OT: Identity Theft Concern, or strange coincidence?

[Nooch]

I received an email from WalMart today confirming the purchase of a Laptop for store pickup in California.

I'm on the East Coast.

I was hoping this was just an email address typo, so I go and try to login to Walmart.com and none of my 'traditional' passwords work, so I do a reset, and get in, and sure enough, there's the order.

I canceled the order on there, and took a look at the credit card options, and neither of them are related to me. Both of them have my name, but there are plenty of 'me' out there, both cards have different addresses and phone numbers from each other, but both on the west coast.

I'm requesting walmart.com close 'my' account and block my email address from opening another account there, which they say they will do. They've also deleted the payment information.

At this point -- do we figure it's just an unlucky coincidence that someone might have a similar email address and logged in as such, though I don't know how they'd have ever changed the password, since that would have to come through my email address in the first place, or that this is a guy with two stolen credit cards using a 'stolen' walmart account?

Also, outside of the actions I've already taken, any other suggestions?

[tuxbailey]

I would do a credit check with one of the big three (Equifax, Transunion, Experian) ASAP.

Also you should have an active credit monitoring service, even a free one like Credit Karma will give you advance notice if something weird is going on.

[kramnnim]

Freeze your credit...

[redir]

Sounds like your CC number got ripped off. You want to deal with your credit card bank rather than Wal Mart. It's not really identity theft at this point though sounds rather like your every day run of the mill credit card theft and fraud.

[Nooch]

Again -- My credit card's aren't on the WalMart account.

I just ran my credit report, nothing strange, everything is as it was last time I checked it, so those cards aren't out under my info.

The only thing of "Mine" in this is my e-mail address, thus far.

[redir]

Oh that is odd then. Could be a similiarish email I suppose.

[Fatty]

How fast does that credit report update?
Might want to call the 800 number on the back of your credit cards.

[preludervtec]

Put a hold on your credit right away and notify the credit company. May want to check your account to see if there are any purchases not made by you. Wouldn't hurt to change your passwords to other sites like email etc.

[christian]

I think someone may have opened those cards with your info if they had access to email and had your social etc. would definitely call credit card companies etc.

[kramnnim]

I reread the first post and someone probably just entered your email address by mistake when they registered for their account.

My email address is similar to cingular@gmail.com and comcast@gmail.com, but a different communications company name (now defunct) and I get all kinds of stuff I did not sign up for. "Welcome to Gap", "Thanks for signing up for the Rugged Shoals Homeowners Association newsletter", "Your child has signed up for a SuperPenguin account". People enter the address when they don't want to use their real one and it ends up in my inbox. Really annoying.

But yeah, I don't think you need to be concerned if your email address is something like John.Smith.1@gmail.com...

[veloduffer]

Since both credit cards had your name on them, you probably are a victim. Call the credit card company or check the activity on your accounts to see if there unauthorized purchases.

Credit numbers don't necessarily have to match yours to be part of your account, e.g. my wife and I have different credit card numbers for the same Visa account.

I would also change your email password, which hinders verification on the thief's part.

[zennmotion]

Even after 5 (!) phone calls to American Express customer service I still get monthly statements, reminders for credit card payment and receipts sent to my Email address- all the info needed to use the card is there. And I am not nor have ever been an Amex customer. Some person who shares my first initial and same (unusual) last name is not getting their Email notices. I have even attempted to contact the real (I assume) person myself through Facebook to inform them. Wasted several hours trying to get Amex to stop using my address, reported to my email provider as spam and phishing. It's like nobody cares. Thinking about using the account for a trip overseas. Maybe they'll care then.

[Nooch]

I reread the first post and someone probably just entered your email address by mistake when they registered for their account.

My email address is similar to cingular@gmail.com and comcast@gmail.com, but a different communications company name (now defunct) and I get all kinds of stuff I did not sign up for. "Welcome to Gap", "Thanks for signing up for the Rugged Shoals Homeowners Association newsletter", "Your child has signed up for a SuperPenguin account". People enter the address when they don't want to use their real one and it ends up in my inbox. Really annoying.

But yeah, I don't think you need to be concerned if your email address is something like John.Smith.1@gmail.com...

And it is, first initial, middle initial, last name, @ generic email company.

The strange part about it, the unsettling part, is the fact that I had previously had an account with WalMart, at least I believe I did, from a few (six?) years ago when I bought my last TV. So they would have had to change the password, probably, if they were logging into *my* account, unless the accounts purge after extended inactivity.

I've no evidence that someone tried to access my email account. No evidence that any emails like this were sent to reset a password. I use multi factor authentication to get into my email, so I certainly should have known.

The cards on file had expiration dates of 11/2017 and 04/2018, so if we were to assume a minimum of a 3 year valid period, then these cards 'should' have opened in 11/2014 and 4/2015, respectively, and as such should have been open long enough to show up on the credit report I ran today.

[Nooch]

Since both credit cards had your name on them, you probably are a victim. Call the credit card company or check the activity on your accounts to see if there unauthorized purchases.

Credit numbers don't necessarily have to match yours to be part of your account, e.g. my wife and I have different credit card numbers for the same Visa account.

I would also change your email password, which hinders verification on the thief's part.

One more to this -- The billing information, the zip code, wouldn't match, and should trigger something.. So while the name on the card is listed as the same as mine, they certainly could belong to someone else with the same name -- it's not like mine is unique by any stretch.

I'm not too concerned about my credit right now, based on what I've been able to figure out. If it's fraudulent activity on my email address, that's one thing, and if it's someone using "my" walmart account with stolen credit cards (or cards he created in his name illegally) that's another thing..

The odd thing about the two cards on file, for me at least, are the different addresses, and the later expiration card had what I'd consider the previous address, if you were sleuthing along with me. (04/18 expiration has a seattle address, 11/17 has a California, computer purchased today was to be picked up in california)

So, I think someone is being scammed -- I just don't necessarily think it's me, here.. unless I was just being made to be the 'fall guy.'

Or maybe this is fight club, and there really is no Tyler Durden..

[cfox]

bad news: your identity got stolen

good news: it's A LOT easier to deal with these days. It's such a common thing now, creditors have pretty simple protocols to clear crap up. It sucks, but it's not the complete nightmare it was a few years ago.

I found out my identity was stolen via an email from verizon welcoming me to my new iphone 6...

It wasn't too bad clearing things up, verizon was the trickiest (not surprised, POS, incompetent company). Put a freeze on your credit.

[verticaldoug]

One more to this -- The billing information, the zip code, wouldn't match, and should trigger something.. So while the name on the card is listed as the same as mine, they certainly could belong to someone else with the same name -- it's not like mine is unique by any stretch.

I'm not too concerned about my credit right now, based on what I've been able to figure out. If it's fraudulent activity on my email address, that's one thing, and if it's someone using "my" walmart account with stolen credit cards (or cards he created in his name illegally) that's another thing..

The odd thing about the two cards on file, for me at least, are the different addresses, and the later expiration card had what I'd consider the previous address, if you were sleuthing along with me. (04/18 expiration has a seattle address, 11/17 has a California, computer purchased today was to be picked up in california)

So, I think someone is being scammed -- I just don't necessarily think it's me, here.. unless I was just being made to be the 'fall guy.'

Or maybe this is fight club, and there really is no Tyler Durden..

Did you at least keep the credit card numbers , shipping address and address on the credit cards? Do to google maps street view and find out where the other you lives....

[Nooch]

Did you at least keep the credit card numbers , shipping address and address on the credit cards? Do to google maps street view and find out where the other you lives....

I printed them out before walmart deleted them, yes. The CA address comes up, and reverse search of the address doesn't show a 'me' living there. The Seattle address does not come up, furthering my suspicion that these were bad cards and I was being 'set up.'

[Vinci]

If you logged into the Wal-Mart account and it wasn't your credit cards or address on file, then someone probably just fat-fingered the email address.

I have had this happen with one of my addresses a number of times where someone thought they owned the account and signed up for various things (job listings, community emails, etc.) that didn't require a confirmation.

Someone on the other end of this is probably pretty puzzled, but there shouldn't be any harm done.

[Bud_E]

This sounds similar to my experience last year. Some walmart.com charges showed up on my CC ( I've never bought anything from Walmart or walmart.com ) . I contacted the bank and called walmart.com . Someone opened an account in my name - but with a fictitious address ( didn't even exist ) and ordered some items to be held for pickup. I'm assuming that if I hadn't noticed the extra charges it could have kept going on. I had my CC closed and re-issued and 'my' walmart.com account closed.