Today I opened my mail to find a letter from Renz Nichols, President of Certegy Check Services. Renz tells me that a rogue Certegy employee sold data from numerous checking accounts — likely including mine — to a data broker who in turn sold that data to a subset of direct marketing organizations. According to the letter, that data may have included my name, address, telephone number, account number, expiration date for check and debit cards, checking accounts, transactional data and date of birth.
The letter goes on to talk about all the things Certegy has done in light of this theft, such as notifying the credit bureaus and law enforcement.
What has me seeing red is the advice to monitor my credit report by going to the free credit report site AnnualCreditReport.com!
I have already requested my free annual credit reports within the past twelve months, so I am not entitled to another copy, unless I am a victim of identity theft or live in a state that gives me extra copies. Neither apply to me — yet. You should be providing me with a year of free credit report monitoring from all three credit bureaus, along with identity theft detection and resolution services.
Sorry, Renz, the apology doesn’t cut it. This is not a case of a lost tape
that probably hasn’t been compromised. In this case, you know an
employee was selling information — maybe mine — for illicit gain.
You need to do better.
Gerri Detweiler
– Personal finance author, radio host and credit expert. Gerri
contributes budgeting, debt recovery and savings information online.
Gerri Detweiler Credit.com's Personal Finance Expert, Gerri focuses on financial legislation, budgeting, debt recovery and consumer savings information. She is also the co-author of Debt Collection Answers: How to Use Debt Collection Laws to Protect Your Rights, and Reduce Stress: Real-Life Solutions for Solving Your Credit Crisis as well as host of TalkCreditRadio.comTalk Credit Radio. Reach Gerri at creditexperts@credit.com.
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Amen!
American consumers are sleep at the wheel.
We have let these companies punish us for their lack of investigation and theft prevention programs.
Visa, Master Card, American Express need to utilize their interest fees to develop relationships with Pre-Paid Legal companies that’ll take their card holders cases and cure each infraction.
You have to pay your bill.
You have to pay interest.
You have to pay crazy fees that shouldn’t even be added.
Then you have to become your own attorney when your credit is attacked, this is robbery legalized.
Consumers should receive free credit reports monthly as an incentive.
Consumers should receive legal assistance free, in these cases.
These companies have made billions off of Identity Theft, interest fees, and selling consumers information.
And they want YOU to be fully responsible when your ID is stolen?