Identity theft attempt?

May 25, 2012 6:35 PM

The woman sitting next to me at the DMV wrote down (most of) my social security number. Now what?

While I was waiting at the DMV today , a woman and her small child sat down next to me. I mostly ignored them, but happened to look over some 15? 20? minutes after they sat down. I noticed the woman had a piece of paper on top of her purse, which caught my eye because the number written on it was so familiar---my social security number, sans the last digit. I looked at the form I was holding, and sure enough, it was showing my SSN, with the last number covered by some other papers. (I know, kinda dumb to have that information visible.)

I wasn't trying to read over her shoulder--the number she'd written on the paper only caught my eye because it was my own SSN. I'm kind of weirded out and not sure what, if anything I should do. It didn't look like she'd written down any other information about me, so I assume the risk of identity theft is minimal, but maybe that's a stupid assumption to make. (N.B.--I can be slightly too trusting in general--my first thought on seeing the number was "Gosh, her social security number is one digit away from mine! What are the odds!") Help?

posted by guybrush_threepwood to Grab Bag (13 answers total)

Call the cops.
posted by oceanjesse at 6:39 PM on May 25, 2012

Also, file something with the SSA here
posted by deezil at 6:41 PM on May 25, 2012

You can place a fraud alert with the major credit agencies, which means that any application for credit will result in a phone call to you before it is granted.
posted by Maxwell_Smart at 6:45 PM on May 25, 2012

That seems like a really weird spur-of-the-moment kind of thing for someone to do - I'd consider going back to the DMV and looking for this woman to see if it's something she does as part of a regular scam. Admittedly I have no idea what I would do if I did see her again.

Definitely initiate a fraud alert thingy, though.
posted by elizardbits at 6:51 PM on May 25, 2012

yeah it well could have been an ID theft attempt.. if she saw your name as well, it is a lot easier to remember a name then a series of numbers, so a remembered name + an 89% complete SSN is a huge motivator to do something. I would put a security freeze/fraud alert on your credit reports as a first step. Here is a good table of steps/rights to take
posted by edgeways at 6:52 PM on May 25, 2012

You might go back to the DMV and tell someone there - I wouldn't be surprised if they have video of the waiting area. I guess if you talk to the cops they might do this too.
posted by LobsterMitten at 6:58 PM on May 25, 2012

report it immediately!
posted by brittaincrowe at 7:44 PM on May 25, 2012

maxwell_smart has it


Fraud alert ASAP. you only have to report it to one now days.
https://www.experian.com/fraud/center.html
http://www.equifax.com/answers/set-fraud-alerts/en_cp
http://www.transunion.com/personal-credit/credit-disputes/fraud-alerts.page


Just remember this is in place. Cable companies and others will have to run extra security on you and often they don't tell you why. I placed one on mine for about a year, just put a reminder every 90 days on your calendar.
posted by couchdive at 7:53 PM on May 25, 2012

My cokehead uncle did something like this to my grandmother. Nthing contacting authorities.
posted by brujita at 8:15 PM on May 25, 2012

Thanks for all the helpful answers and resources, everyone. I'll be contacting the proper authorities and putting a security freeze/fraud alert on my credit report ASAP. This was such a weird thing to witness that I couldn't quite believe it was really happening, but there you are.
posted by guybrush_threepwood at 8:54 PM on May 25, 2012

Call the cops. The DMV may have security tapes. Combine that with any legitimate business she may have been conducting there, and they could have her identified and sweating in a room post-haste.

I would assume this is very likely habitual, although to be sure, one of the more common low-rent things it's used for is utility accounts when you have trashed your own credit. "My boyfriend just moved in, can he take it over?"
posted by dhartung at 1:15 AM on May 26, 2012

I've learned to say things really loudly when something like this happens, like "WHY DID YOU WRITE DOWN MY SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER!?"

In my case, it was the subway and "WHY ARE YOU RUBBING YOUR PENIS UP AGAINST ME?!"

But it takes practice. And then there's the depressing idea that there are enough of these violations in life that I've gotten practice at it.
posted by vitabellosi at 5:14 AM on May 26, 2012

just read an NYT article and learned that all one needs to commit tax return fraud is a SSN and the corresponding name and birth date. thought i'd share: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/27/us/id-thieves-loot-tax-checks-filing-early-and-often.html?_r=1&hp
posted by jus7brea7he at 1:53 PM on May 26, 2012