Last Updated on September 23, 2020 by Ellen Christian
I like to think I’m a careful person when it comes to my finances. I have long, complicated passwords. I only shop on secure websites. I make sure that no one is looking over my shoulder when I am using my credit card. I try to take steps to be certain that identity theft doesn’t happen to me. I thought that would be enough. People that are careful aren’t victims of identity theft, right? But they really are. This post has been sponsored.
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Identity Theft is Real and Frightening
Like many busy women, I do many of my financial transactions online. I don’t have to drive to the bank or write out bills and put them in an envelope with a stamp to travel to another state. I shop online to save time and gas money. Extra time isn’t something that I have a lot of so I try to save minutes here and there whenever I can.
One morning, I was going through my debit card transactions and found one I didn’t recognize. Since I’m the only one that uses it, it send up a big red flag. I quickly called customer service for more information. I learned that this charge was for a store that I hadn’t visited and in a state that I didn’t live in. They quickly reversed the charge since it was clear that it wasn’t mine but now what? How did someone get my number and what if they used it again?
The customer service representative recommended I cancel the card and they would issue me a new one. I quickly agreed since I didn’t want another charge to go through or allow them access to any more of my personal information. Now I had a problem though. That debit card is how I pay for bills and groceries and gas for the car. It’s the only one I have and now I have to do without it for ten to fourteen days while they mail me a new one. What was I going to do without access to my money for ten to fourteen days? My income is all automatically deposited and the bank I use is online so it’s not like I can drive to a local branch.
Identify theft is a real issue and it can happen to anyone – even you. You can sign up for LifeLock identity theft protection and receive 10% off using a LifeLock promotion code (LifeLocksecure)on the LifeLock site. <——– Please visit the site now for more information.
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Ellen is a busy mom of a 24-year-old son and 29-year-old daughter. She owns six blogs and is addicted to social media. She believes that it doesn’t have to be difficult to lead a healthy life. She shares simple healthy living tips to show busy women how to lead fulfilling lives. If you’d like to work together, email info@confessionsofanover-workedmom.com to chat.
I had my wallet stolen before and it was a nightmare. I actually have been using Lifelock for a couple years now. Great service!
So glad to hear that it’s working for you!
Identity theft is a scary thing to have to deal with. Thanks for the tips!!
Very true, Kristin! Glad to share.
It’s scary to think about having me identity stolen. Thankfully there’s services like this to help protect me.
It really does scare me! So many criminals out there!
It is so scary. I am only just starting to be more proactive and paying attention. Who knows how many things I have missed over the years
I worry about that too, Debi!
I’ve had those false charges numerous times over the years and I did what you did. I canceled the cards and ordered new ones. That wait is hard though!
It really is! It seemed like forever before it arrived!
Lifelock is such a great product. I love the peace of mind from identity theft. Scary stuff.
It is definitely a weight off my shoulders not to have to worry about it!
it’s so scary!!! my friend’s SSN got stolen- she only found out because she got a congrats on your new wireless account letter from verizon- except their phones are with verizon already- in her husbands name. had that letter not come…she might not have known
Thank heaven that she found out at least!
Identity theft is most definitely a very scary and real thing that is sadly becoming more and more normal in society. It’s so unfortunate that we have to add something else to worry about in an already stressful and hectic life!
Very true, Jennifer. Life is stressful enough as is.
We do have LifeLock and keep an eye on all that stuff. When I was in college, I could NOT get approved for a new credit card, every application was denied and I couldn’t figure it out. I finally called one and they said it was because TWO names appeared when they checked my social security number. What.a.mess. It was nearly impossible to prove that I was really me. Thankfully no money was stolen and my credit wasn’t ruined or anything… so once it was straightened out, all was okay. But scary!
Oh wow that must have been frustrating! So glad that you finally figured it out.
I had my identity stolen a few years ago and it was crazy. It took so much time to get it fixed and my credit report straightened out. I can’t imagine how much money it ended up costing me.
It can be so expensive! Glad it got taken care of!
Very scary. LifeLock sounds like a lifesaver. We can all use extra identity theft protection. I have one debit card, but I never use it. I keep it around for emergencies and luckily haven’t needed to use it. We’ve had credit card theft problems twice, but the credit card company picked up on it right away, took care of it, and sent out new cards. Phew!!
It’s so scary that this happens to so many people!
I have had this happen to myself too! The people lived in England which was so weird. Thank God it all worked out ok.
Wow that is weird, Amy! Glad it worked out OK!
We have had two incidents where people have stolen our CC numbers and that was sickening… I can’t imagine someone stealing our whole identity. So super-scary
I agree, Shauna! What a horrible thing to have happen!
Our credit card company watches our account pretty closely for us. As we do a lot of online banking and shopping it’s lots of transactions to keep track of but they always catch things that are out of the ordinary. Lifelock offers a huge piece of mind for something that is so common (sadly) and can be extremely hard to overcome!
That’s a great service for them to offer!
So much of our lives are online now. It is scary how easy it is to have our identity stolen.
That is very true, Diane!
Identity theft is not only real and scary, it’s frustrating and such a huge issue that’s becoming more of a regular occurrence for people which is not okay! It makes me wonder if these people spent as much time trying to do GOOD for people and society instead of BAD, what types of positive and uplifting things could be done?
That really is true, Dawn. I wish that more people saw it that way!
This is a huge issue. While I haven’t had full-blown identity theft, I’ve had fraud on my credit card many times. It’s the new scare that comes with new technology. Super important and informative post- thank you!
Glad you found it informative!
Identity Theft is so scary! I know so many people who have had their identity stolen. I do everything I can to protect myself, but people just seem to get more sneaky every year.
They really do, Pam. It’s so sad.
It seems like thieves are getting more and more clever and brazen. You can’t do too much to protect yourself!
That is so true, Anne!
It’s so scary! I lost my wallet late last year and I was freaked right out and still worry about it. Great post!
I would definitely freak out if that happened!
Something similar recently happened to me and my fiancé. It was really stressful, and I don’t know anyone got our card number. It could have been worse, but it still wasn’t something I would like to experience again.
Same here, Brittany! Once is enough.
This is scary, it has happened to my husband before a few times. I have seen this service on t.v. before, sounds like a wonderful solution!
I have heard amazing things about Lifelock and will be trying it myself.
I have life lock now. A couple of years ago someone stole everything I had then I had bill collectors calling me every day for payments. It was insane and most of all it was scary. I think everyone should be more worried about keeping their identify safe.
That must have been just awful!
Lifelock is the best company out there when it comes to protecting identity. We have had a lot of military contacts recommend it too. We’ve had our debit card info stolen before and that was not fun. Thankfully our bank was able to catch it super quickly and we got our money back without any hassle.
I’m so glad they fixed it for you quickly!
That is my worst nightmare. I use my debit card for EVERYTHING and I worry that if someone ever stole my card number & I ended up having to cancel my card because of it, I would have to wait to be able to have access to my money.
It was definitely a frightening experience!
Identity theft is a real issue and will only become worse as we make more of our transactions online. Ultimately the laws will have to change to protect the consumer and make it easier to undo the damage they do.
Laws could certainly help keep things safer, Scott!