sagwalla...
Obtaining credit reports and contacting the Social Security Administration
are excellent steps to take, and should tell you if anything untoward is
going on.
The three major credit reporting companies are:
Experian 1-888-397-3742
www.experian.com
TransUnion 1-800-888-4213
www.transunion.com
Equifax 1-800-685-1111
www.equifax.com
You can learn more about, and obtain, you SS earnings statement here:
http://www.ssa.gov/mystatement/
Or, write to:
Social Security Administration
Office of Earnings Operations
P.O. Box 33026,
Baltimore, MD 21290-3026
You must provide your Social Security number with your request.
Other options would include having a check run on your own
name by a collections agency, such as CJC Collections:
http://www.cjccollections.co.uk/Identitycheck.html
...or using a program such as Net Detective, which costs $29 for
a direct download, and offers a 30-Day Money Back Guarantee:
http://verifypeople.com/telephone.secret.numbers.htm
...or hiring a Private Investigator to do a check on your name.
I would submit, however, that the last 3 options would likely
focus on your credit reports and Social Security information
anyway. For example, one of the testimonials on the Net Detective
page, cited above, states:
"I used Net Detective to check out my personal credit report
and discovered that information about some other person with
the same name had been posted on my credit report and was
messing up my credit. I got it removed and now my credit is
ok again. Everyone should check their credit report for mistakes."
- Scott Whittington, Chicago, Ill
Please do not rate this answer until you are satisfied that
the answer cannot be improved upon by means of a dialog
established through the "Request for Clarification" process.
sublime1-ga
Searches done, via Google:
identity check
://www.google.com/search?q=identity+check
experian
://www.google.com/search?q=experian
transunion
://www.google.com/search?q=transunion
equifax
://www.google.com/search?q=equifax |
Request for Answer Clarification by
sagwalla-ga
on
18 Feb 2003 04:08 PST
sublime1-ga,
I pretty much had an idea that credit checks and SSA were the first
places to start (see original message). What I would like to know is,
how could I find out if someone is still at it? I assume, for
instance, that the original theft was an opportunistic one, and that
the fly-by-nighter wouldn't use the same ID again for fear of drawing
attention to himself. But that could be wrong - perhaps he waited x
years, then flew again in another state or with another scam. Would
there be places - BBBs? Police databases? A registry of incorporation
data that could be referenced by SS# - and better yet, would there be
a central way of checking these? I know the US polity is fragmented
enough that getting centralised data would be difficult, but what
resources are out there that I might use?
If I was sure my future benefits were secure and my present credit
rating was safe, I would consider hiring a private detective to be a
bit OTT (although it's worth noting that some of those who were
defrauded by the original thief did resort to this measure).
So, request for clarification is...where *else* might I look?
Thank you,
sagwalla-ga
|
Clarification of Answer by
sublime1-ga
on
18 Feb 2003 07:56 PST
sagwalla...
Sorry if I wasn't clear. My answer was meant to confirm
that the "idea that credit checks and SSA were the first
places to start" was correct, and may be all you need to
do. Nevertheless, there are other places to look without
actually hiring a private investigator.
As robertskelton-ga correctly pointed out in his comment,
Net Detective is a tool for finding the correct places to
get the information from - not just Social Security records
and credit reports, but the gamut of records used by private
investigators to find people and their personal information.
It conveniently collects, into one system, all the resources
one might use to:
---------------------------------------------
# Locate old CLASSMATES friends and relatives
# Find long lost LOVE
# Get phone numbers and ADDRESSES
# Locate anyone's EMAIL address
# Discover how to find UNLISTED phone numbers
# Discover how you can get auto registration, DRIVERS LICENSE
and driving records, on and offline, from across the USA.
# Check out new and old ROMANTIC interests
# Dig up the dirt on your BOSS, co-workers, or neighbors
# Verify EMPLOYMENT applications
# Check for bankruptcy, small claims, and TAX LIENS
# Check death, MARRIAGE and PROPERTY records
# Snoop for SECRETS you neighbors don't want you to know
# Do civil searches for LAWSUITS, judgments and liens
# Get copies of OFFICIAL transcripts and court orders
# Find out how much ALIMONY your neighbor is paying
# Check federal PRISON records
# Locate HIDDEN assets
# Find debtors property
# Check for unclaimed moneys in YOUR NAME
# Search real estate records
# Stop IDENTITY THEFT
# Protect your PERSONAL CREDIT
# FREE online, get a copy of your PERSONAL CREDIT REPORT
# Get a copy of your personal FBI FILE
# Locate ADOPTION record
# Trace your family GENEALOGY online
# Check your credit records for ACCURACY
http://verifypeople.com/telephone.secret.numbers.htm
---------------------------------------------
One can infer from the list above that it provides information
allowing you to access any number of little-known databases,
along the lines of those you mentioned, which can lead you to the
information you are seeking. Since the materials in Net Detective
were assembled by a former private investigator, it's unlikely
that I could come up with a comparably useful group of resources
for your purposes, much less improve upon it.
Please don't hesitate to request additional clarification, as
needed, prior to rating the answer.
sublime1-ga
|
