Recently, someone obtained my personal information and attempted to open accounts with IKEA, Walmart, Costco Travel, Dell Financial Services, Overstock, and Citibank among others. I received credit cards from Citibank with one of the cards in my name and a second one in a different name. That’s when I knew something was wrong, and when I called Citibank, I was immediately conferenced in with one of the credit companies.
I was told that I had to personally call each of the businesses to get my application inquiries deleted. I made some calls and was invariably on hold to 30 to 45 minutes before I could explain my situation. The original call to Citibank took 45 minutes and when I called Comenity Bank, I was on hold for 30 minutes. Citibank sent me a packet containing a Credit Monitoring Authorization, Affidavit of Fraud, Identify Theft Worksheet, and tips to guard against identity theft.
I’m not one to give up easily when finding solutions and explanations, but if I have to wait on each call to a business entity for 30 to 45 minutes, I’m being robbed of precious moments. In my 30s I would have told my family, neighbors, and coworkers and complained bitterly to the police. Now in my 70s, I’ve been scammed and talked into parting with my money by businesses and individuals more often than I care to admit. My doggedness in calling all the businesses fizzled out and I have decided to be more diligent in changing passwords and trusting the major credit reporting agencies to monitor my accounts for seven years.