Reply to: Identity theft

[OwlHoot]

Or are you secretly Gordon Gecko?

I just keep mine, they make excellent paint stops when I do the skirting boards.

No, and it's not self-importance or paranoia - I just think that a sensible person living in London, or anywhere really, these days has to assume that shady characters may be interested in going through their rubbish for some nefarious purpose. I've seen it happening in London. So why take the risk if it's easy to avoid?

[MarillionFan]

4 weeks have passed and all I can say is... muppets, despite telling me they detected fraudulent activity and registering me with CIFAS they still allowed a direct debit to be set up and today I noticed over 3k missing from my account. They even allowed the scrotes to link a different address to my account so they could collect the mail/cards.

Glad the DD guarantee is in place but I still can't quite believe it, how does this happen???

Clean break and new account with a more vigilant bank is top priority for the new year, RBS are fecking useless.

Pisser. But when it happened to me I also signed up to a daily Equifax service that notified me on any change, search, standing orders etc. I also checked my banks daily. I did so for the best part of 3 months I was so paranoid.

Did you not sign up for any additional credit services?

[mudskipper]

4 weeks have passed and all I can say is... muppets, despite telling me they detected fraudulent activity and registering me with CIFAS they still allowed a direct debit to be set up and today I noticed over 3k missing from my account. They even allowed the scrotes to link a different address to my account so they could collect the mail/cards.

Glad the DD guarantee is in place but I still can't quite believe it, how does this happen???

Clean break and new account with a more vigilant bank is top priority for the new year, RBS are fecking useless.

Idiots. I'd be livid. New account sounds like a good idea. I'm with First Direct -never had id theft issues, but found them good for everything else and their staff seem knowledgable (and call centre is UK). Might be worth calling them and discussing how they would deal with this kind of thing.

(I think they have a vino related 'recommend a friend' scheme, so drop me a PM if you decide to go with them!)

[Sockpuppet]

I even shred birthday cards, because obviously someone snooping through your rubbish would know someone in the property had recently had a birthday and might be able to guess the date!

Or are you secretly Gordon Gecko?

I just keep mine, they make excellent paint stops when I do the skirting boards.

[AtW]

they still allowed a direct debit to be set up and today I noticed over 3k missing from my account. They even allowed the scrotes to link a different address to my account so they could collect the mail/cards.

Glad the DD guarantee is in place but I still can't quite believe it, how does this happen???

You should get your money back - guess it's cheaper for banks to do that rather than proper combat the problem!

[gingerjedi]

4 weeks have passed and all I can say is... muppets, despite telling me they detected fraudulent activity and registering me with CIFAS they still allowed a direct debit to be set up and today I noticed over 3k missing from my account. They even allowed the scrotes to link a different address to my account so they could collect the mail/cards.

Glad the DD guarantee is in place but I still can't quite believe it, how does this happen???

Clean break and new account with a more vigilant bank is top priority for the new year, RBS are fecking useless.

[cojak]

Because I'd have to hit 4/5 of the posters on here...

But I do have a mental list of 'hit first ask questions later' if they step out of line.

[Ravello]

HSM is a trolling sockie FFS.

I don't know who are the biggest ejits - him or you lot for being taken in by him!

Meh, I'm more "occasional visitor" than "ardent poster" these days so didn't know... But, if he's a well known trolling sockie why not bring down your modly ban hammer CJ?

[EternalOptimist]

I lost over 150k a dozen or so years ago.

plus half me house and me Johnny Cash vinyls.

That was marriage though <shiverss>

[Sysman]

I had a problem a few years ago, turned out to be a bank employee. Bank account was emptied minutes after a large payment cleared, you can't guard against that one.

I was reimbursed fully eventually but nobody was charged, presumably the employee was sacked but the bank wouldn't say anything about it, bad publicity and all that.

Similar happened to me many years ago, and it was money reserved for doing up the bathroom and kitchen of a newly acquired house.

The bank wouldn't admit anything, though something about the whole affair had me convinced it was an inside job, and I too got the money back eventually.

[Cliphead]

I had a problem a few years ago, turned out to be a bank employee. Bank account was emptied minutes after a large payment cleared, you can't guard against that one.

I was reimbursed fully eventually but nobody was charged, presumably the employee was sacked but the bank wouldn't say anything about it, bad publicity and all that.

[Sysman]

Anybody I give a cheque to, or any one I give my bank account details to for a BACs payment can do the same.

And yet that doesn't work in Europe. I see folks who are happy to publish details of bank accounts on web sites for paying in, and they don't suffer from fraud.

It seems to me that the UK banks need to get their act together on this issue. US banks possibly more so.

I know most folks in the UK are dead set against ID cards, but over here they work well.

And you need that ID card to open a bank account or do mail redirects. If the address doesn't match, then they won't do it.

And to address (pardon the pun) the issue of mail going to an old address, your letterbox here has your name on it*, and if your name isn't there any more, the postman simply won't deliver.

* a few folks from the UK that I know don't really like having their name on a letterbox outside their place of abode, but the system seems to work well.

[SueEllen]

Didn't Clarkson make some similar comment about how hard it was to have your identity stolen, so published some details to prove it couldn't be done.

And then someone set up a direct debit to a charity from his bank account

Edit: Yep - £500 to Diabetes UK

Anybody I give a cheque to, or any one I give my bank account details to for a BACs payment can do the same.

[cojak]

HSM is a trolling sockie FFS.

I don't know who are the biggest ejits - him or you lot for being taken in by him!

[Ravello]

Apey Logies for bringing this to top again but various sites say shred even envelopes with name and address on.

Why? This is basic info that every Tom, Dick and Harry unsolicited mailer already has and which, for companies, has by law to be included on websites etc, so what purpose is there in trying to conceal it?

Plus any old scrote with a phone book...