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December 22, 2014

ID theft victims face months of hassle

  • Although banks often absorb bogus charges, it's up to victims to clean up their credit histories and recover stolen funds.
    • By BRANDON BAILEY
    AP Technology Writer

    SAN FRANCISCO — As soon as Mark Kim found out his personal information was compromised in a data breach at Target last year, the 36-year-old tech worker signed up for the retailer's free credit monitoring offer so he would be notified if someone used his identity to commit fraud.

    Someone did. The first monitoring report showed crooks opened accounts in his name at Macy's and Kohl's department stores, where they racked up more than $7,000 in charges. “My heart basically sank,” he said. Over the next seven months the New York City resident spent hours on the phone, most of a day in a police station filing a report, and countless time sending documents to banks and credit reporting agencies to clear his credit history.


     
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