Not too long ago, I went into my local bank to make a deposit. As usual, I did not have my account number with me, and gave the teller my SSN (Social Security Number) so she could find my account.

The teller did the search on the computer and then asked: Is this Jill or Maria? What? Maria? I don’t know a Maria. But she had an account open in MY bank with MY SSN!

I had to go and get a letter from the SSN department to prove I am me and then take it back to the bank and of course the other account was promptly closed. Most likely my SSN was sold to an illegal alien. Phewl.

Well a few months later I received a phone call from my bank asking me if I had made a $495 transaction for some overseas goods. What?

At the time I did not even have that much in the bank for which I was grateful. I was also very grateful for the bank’s phone to check before the transaction was approved. That one was not even a credit card transaction. They had gotten a hold of my checking account number!

Identity theft is a very real problem, and after these two experiences I really woke up to the reality of it. But the thing is it is so convenient to shop online.

If you are like me and like to do your shopping online, here is something I am sure you will be interested in checking out.

Keep your identity safe!

Yuli

If you have had an experience with identity theft, we would love to hear your story. Please tell it below.

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