I use an email alias system to create a unique email address every time I sign up for a site.
Today, I started receiving unusual email on one of those addresses. My credit card provider also let me know that someone was trying to use my credit card to book airfare. I know exactly which site my data leaked from since I used a unique email alias to register for that site. I contacted that site and told them they’ve been breached.
I also called my credit card company. They’re reversing the charge and issuing me a new card.
I’m still worried because I’m receiving lots of “here’s your login code” and “new user registration” emails at the alias address. I can just kill the alias and I won’t receive these messages again, but I’m interested in seeing what they’re up to. Can these messages still be used for nefarious purposes? I obviously don’t click links in any emails I don’t recognize, and access to my main email account is secured behind three-factor authentication, so I don’t see how someone would actually be able to retrieve one of these login codes.
Since the genius who used my credit card number tried to book a flight, I also have her name and a 50-50 shot at her location. Should I report her to local authorities?
I’m in the US.
You don’t report identity theft to local authorities, local cops don’t deal with that. In the US you would report it to the FBI and the FTC.
You should file a police report or a report at IdentityTheft.gov. Give as many details as you can, but also recognize as another commenter mentioned that the names you’re seeing are probably also stolen identities. This almost certainly won’t result in any real action unless an investigator can tie enough cases together to identify a suspect. The main reason to do this is you can then go to the credit reporting agencies and place a fraud alert on your records, which should require anyone opening a credit account for you to do extra verification that you’re actually requesting it. If you don’t have a formal report that request only stays active for 1 year but with a formal report they’ll keep it active for 7 years, or at least that was the case a few years ago. You should also freeze your credit report if you haven’t already, which will make it inaccessible to anyone who would want to read it, such as a potential lender. It does become a slight pain to unfreeze it anytime you’re actually applying for credit, but makes it extremely difficult for anyone else to successfully apply for credit in your name.
Great info, thanks!
delete facebook, lawyer up, hit the gym.
Instructions unclear, lawyer suing me for assault.
That’s just good advice in general.
C’mon, man, which site?
It’s a small company based in a Nordic country. I’m going to give them a chance to respond to my message before I name them.
Chances are that you don’t actually have their name; that’s likely the name of another victim. Your credit card was never the hacker’s goal; that other person’s ID is.
Stolen credit cards are effectively worthless on their own. Your card is just a disposable tool for them to validate the ID with, and to see if it passes basic security checks like buying an airline ticket. If they are able to get through the purchase without being flagged, they know they’ve got a high-value ID to work with. They already know that the credit card is burned the instant they make a purchase with it, so they’re likely not poking around further into your financials.
That said, any personal details of yours that they managed to capture in this breach, may also be used to try to steal your ID down the road, so start locking down any details that were ever given to that breached site.
Interesting info, thanks.
Any idea why I’m getting 2FA messages at the alias address? Are they trying to use the alias to log in to other sites?
I’m also receiving emails from Miro on the alias. I’m not sure what if any valuable information they could get from that site.
Careful about reversing charges with large companies like Google and Amazon if there’s any. If you dispute a charge from Amazon they may wipe away every account that ever used that card - even if you didn’t dispute any charge related to that account.
That’s why you shouldn’t have big tech accounts in the first place!
So this is what I would do. if you truly don’t care about that email alias just dispose of it whenever you’re ready you’re probably fine to just move on from that. if you feel like contacting the local authorities I would go ahead and do so of course that happens is they don’t do anything about it which is probably likely. best that happens is they catch the person and they take a front door off the street and you did a good job. good job on keeping your account safe like that though most people don’t go through all that effort.
