Photograph Credit: Fotolia

Welcome to Update Week! During this week, I will follow-up on topics introduced throughout the year.

Each day, I will choose one topic from that category. For today, I chose our identity theft update.

Back in October, I mentioned how our family was the victim of identity theft. Though we are super careful with our credit card information, passwords, and personal information, we are not exempt from a hacker obtaining our information.

Our Initial Identity Theft

On a Saturday morning, I awoke to a phone call from Walmart.com asking if I had made a $200+ purchase that morning. When I denied the charges, the representative confirmed the suspicious activity as someone had opened a new Walmart.com account using another name.

The thief back-linked to the credit card I use when making purchases at Walmart.com. (The credit card was not saved in the system. It was just linked to a prior purchase.)

Gathered Information

Upon getting the information from the representative, I took wrote down the details, canceled that order, and denied the charges to our credit card.

Notified Credit Card Company

Next, I called our credit card company, reported the fraud, and checked for any other suspicious activity. When none was found, the representative closed our account immediately. She sent our information to the fraud department who transferred our account to a new number and reissued the cards.

Notified Other Account Providers

Staying proactive, I checked our other credit card and placed an alert on the card. I then checked our bank accounts. Seeing no unusual transactions, I called our credit unions and placed alerts on all our accounts.

Filed Police Report

By this point in the morning, I was wide awake. Though still in my pajamas, I called the police department to file an identity theft report. Since the information must be gathered in person, two police officers were dispatched to our home. I quickly changed, and then reported the morning’s activities.

The officers were really nice, and my girls loved the attention from the female officers. Confirming that we covered all our bases, they took the information and gave me a report number. I was then advised to pick up the police report at headquarters after waiting a minimum of 48-hours for processing.

Changed Password on Account

Shortly after the morning calmed down, I accessed my Walmart.com account and changed my password. Though I am not sure how the thief got access, I chose to change what I could to protect my account.

Filing a Claim

With the police report in hand, I plan to contact Walmart.com with the report number and file a claim to track down the thief. This process takes time, and I am pressing on. My goal is to find the culprit (if possible) and file charges.

Since this initial compromise, I have had an identity theft attempt and a breach which I will share in 2013. We are actively keeping watch on our accounts and staying proactive in the process. Though this thief has not been caught, I am working to provide as much information as I can to the authorities to bring down these criminals.

In using time wisely to act on the information immediately, no additional issues have surfaced with this account. We now have our transferred account with our new cards. Everyone has been very helpful which has saved us money, energy, and time.

Should you find your information compromised, act quickly. Gather the information, notify your credit card and other account providers, file a police report, change your password (if needed), and file a claim. Though we cannot prevent all criminals, we can make it difficult for them to get the information. Staying alert with you!

Question: Have you been a victim of identity theft?