Identity theft and DROS?

[SVT-40]

Ahh, right! We're in Kalifornia! I was thinking I would use my passport, but it's not a state issued ID. I guess it's a mute point until they mail me my new one.

Thanks! I guess I'll just use the money to keep buying ammo!

Having a valid state issued ID or drivers license is not a California thing.

Valid state issued ID or DL in hand is required in all states to make a firearms purchase.

A passport cannot be used in any state as substitute for state issued ID.

[MontClaire]

Hold on a credit file will not affect your background check.

[John Browning]

Credit monitoring is far from a scam, as long as you aren't getting ripped off. Getting a text/email any time you have a hard inquiry pull is the biggest advancement in identity protection I have seen to date.

My particular career has made me realize that your SSN is not as big of a secret as you think. Far more people have access to this information than you realize, and not all of them are model citizens. This isn't to say that it isnt important to protect it, but one tweaker getting your wallet isn't the end of the world, assuming you take the correct steps: Put a fraud alert with a phone number in place with all 3 bureaus (EF, EX, TU). Sign up with Credit Karma who will notify you any time TU or EX gets an inquiry (free), or pay to lock your reports.

Your biggest issues are the the fact that your physical SS card and ID are in the same hands, which can be used for fraud that doesn't necessarily involve credit-pulls. This includes opening depository accounts, obtaining short-term installment loans, payday loans, and fake check-cashing. The best way to prevent this is to lock your Chexsystems file, which is free. I would recommend doing this immediately.

Also, for the next 5 years or so, file your tax returns as quickly as you can. Refund fraud is real, and can cause massive headaches.

Credit monitoring is a joke and you pay monthly for it. You can still get way up S creek with credit monitoring. You get an alert that the horse has just ran out of the barn. I can still assume your identity, take out credit cards and act as if I am you. It does nothing to stop that, it just lets you know that you need to do something to stop it.

A credit freeze is a small one time fee of $30 which lasts until you need to thaw your file, which costs $36. It will completely stop anyone from being able to do anything identity theft related as soon as they try. You can't even take out a credit card if your credit is frozen.

[OlderThanDirt]

I used to think credit monitoring was a joke, but twice I have been notified of someone trying to get a credit card in my name. In both instances the notification came on the same day as the application was received and the credit cards were shut down before they could be used. I have been completely unimpressed with the credit monitoring from the three credit agencies, but Lifelock has caught, and corrected, several items. I was impressed by their response and follow-up on the two credit cards. Hopefully, being purchased by Norton doesn't degrade their service.

In addition to freezing your credit, you should always use secondary verification on all accounts where available. This can be through a code sent to your phone by your financial institution, or through a random number generator that is synchronized with your bank. For large investment accounts you can arrange to limit all transactions to face-to-face requests only...or back to the way things were done before the Internet.

[John Browning]

If you freeze your credit, credit monitoring is totally unnecessary.

[baih777]

when it happen to me I paid for the extra credit monitoring. it took around 8 months to make sure the fraudulent credit information was removed from my report. I still pay for it just to see for myself if someone tries it again. this way I can maybe stop it ASAP instead of getting a letter from a collection agency.

something else I did was to have the bank make my debit card only access my checking account. I have to go into the bank or go online to transfer funds.

also if your getting those letters about reducing your debt, those people are getting your information from the credit bureau. you have to ask to have your name removed from the mailing list. really.

[Marauder2003]

You need to deal with Social Security. Tell then your number is in the wild. You may need a PIN to file your taxes. New number supplied each year.

[OlderThanDirt]

If you freeze your credit, credit monitoring is totally unnecessary.

In theory this is true. In reality, there are some banks/retailers that treat credit card issuance like Shall Issue and then fill in the details later. I think in their mind it's their risk, so they issue a little too freely. One was so anxious to have their card in my wallet called about the same time I got a Lifelock notice when they realized my credit was locked.

Locking your credit also doesn't prevent someone that can find enough information about you from calling your credit card company and getting a second card issued, say for a spouse. This happened with my Cabela's card. Some turd kept trying to log into my Cabela's account and then called them to have the password reset. Thanks to websites like Ancestry.com, finding your mother's maiden name and address history is not very hard. Lifelock caught the new credit card and the account was closed before the card was delivered. I now have a super secret secondary password that I have to use if I call the World's Foremost Bank, not that I expect that to help.

Credit monitoring is also a nice complement to bank fraud detection and automated text messaging for all transactions and events, which some banks do poorly. I do get a lot of false alarms from Lifelock, mainly because I am working on a house renovation and am writing a lot of big checks and making some large credit card purchases.

You need to deal with Social Security. Tell then your number is in the wild. You may need a PIN to file your taxes. New number supplied each year.

Everyone should have PIN numbers for online accounts/filings with Social Security, the IRS and the CA Franchise Tax Board. It has been way too easy for dirtbags to file false tax returns and the dummies at the IRS seem too concerned with pumping the economy with tax refunds, even if hundreds of the filers live at the same foreign address.

The Internal Revenue Service issued $4 billion in fraudulent tax refunds last year [2013] to people using stolen identities, with some of the money going to addresses in Bulgaria, Lithuania and Ireland, according to a Treasury report released Thursday.

The IRS sent a total of 655 tax refunds to a single address in Lithuania, and 343 refunds went to a lone address in Shanghai.

Some times I think we hire fooking retards in important positions as a jobs program, like a couple TSA agents I had to deal with last night that did not speak English.

[DCP556]

Thanks for all the advice gentlemen! I will definitely look into Lifelock since I can help support the NRA at the same time. I will also be paying for the extended credit freeze through the big 3 credit agencies.
I pay $20 a month now through my bank for fraud insurance.

I keep my SS card in my safe, I spent 7 years in public education and after a 3 year hiatus decided to return. I had to redo my clear scan and wasn't sure if I would need it (I didn't) but that was the only reason it was on me.

Thank you all again for all of your advice!