identity-theft

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  My Daughter Signed My Name on Credit Cards She Got and I Don’t Know What to Do

  Question: Dear Steve, My daughter signed up for two credit cards and had my name added on I did not sign anything. If my daughter files for bankrupt can they go after me for the balance? Jerry...

  • Posted November 6, 2018
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  Starting Today, New Law Allows Consumers to Place Free Credit Freezes And Yearlong Fraud Alerts

  Starting today, consumers who are concerned about identity theft or data breaches can freeze their credit and place one-year fraud alerts for free. Under the new Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act, consumers in some...

  • Posted September 21, 2018
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  My Mother Stole From Me and Others and Wants Me to Cover Her Crimes Up and Pay

  Question: Dear Steve, I graduated from college in 2014 after spending five years in school due to a college transfer my second year in making me incur an extra year. I have several student loans in my...

  • Posted April 9, 2018
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  My Daughter Was the Victim of Private Student Loan Identity Theft

  Question: Dear Steve, My husband and his business partner used my daughter info to get a private loan. The partner later took my husband to court alleging identity theft because the loan was also in my daughter’s...

  • Posted March 8, 2018
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  My Ex-Wife Took Out Student Loans in My Name

  Question: Dear Steve, Ex-wife took out a student loan in my name without my knowledge. didn’t care at the time but now it’s affecting my ability to go back to school since there are holds in my...

  • Posted January 18, 2018
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  How Do I Get Inquiries Off My Credit Report for a Loan I Didn’t Apply For?

  Question: Dear Steve, My husband filled out several car loans applications without my knowledge and put me in as co-applicant, now I have 8 hard inquiries on my report and can’t get them off How do I...

  • Posted November 30, 2017
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  How Do I Get My Ex-Husband to Pay Up What He Owes Me?

  Question: Dear Steve, In 2015, my ex-husband used a credit card after our divorce with my name on it. He charged several thousand dollars on my card, then never paid the credit card company or me. The...

  • Posted July 10, 2017
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  Student Loan Financial Aid FAFSA-IRS Data Breach

  I had previously reported a curious statement by the Department of Education and the suspension of the online Data Retrieval Tool when applying for student loan financial aid using the online FAFSA form. At the time the...

  • Posted April 7, 2017
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  I Took Out Student Loans Fraudulently and Want Them Forgiven

  Question: Dear Steve, I applied for and signed my children’s names to their private student loans. They each have loans in the six figures. The private loans was on their school website, right next to the federal...

  • Posted January 5, 2017
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  My Father Lied to Me About Paying My Student Loans – Christina

  Question: Dear Steve, When I was 18 (2011) my dad forced me to go to a community college but only online. (he is a controlling person who never let my sister or I outside the house). He...

  • Posted December 7, 2016
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  Should I Tell My Mom I Took Out Student Loans in Her Name? – Lisa

  Question: Dear Steve, Recent grad. Loans are coming up. Consolidated my loans, and mom doesn’t know I took out loans in her name (13,000). Need help figure out which plan is best to repay hers so that...

  • Posted December 1, 2016
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  My Husband is a Student Loan Identity Theft Victim

  Question: Dear Steve, My husband is listed as a cosigner on a Navient student loan dating back to 2006. He was living with a woman in MA and this loan was for the woman’s daughter. The issues....

  • Posted July 19, 2016
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  My Father Stole My Identity and Ran Up Bills But I Need Student Loans

  Question: To put it most simply, I am 23 years old. Never once had a credit card – always debit. Never did anything wrong. Unfortunately, my father had my social security number, and completely destroyed my credit....

  • Posted July 1, 2016
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  My Son Stole My Credit. Will the Judgment End When I Die?

  Question: Dear Steve, About 10 yrs ago, my son stole my credit cards and maxed them out..I could not pay them, but was able to pay what I could..sometimes min amt due and sometimes not.. Anyway, I...

  • Posted May 13, 2016
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  UK Bank Accounts Target of Huge Sure of Fraud

  Apparently financial criminals in the UK have managed to double down on their focus of fraudulently accessing consumer bank acccounts. Experian is reporting consumer bank accounts saw the rate of fraudulent activity nearly double from Q1 2015...

  • Posted August 18, 2015
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  My Mother Stole My Identity and Took Out a Discover Card

  Question: Dear Steve, I am now a sophomore in college, during my first semester in college my mother took $1,000 from my financial aid refund because my bank account was connected with hers since I was not...

  • Posted July 24, 2015
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  FTC Smacks LifeLock for Violations of Previous Agreement

  The Federal Trade Commission today asserted that LifeLock violated a 2010 settlement with the agency and 35 state attorneys general by continuing to make deceptive claims about its identity theft protection services, and by failing to take...

  • Posted July 21, 2015
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  Massive Auburn University Data Breach Ensnares Applicants, Students & Those Who Never Even Applied

  Thousands of students who never even applied to Auburn University have had their personal information, including Social Security numbers, exposed due to a security flaw discovered March 2. Information about 364,012 current, former and prospective students was...

  • Posted April 20, 2015
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  What’s the Most Dangerous Kind of Identity Theft?

  Like the thieves behind the crime, identity theft can take on many disguises depending on the information stolen. When identity theft goes undetected, these crimes can not only cost victims their money, but also their health and...

  • Posted March 10, 2015
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  10 Cities Where Identity Theft Is a Huge Problem

  Fraud can happen anywhere, but certain places seem to have it worse than others. The Federal Trade Commission recently published its annual report on consumer complaints, and it includes rankings for cities with the most fraud reports,...

  • Posted March 5, 2015
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  ACCC Offers 5 Steps to Protect Yourself from Identity Theft

  Boston, MA (PRWEB) March 04, 2015 The amount of consumers who have experienced digital identity theft has skyrocketed over the past couple of years. The biggest issue is more often than not, consumers do not know how...

  • Posted March 4, 2015
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  A Fraudster’s Weapon of Choice: Your Phone

  Phones are one of the few things people keep close by at nearly all times, and there are millions of people and companies using that to their advantage, including criminals. Phone calls are increasingly the most common...

  • Posted March 3, 2015
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  Dental Practice Owner Charged with Health Care Fraud and Identity Theft

  ALEXANDRIA, VA—Nazanien Ebrahimi, a/k/a “Nancy” Ebrahimi, 32, of Fairfax County, Virginia, was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 26, 2015, on charges of wire fraud, health care fraud, aggravated identity theft, and making false statements...

  • Posted March 2, 2015
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  Identity Theft Tops FTC’s Consumer Complaint Categories Again in 2014

  Agency Also Notes a Large Increase in Complaints About “Imposter” Scams Identity theft topped the Federal Trade Commission’s national ranking of consumer complaints for the 15th consecutive year, while the agency also recorded a large increase in...

  • Posted February 27, 2015
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  Help! Someone Used My Kid’s Identity to Get a Bigger Tax Refund

  Filing your taxes should trigger a feeling of relief — it’s a huge thing you get to scratch off your to-do list — but millions of taxpayers have submitted their taxes only to have a very unpleasant...

  • Posted February 26, 2015
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  3 Ways to Protect Your Kids From ID Theft After Data Breaches

  When a widespread data breach happens, children are often the most at risk for identity theft. Their clean credit histories make them targets for identity thieves to steal information and open new lines of credit. After the...

  • Posted February 26, 2015
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  The Real Shit About Identity Theft Nobody Will Tell You

  An awesome series of videos about the realities of identity theft and an introduction to the worst identity thieves around. Find out what it’s not the stranger you need to worry about and why it’s so important...

  • Posted February 26, 2015
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  A Dangerous Form of Identity Theft Is Growing Fast

  An estimated 2.32 million American adults were victims of medical identity theft as of 2014, up from the 1.84 million estimated in 2013, according to the Medical Identity Fraud Alliance. That’s a nearly 22% jump in this...

  • Posted February 24, 2015
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  My Nephew Stole My Identity

  “Dear Steve, I am 56 years old and i had perfect credit in 2008 and then a nephew moved in with me. I thought the kid was working when in reality he was stealing and opening credit...

  • Posted February 2, 2015
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  Identity Thieves Con the Department of Education Out of Student Loan Money

  We’ve heard a lot in the news about people stealing information on people and using that personal information to file for tax refunds. It’s a growing form of identity theft. But in a new twist, Ronzell and...

  • Posted January 28, 2015
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  Identity Theft in a Digital Age: Deter – Detect – Defend.

  Written by Daniel Boylan, instructor of finance at Ball State University Student debt is rising. It is rising at an alarming rate. According to NerdWallet, a typical student will leave college with about $33,000 in debt. Credit...

  • Posted August 15, 2014
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  My Son Put My Name on His Law School Student Loans Without Telling Me. – Mark

  “Dear Steve, My son co-signed my name on his student loans for law school. I did not know that he signed my name on the student loans. In March of 2013, I started receiving calls from a...

  • Posted May 2, 2013
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  First National Collection Bureau Falsely Verified I Owe a Debt. – Aaron

  “Dear Steve, For the past 6 months I have been dealing with a debt collection agency. First National Collection Bureau. They placed a debt on my credit report. The debt did not belong to me. My name...

  • Posted April 23, 2013
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  My No Good Ex-Husband is in Jail But Forged My Name to Loans. – Amber

  “Dear Steve, My husband and I recently divorced, and I was able to keep the house. While we were married, we got a joint credit card, and also shared a bank account. I was eager to build...

  • Posted April 10, 2013
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  I Refuse to File Charges Against My Mother for Identity Theft

  “Dear Steve, When I was in college my mother took a credit card in my name. Apparently I signed up for a free Bank of America credit card when I also signed up for a bank account....

  • Posted March 15, 2013
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• Attorney General DeWine Offers Foster Youth Help With Credit Report Errors

  Attorney General Mike DeWine recently sent letters to the state’s public children services agencies offering help in meeting a new federal mandate requiring youth at least 16 years old and within the foster system to have their...

  • Posted September 22, 2012
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• Tampa Man Charged with Organized Fraud

  The Florida Department of Law Enforcement Tampa Bay Regional Operations Center, with the assistance of the Internal Revenue Service and the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, today arrested Demetrius Lewis, 37, of Tampa, for one count of organized...

  • Posted September 22, 2012
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• Attorney General DeWine Reminds Ohioans of New Program to Help Identity-Theft Victims at Columbus Fraud Forum

  Attorney General Mike DeWine reminded Ohioans today at the Central Ohio Community Fraud Forum that he has launched a new program to assist victims of identity theft. “Identity theft can be extremely damaging to victims and difficult...

  • Posted September 13, 2012
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• Attorney General DeWine Launches New Program to Help Identity-Theft Victims

  Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today announced a new statewide program designed to help victims of identity theft repair damage to their credit reports and rectify other problems associated with identity theft. “The effects of identity theft...

  • Posted September 11, 2012
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• My Mum Took Credit Cards Out in My Name When I Was in Prison in the UK. – Bridget

  “Dear Jon, I come from a difficult background and my mum is the person who took various cards out in my name, while i was in prison! She says it’s because she was struggling with her five...

  • Posted August 23, 2012
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• Scammers Stealing Credit Reports Using Stolen Credit Cards and Debit Cards

  It seems crooks today are becoming more productivity conscious and leveraging one stolen credit or debit card into an entirely new enterprise. Scammers are targeting the motherlode of information, your credit report. By purchasing your credit report...

  • Posted July 13, 2012
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  Identity Theft Fraud Victims, Here’s Everything You Ever Need to Know to Fix the Mess

  If you are the victim of identity theft the last thing you want to worry about is what to do next. Thanks to the kind folks at the FTC here is a comprehensive guide on what to...

  • Posted June 26, 2012
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• Tax Scammers Target Military Members for Identity Theft

  Spread the word, scammers are targeting military members with new scam using .mil email addresses. The IRS is reporting taxpayers should be on the lookout for a new, email-based phishing scam now circulating that targets Department of...

  • Posted June 13, 2012
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• Talk Credit Radio Interview With Gerri Detweiler

  Here is the recent interview I did with Gerri Detweiler on Talk Credit Radio. Listen to Talk Credit Radio Interview With Steve Rhode I had the pleasure recently to talk with Gerri Detweiler about a wide range...

  • Posted March 15, 2012
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• 4 Simple Steps to Protect Your Credit from Identity Theft

  Identity theft is on the rise, according to the FTC, and it’s a crime that is getting more expensive than ever for American consumers. Last year it cost us $1.52 billion, up from $1.4 million in 2010....

  • Posted March 4, 2012
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• Tax Refund Check Cashing Scheme Hits Southern Florida

  As tax season rolls around it’s no surprise to see tax refund check cashing schemes arising in the news. Announced Monday was the filing of a criminal Information charging defendants Wilson Lau, and his wife, Kate Yuee...

  • Posted January 26, 2012
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• Elaborate Scheme Leaves 180 With Over $1 Million In Fraudulent Purchases

  Charges were announced last Thursday against seven members of an identity theft ring that allegedly used stolen identities of more than 180 people at major New York City retail stores including Home Depot, Sears, Kmart and Kohl’s,...

  • Posted January 17, 2012
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• Friday The 13th: Unlucky For Fraudsters, Lucky For Potential Victims

  Those that are superstitious often view Friday the 13th as an unlucky day. This past friday, January 13th, members of an identity theft ring received some unlucky news when they were sentenced to prison. Contrary to superstition,...

  • Posted January 16, 2012
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• My Parents Stole My SSN When I Was a Kid. Now I Have Bad Credit. – Sophia

  My parents used my name and SSN number when getting cable and some other things. They have balances that have not been paid. I am only 19 and they did it when I was 14. Now my...

  • Posted December 31, 2011
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• Woman Sentenced For Stealing Identities Of Student Loan Borrowers

  Janika Fernae Bates, a resident of Alabama, was sentenced today in the Middle District of Alabama to 94 months in federal prison for stealing identities of student loan borrowers and providing them to a co-conspirator, who used...

  • Posted December 29, 2011
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