I hope to make this all stop, because my bk7 was discharged last month and I want to get on track for a home purchase in a couple years. Last thing I want is to get my credit better just for this person to finally get approved for the Amazon card and run it up.

Also, is this situation common? I would think an ID thief would try multiple creditors to gain an account. I by all means do not wish that to happen, but it's very strange that it's only been applications for the one card repeatedly.

[Medic981]

First, you should contact Equifax (EQ) 1-888-766-0008, TransUnion (TU) 1-800-680-7289, or Experian (EX) 1-888-397-3742 to place a fraud alert on your credit report The credit bureau you place a fraud alert with will contact the other two. Renew the fraud alert every 90 days (it's free to do so) until you're satisfied the matter has been settled; it could take years. 

Next, put a security/credit freeze on each of your credit bureau files.EQ Freeze or call 1-800-685-1111 (NY residents 1-800-49-9960), TU Freeze or call 1-888-397-3742, EX Freeze or call 1-888-909-8872.

Contact each of the three credit bureaus and report that your SSN has been stolen. They'll give you free copies of your current credit reports. Review those reports for unfamiliar accounts and unknown inquiries from companies. 

Report the theft of the Social Security number to the IRS or you can call 1-800-908-4490. This will prevent tax-fraud thieves from filing tax returns in your name and collecting your tax refund. 

Report the identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission or you can call 1-877-IDTHEFT.

File an identity theft report with your local police. The police report will help clear your records and your name and is necessary if you want to apply for a new Social Security number. 

Keep track of, record, report and close all fraudulent accounts by contacting both the companies holding the accounts and the credit-reporting agencies. This will keep your credit as clean as possible.

Report the theft of your Social Security number to the Internet Crime Complaint Center. The report will be distributed to the relevant federal, state and local authorities.

The Federal Trade Commission offers a good resource on what to do in case of identity theft.

Contact the Social Security Administration only to get a replacement card or replacement number. The only way to get a new SSN from the government is to prove without a doubt that someone has used the old number, and records of fraudulent accounts can provide that evidence.