Total Restoration: How a Target Breach Victim Fully Rebuilt His Identity with IDShield

Identity theft can affect far more than your credit score. Thieves can compromise your ability to do everything from filing your taxes to securing a place to live. With the recent news that hackers have even penetrated the databases of the IRS itself, it’s no wonder that the Federal Trade Commission has listed “identity theft” at the top of their national ranking of consumer complaints for 15 consecutive years.

“It seems like every week brings a new story of another data breach,” said Jeff Bell, CEO of Legal Shield. “The important thing is for consumers not to give in to fear. There are steps that they can take to protect themselves, but even more importantly there is hope for a real restoration in the event that their identity is compromised.”

Stephen Linden of Riverside, California knows exactly what real restoration looks like.

One of 70 Million Victims

Sixteen – that is the number of unauthorized accounts that Kroll’s Licensed Private Investigator Lezlie MacNevin disputed for IDShield member Stephen Linden. Along with 70 million other holiday shoppers, Linden’s identity was compromised during the 2013 breach of Target.

It all began when Linden received credit monitoring alerts from IDShield, which indicated that several new credit applications appeared to be associated with his identity. However, Linden had not applied for any sort of credit. Investigator MacNevin helped Linden determine whether or not the alerts were identity theft-related or a credit reporting error. Unfortunately, Linden confirmed he was the victim of identity theft—specifically, new account fraud.

“It was a nightmare,” said Linden. “I was in the middle of trying to rent a new home, and was unable to get approved. I became increasingly concerned as more and more activities came to light, but my Kroll investigator reassured me that she knew just how to restore my identity. She was an identity theft expert who had seen this type of case many times.”

Kroll quickly sent Linden a fraud packet, which included a Limited Power of Attorney that would provide MacNevin with the authority to dispute the unauthorized accounts and search for other fraudulent activity. Although some applications were deemed suspicious by the creditors and not approved, a total of 15 unauthorized credit applications appeared on Linden’s credit report. The investigator also discovered an unauthorized inquiry on Linden’s ChexSystems consumer report, which collects information related to banking. She confirmed that no bank account was opened as a result of an unauthorized application.

For each of these issues, MacNevin mailed dispute letters, placed follow-up calls, and reviewed consumer reports on Linden’s behalf until she could confirm that all unauthorized accounts/applications were closed and removed from Linden’s record.

The process worked so well that, just six months after the incidents began, Linden and his wife were able to move into a new home. Linden was also able to successfully buy a new car without any challenges from his identity theft experience.

“It was a night and day difference, thanks to Investigator MacNevin and the team at IDShield,” said Linden.

To learn more about how an IDShield membership can help you to protect yourself and your family, click here 

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Protecting people is our business. It has been for more than 40 years. In 1969, our founder, Harland Stonecipher, had an epiphany. He found himself financially unprepared for the legal costs he incurred from an accident even though it was not his fault. From that day forward, he was determined to make sure everyone has access to legal protection. No matter how traumatic or trivial the situation. That’s how Legal Shield was born.

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