Passport, social security card, and birth certificate stolen
July 30, 2017 12:44 PM Subscribe
Hi, my house was burglarized last night. The thieves were in a rush, and left most of the valuables. They did, however, make off with a safe containing passports, birth certificates, and social security cards for me, my wife, and the kids. We've put fraud alerts for the adults with the credit bureaus and contacted our bank (getting new account and card numbers). What else should we do?
I'd suggest putting fraud alerts on for your children too.
Sorry that this happened to you.
posted by jennstra at 1:05 PM on July 30, 2017 [3 favorites]
Sorry that this happened to you.
posted by jennstra at 1:05 PM on July 30, 2017 [3 favorites]
1) File a police report if you haven’t already done so.
2) I’m not sure whether the bank account you mentioned is a checking/savings account, or credit card.
(a) If you are receiving direct deposits into this account, notify the payors once you have your new account number.
(b) If you have any automatic payments set up on your credit card or online bill pay:
- Change the payment information to your new account number as soon as possible to avoid any interruption in service or late fee/NSF.
- Arrange to have an alternate form of payment if there are any processing delays.
3) Sign up for a Social Security Administration online account if you haven’t already done so.
(a) Even if you are not currently receiving benefits, you hopefully will in the future. Krebs on Security had warned that “...SSA and financial institutions were tracking a rise in cases wherein identity thieves register an account at the SSA’s portal using a retiree’s personal information and have the victim’s benefits diverted to prepaid debit cards that the crooks control. Because it’s possible to create just one my Social Security account per Social Security number, registering an account on the portal is one basic way that Americans can avoid becoming victims of this scam.”
(b) If you or your wife are anticipating changing jobs in the future, you can apply for replacement Social Security cards through the online account portal.
4) Make a reminder next year to file your federal and state tax returns as soon as possible. This will help reduce the chances of tax return fraud.
posted by cynical pinnacle at 4:00 PM on July 30, 2017 [4 favorites]
2) I’m not sure whether the bank account you mentioned is a checking/savings account, or credit card.
(a) If you are receiving direct deposits into this account, notify the payors once you have your new account number.
(b) If you have any automatic payments set up on your credit card or online bill pay:
- Change the payment information to your new account number as soon as possible to avoid any interruption in service or late fee/NSF.
- Arrange to have an alternate form of payment if there are any processing delays.
3) Sign up for a Social Security Administration online account if you haven’t already done so.
(a) Even if you are not currently receiving benefits, you hopefully will in the future. Krebs on Security had warned that “...SSA and financial institutions were tracking a rise in cases wherein identity thieves register an account at the SSA’s portal using a retiree’s personal information and have the victim’s benefits diverted to prepaid debit cards that the crooks control. Because it’s possible to create just one my Social Security account per Social Security number, registering an account on the portal is one basic way that Americans can avoid becoming victims of this scam.”
(b) If you or your wife are anticipating changing jobs in the future, you can apply for replacement Social Security cards through the online account portal.
4) Make a reminder next year to file your federal and state tax returns as soon as possible. This will help reduce the chances of tax return fraud.
posted by cynical pinnacle at 4:00 PM on July 30, 2017 [4 favorites]
See if your homeowner's insurance policy includes identity theft protection. And even if it doesn't your agent may have a load of good information for you, since the company almost surely offers a rider for this coverage, and will therefore have some expertise for clients needing to mitigate the damage.
posted by Capri at 11:47 PM on July 31, 2017
posted by Capri at 11:47 PM on July 31, 2017
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by heatherlogan at 12:51 PM on July 30, 2017 [3 favorites]