My mother is a potential identity theft victim. She's in her early 80's, and has a net worth of ~$10M, primarily in liquid assets, and lives independently. I've taken some first steps (detailed below), but am looking for guidance on what I may have missed.
Today I learned that she gave almost all of her personal information (SSN, birth date, mother's maiden name, some bank account information, some credit card information [including CVS code], and phone account information, etc,) to a scammer who called her on the phone. To her credit, she told me about the interaction, but she doesn't seem to grasp the severity of the situation.
I'm looking for concrete next steps. Please let me know what I'm missing.
So far, we've:
- Called her brokerage (Schwab) and locked down accounts
- Called her primary bank (BOA) and notified them of potential fraud (accounts remain open due to outstanding checks)
- Contacted her credit union (which administers the CC which she gave to the scammers)
- Filed a credit freeze/fraud alert though all of the big 3 credit check systems as well as ChexSystems
We plan to:
- Confirm that her land-line, internet provider, and cell phone accounts haven't been compromised (they were closed earlier today)
- File an affidavit with the IRS about identity theft (she has a significant balance in pre-paid taxes with them)
- Inform Capital One and another credit union (who she has a CC accounts with) about the potential for fraud
- Inform Chase Bank (who she has a rental property mortgage with) about the potential for fraud
- Potentially create a US Citizenship and Immigration Services account to "freeze" her SSN
- Contact other bank accounts and ask them to lock them down (even though we don't think the scammers are aware of them)
Next Steps?
Thanks so much for your feedback and assistance during a trying time.
Today I learned that she gave almost all of her personal information (SSN, birth date, mother's maiden name, some bank account information, some credit card information [including CVS code], and phone account information, etc,) to a scammer who called her on the phone. To her credit, she told me about the interaction, but she doesn't seem to grasp the severity of the situation.
I'm looking for concrete next steps. Please let me know what I'm missing.
So far, we've:
- Called her brokerage (Schwab) and locked down accounts
- Called her primary bank (BOA) and notified them of potential fraud (accounts remain open due to outstanding checks)
- Contacted her credit union (which administers the CC which she gave to the scammers)
- Filed a credit freeze/fraud alert though all of the big 3 credit check systems as well as ChexSystems
We plan to:
- Confirm that her land-line, internet provider, and cell phone accounts haven't been compromised (they were closed earlier today)
- File an affidavit with the IRS about identity theft (she has a significant balance in pre-paid taxes with them)
- Inform Capital One and another credit union (who she has a CC accounts with) about the potential for fraud
- Inform Chase Bank (who she has a rental property mortgage with) about the potential for fraud
- Potentially create a US Citizenship and Immigration Services account to "freeze" her SSN
- Contact other bank accounts and ask them to lock them down (even though we don't think the scammers are aware of them)
Next Steps?
Thanks so much for your feedback and assistance during a trying time.
Statistics: Posted by CashConfessions — Wed Oct 23, 2024 10:32 pm — Replies 7 — Views 461