Real or fraud?

JJR512

JJR512

New Member
About two years ago, I get a phone call from a guy saying he's with an investigation company in Austin, Texas. His company is contracted to do background checks on people applying to rent appartments from a management company in Austin. He tells me that he's just run an applicants Social Security Number, but the number returned my name, not the name on the application. Doing some kind of check on my name he's turned up my address and phone number, which is how he's calling me. He reads me an SSN, and I confirm it is indeed my SSN. He advises me that I should check my credit reports and notify the credit bureaus of possible fraud.

Now, I can't recall if I did this on a whim or if I had some reason to be suspicious, but I looked up and contacted the name of the appartment management company the guy said his company was representing. They tell me they've never heard of this guy or his company and that their application for rentals doesn't even ask for an SSN.

So, I report this to my local police, not knowing who else to tell and thinking it's at least somewhere to start. I also put a fraud alert on my three credit reports, which is a temporary thing that's supposed to let creditors know to ask for additional ID and be extra cautious if someone applies for credit in my name.

There were two weird things about this. First, the guy knew my SSN; I didn't tell him what it was. I guess in this day and age it's not that hard. Second, he gave me some tips on how to combat identity theft, even though that's probably what he was trying to do to me!

Fast forward to today. I get a call from a woman who says she's a private investigator with a company in Dallas, TX, and is doing background checks on rental applications for an appartment management company, and has found that my name belongs to the SSN someone else used on an application. This is the exact same story I was told two years ago! The woman reads me my SSN and asks me if it's mine. I say, "Hold up, wait a minute, I've heard this story before!" I explain what happened two years ago, and she says I can check out her company. She tells me her company's license number and says if I Google it, the first link should be to the Texas State Dept. of Public Safety's record of that company.

So I look, and sure enough, there it is. But I'm not stupid enough to just trust that. How do I know it's not some phony website set up in case their marks get suspicious? I Google Texas, go to the state's home page, and follow link after link until I get their by the front door. I see the same thing. This private investigation company is listed by name and license number, the same info the woman gave me on the phone. The state's record even lists the names of the licensed investigators working for the company, and the woman's name is on the list.

The state's record lists no phone number, and I'm not going to trust the number she gave me, because she could have been using the name and license number of a legit company. I do a couple different searches and keep finding the same phone number, a local number, which isn't the same number the woman gave me, which was a toll-free number. So I call the local number, ask and yes they do have an investigator there by that name, but she's out to lunch. I ask if they have a toll-free number, and they do, and it's the same number the woman gave me earlier.

So, do you think that what happened today sounds legit? Or do you think it could be some scam attempt? Do you have any suggestions on what else I can do to confirm the validity of this story?
 
Since they already have your SSN, then you shouldn't give away any extra info. Over here it is probably against some kind of law to ask for such numbers over the telephone, so companies never do it. In case of any problem, you should get a written notice to your home with specific instructions as to what to do and what government instance go to.
 
Sounds fishy to me, but then my philosophy of life is that there are two kinds of paranoia, rampant and insufficient.
 
I'd personally notify all three credit reporting bureaus and any credit cards or outstanding loans I had open about it. Overabundance of caution is your best friend. I'd go by the Social Security office in person and demand to speak to someone about identity protection and follow their recommendations as well. I'd likely contact the po-po but it's gonna be way down the priority list with them. You're pretty much on your own here with the exception of the ID theft specialists at each credit bureau and your credit card companies/banks.

I dunno where you live. I live in a very small rural area. The local fish wrapper will usually run a story about stuff like this, because it's bigger news than Farmer Fred's cow getting out again. Never know what some eager-beaver reporter wanna be with above average web skills might be able to uncover. Worth a shot, all they can do is say no.
 
1 - The guy two years ago was likely trying to confirm other info about you so that he could use your SSN (ie. making sure the address and phone number he had for you was correct). Even if someone calls you and already knows something (like your SSN or credit card number) you should NEVER NEVER confirm any other info about yourself. Someone who has your CC number could just be looking for your address so they can insert it as the "Bill to" address on online transactions.

2 - Until you call the company that the woman was claiming to be from, talk to the woman with the name that the caller used, and confirm that they are one in the same give out NO INFORMATION about yourself. She has so far not given you ANYTHING that she couldn't have found online.

3 - Do as Prof suggested and have your SSN changed
 
Check my SSN dot com has begun radio advertiusements here lately. I have no idea if they are worthwhile but it may be worth looking into.

Banks & Gov't will never contact you by phone for this kind of problem. Give no information & verify nothing if you did not initiate the call.
 
I don't know if it's possible to get one's SSN changed. Would I get new clean credit reports to go with my new SSN? :D
 
I've just looked at the SSA's website, and so far it looks like it's only possible to get a new SSN if you have documented evidence of "family violence or harassment, abuse or life-endangering situations."
 
Can you call a police agency to see if this is a regular form of fraud? We have a central unit in the RCMP - they take care of all of that kind of fraud/phishing stuff. Would the FBI be doing it for you guys there? Or ? Consumer Affairs? Department of Treasury? They could identify for you whether it's an issue in the first place. I agree about the pulling credit reports.
 
The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) is the point agency on identity theft. Initial investigations are done through local police departments, from what I understand.

I've found out that it's possible to get one's SSN changed in the event of identity theft, if one can provide documented evidence that the ID theft is causing a problem.

I've looked at my credit reports online, and didn't see anything I didn't expect to see.
 
I would try and call the FTC and see if this is a known scam/phone phishing thing. If they say no, then you can stop worrying. If it is, they'll surely be able to tell you what your best next step is.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top