POONWAT
CHARA-AMPHAIW
ANFROM THE EDITOR
Mark Solheim
I Beat the ID Thieves
I
dentity theft is a growing worry, and
as we write in the special report that
begins on page 33, ID thieves are
getting better at their insidious craft
all the time. Our report explains the
methods crooks use to masquerade as
you, how to protect yourself and what
to do if you’re a victim.
Unfortunately, I know what it’s like
to be a victim. Back in September 2016,
I learned that an identity thief was
trying to open credit card accounts in
my name. I wrote about my experience
in the September 2017 issue.
After I got the call from a Capital
One fraud department rep explaining
that a crook using an address in
Springfield, Ill. (my wife and I live
in Washington, D.C.), had stolen my
name, I tried to check my credit
reports at Annual
CreditReport
.com. (You can see
your reports at
each of the three
major bureaus
once a year at no
charge.) But evi-
dently the thief
had beaten me
there. I spent
countless hours heading off fraudulent
account applications, jumping through
hoops to get my credit reports and
freeze my credit files, and signing up
for credit monitoring. The credit bu-
reaus seemed more interested in sell-
ing stuff than protecting my credit,
and speaking to a human being was
nearly impossible. Since then, in the
wake of the Equifax data breach in
July 2017, Congress has passed leg-
islation that allows everyone to
freeze their credit reports free.That law also allows parents to
freeze a child’s credit reports (we walk
you through the steps on page 41). But
as contributing editor Lisa Gerstner
discovered, Equifax is still working
out some serious customer service
kinks. In response to Lisa’s request to
freeze her child’s credit report, Equi-
fax said that because he had no credit
file, it couldn’t block him from receiv-
ing preapproved credit offers—not
what Lisa was requesting—and asked
for more identifying documents. When
Lisa called Equifax for an explanation,
a spokeswoman said the company is
aware of some issues when it comes
to security freezes for minors and
is “reinforcing training” with agents.It’s a good idea to check your
credit reports periodically even if
you’ve frozen them. When I went
back to Annual CreditReport.com a
couple of weeks ago, I didn’t have
any trouble (but be prepared for some
tough multiple choice questions culled
from your credit file to verify your
identity). I didn’t see any fake accounts
or erroneous information—with one
exception: One bureau’s report still
lists the thief’s Springfield, Ill., address
as one of my old addresses. So my
work isn’t done after all. I’ve initiated
a dispute to remove the fake address.A new chapter for Kiplinger. After work-
ing in the family business for 35 years,
Knight Kiplinger is transitioning to
his next act. But first he took impecca-
ble care to ensure that the publishing
legacy the Kiplinger family built over
nearly a century will continue. The
new owner of Kiplinger Washington
Editors is Dennis Publishing, which
publishes The Week in the U.S. and
many titles in the United Kingdom.
On the masthead on page 8, you’ll see
Knight listed with his new title, Editor
Emeritus, as well as Dennis’s logo.
Knight led Kiplinger into the 21st
century, overseeing the development
of the digital side of our business, but
he continued to believe in the value of
print even as scores of magazines were
shuttered or folded into online-only
publications. Our new owner is highly
successful in both print and online
publishing and will support our staff
as we carry on the Kiplinger mission
of providing timely, trusted advice as
well as strong reader service. ■MARK SOLHEIM, EDITOR
[email protected]
TWITTER: @MARKSOLHEIM4 KIPLINGER’S PERSONAL FINANCE^ 05/IT’S A GOOD IDEA
TO CHECK YOUR
CREDIT REPORTS
EVEN IF YOU’VE
FROZEN THEM.