When Identity Theft Hits Home

ronjor · Feb 6, 2014

By MOLLY WOOD

When I first heard about the extensive Target hack in December, I sighed in mild irritation. Sure, the breach’s size and scope was shocking, but these things have become so common I just assumed I’d receive a new card in the mail and that would be the end of it.

It wouldn’t be the first time. I’ll sometimes mysteriously get a new card in the mail with a note saying it was replaced because of an unnamed security issue. Once, in Barcelona, I discovered my primary card had been frozen because of a security breach at a retailer — that was panic-inducing. Still, the biggest aggravation was logging into all my auto-pay sites like Amazon to update the card number (and memorizing the new one, which I like to do).

I expected a repeat after Target was hacked.

But it was a lot worse. I did get a new credit card in the mail — a replacement for the card I’d used at Target. I also received a letter from Sears, letting me know I’d been rejected for a new store card because of, among other things, “too many requests for credit.” Then, in the same batch of mail, I opened a letter from Best Buy, which said I’d been turned down for its top-tier store card, but approved for a lower-level version.
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http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/06/when-identity-theft-hits-home/

G1111 · Feb 6, 2014

Thanks Ron. Interesting read. I used me debit card at Target during the breach and received a new one from my bank. I put fraud alerts right away to prevent new credit. This stuff just keeps getting worse and worse.

twl845 · Feb 7, 2014

I believe that Target is ordering new cards with a chip to replace the ones out there now with the swipe bar. I think cards with chips have been the norm in Europe. It's a big expense to make the change, but I think that merchants and banks who do will get all the new accounts.

ronjor · Feb 12, 2014

Identity Theft Hits Home: The Aftermath

By MOLLY WOOD

It’s been about two weeks since I discovered I was a victim of identity theft. It has not been a lot of fun.

I continued to receive bills from stores where the thief had fraudulently opened new accounts. Of the four stores where she (I assume) successfully opened cards — Macy’s, Kohl’s, Best Buy and Frye’s — only Best Buy marked the account as fraudulent and either denied purchases or immediately cleared them from my name.
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http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/12/identity-theft-hits-home-the-aftermath/

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