So when someone files for unemployment at my work, I get the notice.

Imagine my surprise when I receive one, as we haven’t lost anyone in more than three months.

Imagine my surprise when I read that Noah (Beancooker) with SSN xxx-xx-xxxx that matches all my info, filed for unemployment on 11/06/2020.

Now I get to go through the exhausting process of credit freezes, new SSN, changing all kinds of bullshit. Mrs.Cooker will probably have to do the same, which is even more of a PITA, as she wasn’t born here.

Today was a shit day, and at its down point, I simply said, “well it can’t get worse than now”. I guess the powers that be, simply chuckled and said “hold my beer silly boy!”

2020 is out to get us, man, every way we turn.

Hang in there man, we've got your back!

You can get a new SS number? Kinda thought that was with you for life

What kills me, is that I’m super aware of this issue. Everything that is mailed to my house goes into a crosscut confetti shredder.
We are super careful about where we shop online, and if it seems like it could be shady in person, I pay with cash.

Years of vigilance and I still get fucked.

quote:

Originally posted by alingo2001:
You can get a new SS number? Kinda thought that was with you for life

Yeah, when you get your identity stolen, they issue you a new ssn.

I would kneecap the SOB that did this if I could.

I would consider something like lifelock?
Or at least research those outfits to see if one is worth trying to straighten things out on your behalf. It would be much more effective to deal with a company who has experience in dealing with this sort of thing vs trying to do it yourself. No?

Same happened to me this year. Likely from the Equifax breach.

With the number of systems you have your personal info stored in (medical records, banking, on and on) and as piss poor as a lot of those systems security are.

(given so many businesses that could have such info, and not isolated from the internet)

All it takes is some yutz, noodling around on the internet, even in a "work required" effort, and info is compromised.

Look at the millions of people who's information has been subject to breaches over the past few years.

There is little you can do about it, since information is shared. (applying for a mortgage and buying a property, and several agencies will have and share your info during the underwriting process and other tasks).

quote:

Originally posted by Beancooker:
So when someone files for unemployment at my work, I get the notice.

Now imagine what could have happened had you not been in the position you are and the I.D. theft had gone undiscovered by you for months--or even longer, and the next thing you know you're finding out there's an arrest warrant out for you, or you have massive hospital bills somewhere you've never been before, or your credit's been destroyed?

These things happen to people all the time.

Sigmonkey is right: With the number of systems that have so much of our personal info on them: It's more by luck than anything else if your identity isn't stolen. I've had something like three major databases compromised with my records being among those lifted.

This is why my info is frozen at all the major credit and financial reporting agencies and we pay $180/year for identity monitoring and theft mitigation.

Sorry to hear you're having to deal with this.

Lifelock is pretty good....a few years back, got a call from Lifelock, my SSN got flagged for a loan app...everything got put on a freeze, got,lucky, turned out it was a typo on the part of whoever read it, or scribbled the number. One number off. At least I was notified and everything screeched to a halt. Once the error was found, got back to normal, well, as normal as it is, shredding everything with a hint of our info.

Last place I worked before retiring had a data breach of the dealership's data base. A couple of people in my department had claims filed against their SSN's for unemployment.

HR found out when the state sent letters to the dealership notifying of the claim filings.

quote:

Look at the millions of people who's information has been subject to breaches over the past few years.

^^^^^^^^^^^^
I am up to seven times now. At least I am always offered Identity protection. The latest one must have been worse I got THREE years of free protection.

If you would not mind, what is the process of getting a new SSN? I have heard the process is quite burdensome.

I am experiencing the same thing. I live in Michigan, but someone is filing for unemployment under my name, SS#, and old address in New Jersey. Thankfully, I'm on good terms with my ex wife who has been getting the notices.

I have Experian and they notified me last week that someone had opened an account at navy Federal Credit Union with that same information.

So yeah...I am interested in hearing about the process of changing my SS# as well....

Guess we'll join the queue on this thread. Last week Mrs M-11 got a call from her former employer (she retired) asking if she'd applied for Unemployment (IL). The worthless yutzes here said "leave a phone# and we'll get back to you." No, they didn't.She's frantic. Put freezes, alerts \, etc on everything. Yesterday she gets a letter saying her claim is accepted and here's a VISA card with $$ on it. WTF?! So, we re-sent the original complaint and destroyed the card (saving the pieces for them). Like Beancooker, we have a very limited footprint out there. Bastiges.

quote:

Originally posted by Beancooker:

quote:

Originally posted by alingo2001:
You can get a new SS number? Kinda thought that was with you for life

Yeah, when you get your identity stolen, they issue you a new ssn.

My wife had her identity stolen twice about 20 years ago. Tried in vain to get a new SSN. They don't do it. Two people out west are still using her SSN. Hassle every time she opens a new bank account.

One of my employees had some M-F apply under her number. It has been a nightmare for her as well. Going on 8 months and still not resolved.

quote:

Originally posted by Beancooker:

quote:

Originally posted by alingo2001:
You can get a new SS number? Kinda thought that was with you for life

Yeah, when you get your identity stolen, they issue you a new ssn.

I would kneecap the SOB that did this if I could.

would keep very careful watch on my ss benefits calculations

Somebody steals your identity, shouldn't you be allowed to track them down and shoot them dead? Wouldn't that be more like suicide than murder?

quote:

Originally posted by Beancooker:
Yeah, when you get your identity stolen, they issue you a new ssn.

The pool of available SSNs will soon be depleted if they keep that up.

quote:

Originally posted by Beancooker:
I would kneecap the SOB that did this if I could.

Would you kneecap a scorpion for doing what a scorpion does? A skunk?

Yeah, poor analogies, I know, but criminals be criminals. They've always been out there. They will always be out there. If you're looking for somewhere to direct your ire, direct it at the inept and/or lazy people that are allowing their systems to be breached right-and-left.

I was in the computer industry for forty-one years. (Yes: Since about the time what has become the Internet was first a gleam in DARPA's eye, and long before it was available to the public.) I saw where this was headed a long time ago. My ex-colleagues in the computer and network security industry likewise saw it coming. (I say "ex-colleagues" because we've all mostly left the field--some out of frustration and disgust.) We all protested vociferously the direction we saw things going. Nobody wanted to hear about it.

And sure enough, just as all us "old-timers" predicted: Here we are.