Comment IDENTITY THEFT is certain (Score 1) 320
Having recently gone through the process of protecting my wife from ID theft, her info was swiped from work (most likely) I can offer the following suggestions:
1) File a police report, even if your dad feels dumb
2) Check ALL financial institutions for transactions
3) Place a Fraud Alert with the three credit rating companies - it's free
4) Change ALL passwords and security questions
5) Sign up for credit monitoring services such as IdentityGuard.com
This slip up will follow your dad for many years to come. Acting swiftly will minimize damage to his credit.
It's amazing what info is freely available through public records: addresses, family members, date of birth, etc. Combine that with a SSN and people will be opening lines of credit EVERYWHERE with your dad's identity. I know first hand from what recently happened to my wife.
1) File a police report, even if your dad feels dumb
2) Check ALL financial institutions for transactions
3) Place a Fraud Alert with the three credit rating companies - it's free
4) Change ALL passwords and security questions
5) Sign up for credit monitoring services such as IdentityGuard.com
This slip up will follow your dad for many years to come. Acting swiftly will minimize damage to his credit.
It's amazing what info is freely available through public records: addresses, family members, date of birth, etc. Combine that with a SSN and people will be opening lines of credit EVERYWHERE with your dad's identity. I know first hand from what recently happened to my wife.
