What Is An Identity Theft Notification Letter?
There is some kinds of mail that most people do not mind getting and then there is the mail no one wants to get. If you get a notification in the mail that you just won the lottery then you are probably pretty happy. Then there is the kind of mail you get that on the surface is terrible news but then there is good news of some sort in there too. If you get a letter from a lawyers' office telling you that a long lost uncle has passed then that makes you sad but if that uncle left you a sizable inheritance then that can help soften the blow a little. Getting an identity theft notification letter in the mail can fall into any of these categories although it is not likely to fall into the good news category very often. An identity theft notification letter is a letter you get when someone has either tried to steal your identity or they have been successful at stealing your identity and now there is problems. Usually it is your bank that sends an identity theft notification letter and it can have many different results.
For those of us that have received an identity theft notification letter in the past and have been fortunate enough to do business with a bank that has very proactive identity protection services in place it is a reassuring feeling. The first kind of identity theft notification letter you can get is from your bank telling you that they know of a vendor that has been compromised and your credit card number was one of the numbers stolen. A good bank, or credit union as in my case, will immediately cancel that credit card and shut down everything to do with your credit account. Then they will send you a letter telling you what is going on and issue a new credit card account. Like I said, it is very reassuring to know that your financial institution is on the ball like that.
Then There Is The Other Side
A friend of mine received an identity theft notification letter a few years ago but unfortunately this one was to notify him of some strange activity on his card. After reviewing his account he realized that someone had stolen his credit card number and in only a couple of days they had run up his card to thousands of dollars. By the time he or his bank had caught it the damage was done and he had spent many years getting his identity straightened out.
Getting an identity theft notification letter is a sobering moment and it is not until you read the letter that you realize how well you are protected. Here is hoping you never get an identity theft notification letter but if you do I hope your financial institution was able to protect you.
