Mom was robbed. Now what?

March 8, 2009 1:31 PM

My mother's car was robbed yesterday in Savannah, GA. Thieves made off with the originals of her Social Security card, the Social Security card of my recently deceased father, her bank debit/ATM card, her original driver's license, credit cards, documents with her address on it, business cards, and a lot of cash. She had the police involved & a report has been filed. She has canceled the credit cards and will be talking to her bank. Thankfully her checkbook wasn't taken. What else can she do, or can I help with, to prevent identity theft now that criminals have her SSN, my dad's SSN, and her drivers license and address?

I'm worried sick for my poor mom. Not only did her husband/my dad pass away ten days ago, but now she's been hit with the blow of this robbery. In addition to all of the vital documents above, she lost $2,000 cash. Everything was in a small purse she had "hidden" in the car when she was doing some shopping. Thieves watched her get out of the car and waited till she walked away then broke the window.

She has started the ball rolling to get her affairs back in order; she called her credit card companies already (she had several cards but she's pretty sure she got them all) and the police faxed some kind of report to her bank. She'll be going to the bank first thing in the morning and the DMV for a new license tomorrow. The police also did a forensics sweep over her car for fingerprints and "evidence" but we're not expecting that to go anywhere. My biggest concern is -- how can she keep her (and my dead dad's) Social Security number, ID, and address from being used to open unauthorized loans, accounts, or credit cards? What's to prevent someone from using her data to run up gargantuan debts in her (or Dad's) name?

I have read through previous AskMeFi threads and I have seen these sites:
What to do when your purse is stolen
The FTC's site on ID theft
US Dept. of Justice

- Are there additional things she must do besides the tips in the above links? Better easy-to-understand sites to refer her to? She is NOT at all tech-savvy.
- None of these sites seem to specifically address Social Security card and driver's license theft: What specifically will she need to do about those? Does she need to talk to the Social Security office? What would they do to help prevent fraud?
- Have any of you gone through this and have personal suggestions?
- Is there any way at all she can recover some or all of the cash (ie: will car insurance cover anything like that)?
- She is a resident of South Carolina and the theft happened in Georgia. What additional things will she need to do, or be aware of, because of the two states involved?
- Are ID protection services like LifeLock or TrustedID worth it; or would doing that now be like shutting the barn door after the horse ran off?

Many thanks.

posted by cuddles.mcsnuggy to law & government (11 comments total)

Also, I forgot to mention: I'm in Wisconsin. I just spent the last month with my mom in SC and I can't fly down again (without risking my employment) so anything I can do to help would have to be possible from this distance.
posted by cuddles.mcsnuggy at 1:36 PM on March 8, 2009

Car insurance won't cover loss of personal items, but her homeowner's insurance should. There is usually a limit on items like cash and jewelry, but get her to check her policy and/or contact her homeowner's insurance agent about filing a claim.

So sorry your mom's going through this. There's a real gap I think in the way of thinking - older generations think nothing of taking their SS card with them in their wallets, while younger ones tend to stash them in safety deposit boxes and the like for exactly the identity theft reasons you're worried about here.
posted by Addlepated at 1:42 PM on March 8, 2009

A credit freeze might be worth looking into--rather than LifeLock or TrustedID. It looks like it's safer (although potentially more of a hassle) than just doing a Fraud Alert.
posted by Meg_Murry at 1:45 PM on March 8, 2009 [1 favorite]

She should go through her checkbook to make sure each check is there. Thieves might take a check or two out of the pack, leaving most of the checks so it looks like nothing was taken.

Sorry your mom is going through this (and you too) at what's already a hard time for you two.
posted by sevenstars at 1:47 PM on March 8, 2009 [1 favorite]

don't even consider a fraud alert, but go for a full fledged FREEZE!
posted by Geckwoistmeinauto at 1:56 PM on March 8, 2009

I don't know much about it, but doesn't LifeLock offer some sort of actual insurance/bonded guarantee to cover any debt that's incurred after subscribing for the service?

It could be worth the extra protection in case something slipped through.
posted by nayrb5 at 2:26 PM on March 8, 2009

This form gets you a replacement SS card. Getting a new number requires proof that it's been abused. The DMV will mail you a replacement driver's license IIRC. You really just need to lock the credit report asap. Might want to consider something security wise (rent-a-rottweiler?) since her address is on the license.
posted by a robot made out of meat at 3:38 PM on March 8, 2009

Don't waste your time with Lifelock. A credit freeze through the credit bureaus is the way to go. LifeLock's 'insurance' is riddled with loopholes and only covers the costs associated with paying people to help after your identity has been stolen.

A credit freeze will prevent others from opening new lines of credit.
posted by i love cheese at 3:50 PM on March 8, 2009

Not to add to the problem, but I would recommend that your mom (and anyone) in the future NOT carry SS cards on his/her person. She (or anyone) shouldn't leave valuables in the car even for just a minute. Cars get broken into all the time.
posted by k8t at 3:51 PM on March 8, 2009

Oh man, short of her fingerprint and her DNA sample, she had everything in there for someone to become her.

Count off the checks. They aren't going to take the next sequential one, because that will alert you right away. If they grabbed one, and I am almost guessing they did since they grabbed everything else, they took a check from the middle of the book.

Credit FREEZE and sign up with real-time monitoring through one of the three bureaus - Experian, Equifax or TransUnion. After the FREEZE is up, then do continuous fraud alerts.

Get an alarm on the house. Especially if it was very evident that your dad just passed from the documents that were in the car. But I'd do it regardless. Change her phone numbers. Open all new accounts with all new account numbers. Make sure that none of the new accounts are linked to the old accounts -- this is important. I've called and requested a different Visa number and they've kept it linked with the same account, so charges were still going through.

For a long time, she's going to have a bitch of a time applying for any account that she needs to vouch her identity for, but what can you do.
posted by jerseygirl at 4:44 PM on March 8, 2009 [1 favorite]

Not to add to the problem, but I would recommend that your mom (and anyone) in the future NOT carry SS cards on his/her person.

Someone who has been recently bereaved might have had the need to do this, though. Yes, it is a horrible idea to carry your Social Security card around, but if you are in the midst of dealing with post-bereavement paperwork it may be necessary in the short term.

I'm so sorry to hear this story. My condolences on your loss, and I'm sad to hear that your mom's grief was compounded by this added stress.
posted by Sidhedevil at 8:51 AM on March 9, 2009