Caller: Mr. Heffernan?
Me: This is he.
Caller: This is David with the USAA fraud department. We've recently encountered some suspicious activity on your debit card. Were you in Florida yesterday?
Me: Uh, no.
Caller: Well, we're seeing about $600 in spending with your debit card at several grocery stores in Florida. That wasn't you?
Me: Uh, no.
Caller: Okay, looks like your card has been compromised.
Me: Fuck.
Long and short of it is someone counterfeited my debit card. The crazy thing is they had an actual card that they used to swipe at the stores. Luckily USAA caught it immediately, canceled my card and assured me I would not be liable for any of the charges. So now I was terrified about the possibility of identity theft and wanted to pull a credit report to ensure I didn't have any fraudulent activity. Thankfully, there was none, but I'll definitely need to keep an eye on things in the near future.
So here's the PSA. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) allows you to pull a free credit report from all three(3) credit authorities once per year. Details can be found here. Personally, I will be doing this every January for the foreseeable future. Not only does it allow you to verify there are no suspicious accounts, it also reminds you, for example, that you have an open account with BestBuy that you haven't used in about four years. Another fun detail is that it has your complete address history, for me it went back to my first dorm room in Flanner Hall. I highly recommend this for both security and sanity...
3 comments:
the important distinction to note is that you are entitled to a free credit report, NOT your credit score. however, as ian said it is handy, and fun. i got mine last year and remembered how i opened a bay furniture credit account to buy my first couch in 2003. good times. i also get emails from all three credit bureaus at least once a month reminding me to get my free credit report, but for only $19.99 a year i can also receive my score. i always decline the latter.
So did any of you guys apply for credit cards in college to get the free t-shirt? I did. I found out that I had a Discover card last year when Teresa made me do the credit report thing. I had a total spending amount on it of $0.00. I'm very frugal.
I still have my Citibank card that I signed up for on Freshman Orientation weekend at ND. I got a free t-shirt and a $500 credit limit. Both are now gone. I don't know what happened to the t-shirt, but the card is now a Platinum level with a credit limit that allows me to buy a luxury sedan if I so choose.
Couple practical tips for those of you new to this game. You are entitled to 1 free report per year from each of the 3 agencies. Stagger them so you check every 4 months. Also, I am seriously considering getting "life lock". I know too many people that have had this happen. It's some pay service that protects you.
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