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I'm not sure if this is the correct forum, so moderators, please feel free to move.
Today, I received 10 calls from 5 different numbers (identified only as "North Carolina Call" and the number) within a span of about an hour. I work from home, and I'm on the DNC list, so needless to say I was quite annoyed!
I answered the last call at 1:36pm. After I proceeded to bite the poor guy's head off, he was very helpful. He said that I had requested car insurance information for my 2007 Jeep Wrangler. I do not own, nor have I ever owned a Jeep Wrangler. He had my correct name, address and home phone number. I apologized for being such a #*)%@ to him, and he assured me it wasn't the first time. He took me off his company's list, but because it had already gone out from the request site, he couldn't help with any other companies. (I haven't had a call in an hour, so hopefully all of those numbers came from the same company.) He said either someone was playing a prank on me, or someone was trying to put a car in my name. If I had accidentally checked/unchecked a box online permitting an inquiry for insurance, I could understand it, but this was for a car I don't own.
I checked my bank account, and there has been no fraudulent activity. I have shopped at Target, so I've been keeping a close eye on it. I pulled all 3 credit reports, but nothing stands out. We're in the middle of a refi, so the only inquiry has been from our mortgage company.
My question is.... should I be worried? What steps should I take? I'm afraid if I put a block on my credit report it will hold up the refi (even though it's pretty much a done deal.). I can transfer all my money to my husband's account, but it would be a hassle, so I'd rather not do it if I can help it.
Those calls do seem suspicious all at once. It is quite possible someone is attempting to use your identity. I would keep watching the bank accounts and change usernames and passwords if you have not in a while. I would also change my PIN on the card used at Target if you haven't. Maybe someone just submitted your info on the website as a prank, that does happen. It sounds like you are being as vigilant as you can right now. If something fraudulent does show up as possible ID theft, you will need to go file a complaint with the local police to start.
It might just be someone you pissed off decided to log into a website such as netquote.com and post your info so that you'll get calls from varies insurance agents looking to sell you insurance.
You might want to monitor your credit monthly for a few months just to be on the safe side. My wife did it when she thought her ID was compromised. She paid around $15/month for the service and kept it for 6 months. Anything that has to do with her credit, they email her. It kept her updated.
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If you're in the middle of a refi then it probably wouldn't be a good idea to freeze your credit reports at this time, since mortgage lenders typically like to do one last pull before the final paperwork is completed.
Selling peoples info is a huge (and legal) business ... the CRA's do it, electric companies do it, banks do it, insurance companies do it, phone/internet companies do it, Google does it, web sites you visit do it, etc., etc., etc. And there are large data mining companies that do nothing but gather peoples info and sell it, like Acxiom, LexisNexis, etc., etc., etc.
You can Opt Out with the CRA's by going to .. https://www.optoutprescreen.com/?rf=t
Opting out with the CRA's won't opt you out with anyone else that you do business with, or sites you visit online. For the companies you do business with you would have to opt out with each one of them directly. Chances are good that if you started getting these calls a few weeks, more or less, after beginning your refi, then it's the mortgage lender/bank that is the one that has been selling your info. You might contact them and ask them about opting out with them.
Since you had used your card at Target during the breach period, then you can sign up with a free year of credit monitoring, courtesy of Target, to keep track of your Experian credit report (it monitors Experian only, not any of the other CRA's) https://corporate.target.com/discove...theft-protecti
Since it only monitors Experian, if you are still concerned then, after your refi is finalized, you might consider freezing your credit reports with all of the CRA's (freezing with one CRA won't automatically freeze credit reports with any of the other CRA's, you would have to contact each of them individually).
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