Someone Stole My Identity! Now What?

Gone.

3 1/2 hours out of life that I'll never get back. Here's the catch, it might be the best 3 1/2 hours I've spent on anything in the last few years. Yep, I've been trying to stop the potential flood gates on identity theft.

Yesterday I received notice in the mail from our credit card to give them a call. So I did. Evidently, some knot head in California has my name, address and social security number. They tried to access my credit card account, but thanks to a keen eye at credit card headquarters their efforts were thwarted.

I thought I'd give you a little advice so you might not have to go through what I just did. First of all, don't just pay your credit card bill, look it over. If you're married, talk about it. Oh, we bought this when we were out of town or I told you about that before I bought it, remember?!  Talk about it when you get your bill. Things to look for according to Annual Credit Report.com.

• Credit card charges that you don't recognize
• Calls or letters about things you didn't buy
• Bills that arrive on unusual days
• New credit cards or statements for accounts that you didn't open
• Denials of credit for no apparent reason
• Information on your credit reports you don't recognize, such as accounts or addresses

That's a great start. If you think you've been hacked you will most likely be told to go to Annual Credit Report.com to get a credit report.  You'll want to do this first. If you contact Equifax first, you may not be able to access this information.

From there, you're really just sharing information. Information that says, you have been compromised. You will most likely have to put an alert profile on your account or accounts.

The good news is, they didn't get any money from me. Yet. The better news is I'm aware that they're out there, trying!

Keep your eyes open and your personal information close to your vest. Change your passwords often good luck. You'll need it. A co-worker of my probably said it best at work this morning.

It's not a matter of if you're going to have your identity stolen, it's more a matter of when!