My 82 year old mom had her purse stolen; she's okay, but I have a ???

[blondeatlast]

Do we NEED, absolutely, to report this to the credit reporting bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion)?

She is extremely unlikely to be applying for credit in the near future, and the credit reporting bureaus seem not to want us to report it unless it appears someone is fraudulently trying to get credit.

I haven't gotten a straight answer from the police, from the credit bureaus, or the bank. Can anyone enlighten me? She's had a VERY tough day, and I don't want to strain her anymore if it isn't essential.

Thanks.

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. Were any credit cards stolen?

Checkbook? Is someone going to be able to defraud her?

[blondeatlast]

2. Yup, everything. She's called the bank and all the store cards.

She only has a credit card issued by her bank and as couple of store cards.

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. Report it

She could be held liable for the debts.

[welshTerrier2]

3. report it ...

read about what to do here ==> http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/

you should definitely report it to the credit bureaus even if your mom won't need credit ... first, someone else could get a credit card in her name ... second, they could use that credit card as a form of ID to steal more from her like her social security number that could lead to the theft of her government checks, social security, etc ...

be very proactive about this ... the people who suffer the most are the people who leave all the doors wide open ... make sure you lock down any bank accounts and retirement accounts she has ... put everyone on notice about what happened ...

[blondeatlast]

7. That site is just what we needed--very clear about what to do.

Thanks, thanks, thanks.

It's been a very wacky week in the BAL world, I'm afraid!

[welshTerrier2]

11. been there; done that ...

this happened to mrs. wt2 about a year ago ...

the bad guys were stupid enough to walk into a branch of her bank and try to cash a check drawn on her closed account ... the bank teller saw the notes on the account and asked for ID ...

the woman gave a fake driver's license with her own picture, her own address and mrs. wt2's name ... the teller photocopied the license and reported it to the police who reported it to the state AG's office who investigates stuff like this ...

the AG sent a state trooper to the address on the license (it might have been bogus) and there were the bad guys ... their trial is pending ... they turned out to be "small fish" though ... the people who paid them to go around stealing handbags have NOT been caught yet ...

btw, depending on her situation, a call to your mom's homeowner's (or renter's) insurance company might be appropriate ...

[Lydia Leftcoast]

8. Yes, "my" pickpocket even got my Kaiser Permanente member ID,

so from then on, I had to give a secret password when I went in to one of their clinics.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

4. I would do it...

Why make it any easier on the thugs?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

5. If credit cards were stolen, definitely report it!

Otherwise, she will be responsible for the debts that the thief racks up. The same with her checkbook: if she can tell the bank which was the last legitimate check she wrote, they will refuse to honor the rest.

I'm speaking with the voice of experience here. My wallet was pickpocketed in January 1998, and even though I reported it within 30 minutes, the thief went to Office Depot and charged a $1500 computer. Fortunately, I did not have to pay because I had reported it.

The same was true with fraudulent checks that the thief wrote. I submitted a police report, and when Telecheck came after me for those checks, I was able to send them a copy of the police report and a letter from the bank saying that the checks were stolen.

It's all a tremendous hassle, but it's the only way to protect yourself against getting cleaned out.

[Kurovski]

6. You might find more

info if you post in the DU Group, "Personal Finance and Investing Group"?

But you might have all you need from the posts here.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

9. Yes, otherwise she may be liable

for charges, depending on the card and the state.