Are We At Risk?

FredS · #1 (**permalink**) 08-23-2007, 01:22 PM

For several years my wife and I have been considering purchasing a tent camper. Having no consumer debt other that our mortgage, we agreed this could be a good time to go shopping. This last Sunday we pulled the trigger on a late season closeout. To provide us with current interest rate information, the dealership pulled a credit report from TransUnion. We picked a Bank and on Monday the bank also pull a credit report from TransUnion. Late Monday evening I get a call from the Visa Card fraud division asking if I had authorized a specific $35 purchase? “No”. Was the card in my possession? “Yes” In the end the card was canceled.

On Tuesday I pulled my credit report from all three services. Only TransUnion listed complete account numbers.

It’s hard for me to believe that the timing of these events were a coincidence. I can’t prove anything, but I believe someone somewhere gleaned our information when the reports were pulled. I checked with the dealership and reviewed the printout they received from TransUnion. No Account numbers.

My question is : Am I being paranoid or are we a risk for more problems?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Dru · #2 (**permalink**) 08-25-2007, 02:52 PM

Obviously VISA thought there was enough risk to warrant closing the account. You should immediately contact all the credit reporting agencies and tell them that your personal account information has been compromised and you would like to flag your account for all activity. What this will do is cause anyone who accesses your account to see there is a potential problem and take steps to verify that it is actually you making the request.

There are also credit monitoring agencies, or you could sign up with someone like TransUnion to monitor activity. You could also pull reports occasionally to see if anything else is going on.

FredS · #3 (**permalink**) 09-06-2007, 09:56 AM

Dru,

Thanks for the response. I've been away and have not checked in for a while.

Yes, we flagged our account with all three agencies. I guess I'm just a little paranoid. Since this started I have had people tell me that they keep their credit report accounts flagged "just in case".

This has been a learning experience. Next I want to figure out how to block the bank card request that they use for the junk mail credit card applications. My shredder is over heating every Monday evening.

brian · #4 (**permalink**) 09-06-2007, 01:36 PM

To be honest, someone capturing credit card details isn't all that uncommon.

Hotels are apparently especially bad - not only do they often employee at minimum wage, these are then the same employees who ask for full card details for pre-authorisation.

Happened to me at the beginning of June - been on a couple of business trips close together, then a week later got a call from Mastercard to check over recent purchases. Someone had copied the card details, made a small transaction, then attempted a larger one.

Luckily, Mastercard flagged the card on the smaller transaction as it was a common source of fraud.

Only real trouble was that my bank kept forgetting to send out a replacement card!

Dru · #5 (**permalink**) 09-06-2007, 07:54 PM

Many of the pre-approved credit card applications come from the information in your credit report. Most of the mailers will give you instructions on how to get your name off the list for pre-approved offers. I believe you do it again by contacting the credit bureaus.

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