I just received an email saying "my application has been received" for a credit card that I didn't apply for...

>All the scammers had was your name, address and a little bit of personal information about you, like an employer, place of birth, old address, etc -- all of which can be obtained from a public facebook profile, for example.
they need your SSN to open a credit account.

he may or may not be hacked, but someone with his private info certainly was/is.

You need to freeze for credit asap

Good thing you caught that. You would still be wise to follow up like previously mentioned. If they had enough info to make that application they might try it again, or change tactics and start trying to access accounts. I work in this field and these fuckers are relentless. Sometimes they will call 15 times a day trying to get different people in different departments to milk enough info to gain account access. Or they will get personal info, then just run it though every major bank hoping to get lucky and find an accounto.

The person doing this just sits around and scams. They have all the time in the world so they very often just keep trying over and over.

I would throw extra security on all my accounts if I were you.

At what point should I consider filing a police report?

Hate to say it but don't count on the police caring much. Google around, some states AG offices has ID fraud reporting

sometimes the banks just send you a card that you activate or not. if you do they send you the paperwork. nasty shit.

Exactly what this user says.

Call the issuing bank on a trusted number. It's probably a phishing scam.

>At what point should I consider filing a police report?
I wouldn't bother. The real victim in these scams is the credit card companies, who extend loans to the scammers and then don't get repaid. Since you're not financially liable for these fake accounts, the only damage you suffer is to your credit rating (which can be fixed) and your time/hassle/annoyance (which can be substantial). The credit card companies will work directly with law enforcement if there's anything that they feel can be done.

The only reason for you to file a police report is if you actually suffered a financial loss (i.e., your bank accounts were cleared out), which is EXTREMELY rare. At that point you'd be calling your insurance company and the police. But for simple credit fraud? Don't bother. It literally happens thousands of times a day all over the world.

You need to file a police report. Not because the police care, but because having that report activates/opens up more laws to legally help you such as for example there are laws that say you can freeze/unfreeze your credit reports for free if you have a police report.

Place security freezes AND fraud alerts

you should place a freeze on your credit file at each of the national credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, and Innovis). you will need to do this with all these credit reporting agencies. It'll add another step when you try to open a credit card or get a loan, but it also makes it impossible for someone to use your ssn to do anything without using a pin. with the police report the agencies will wave the normal fee. and get a report from all three.

create an ID theft report with the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) and you will receive an Identity Theft Affidavit, which can be used to file a police report and create an ID Theft Report.
your identity theft affidavit together with your police report become your official identity theft report, and is used by the credit reporting agencies and creditors to verify your claim of identity theft
mail your identity theft report to each of the credit reporting bureaus and request an extended fraud alert. it will entitle you to two free reports per year and removal of your name off of marketing lists for prescreened offers. this will prevent prescreened credit offers from landing in your mailbox where they can be stolen

here is another police ereport anecdote from when someone had their personal info stolen
>Get a police report that says your ssn was stolen. I had a collections agency after me from fraudulent accounts, the minute i sent them a copy of my police report, they left me alone.

get your Chex Systems and TeleCheck reports. This report will show you if someone has opened a new checking account in your name. and also place a fraud alert and security freeze on your consumer file, just like with a credit report. this is a lesser known vulnerability, but one that can be even more costly to ignore than the credit freeze. identity thieves open bank accounts so place a security freeze on your chexsystems and telecheck bank account reports.

get an IRS tax pin so someone can't file a fake tax return in your name in an attempt to get a refund. file Form 14039 IRS identity theft affidavit. the IRS will send you a PIN. you will receive a new PIN each year. and get your tax transcript report from them.

get an statement from Social Security called the Personal Earnings and Benefit Statement and if someone is using your SSN (like to get a job)

security questions were developed years ago, when breaches were rare and mainstream system developers did not anticipate that your mother's maiden name could be exposed. In practice, this means that security questions should be treated similarly to passwords. change your website security challenge question answers to something you cant find in public record, or facebook, or linkedin, etc

check with your banks to increase security such as disable wire transfers out, reduce ACH withdrawal limits per day, and per week, disable web access, require certain measure, such as two factor authentication, etc.

closely monitor your mailbox where you receive paper mail, mail theft is a common part of fraud. for increased security have your important / sensitive mail sent to a PO box because its harder to steal from that than a regular mailbox

your state probably has a website too with info specific for that state. few examples I found

illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/consumers/hotline.html
>Attorney General Lisa Madigan created the first-ever Illinois Identity Theft Hotline. The hotline provides Illinoisans who have been victimized by identity theft with one-on-one assistance as they work to report the crime to local law enforcement and financial institutions, repair their credit, and prevent future problems.

texasattorneygeneral.gov/cpd/identity-theft

oag.ca.gov/idtheft/facts/victim-checklist
oag.ca.gov/idtheft

mass.gov/ago/consumer-resources/consumer-information/scams-and-identity-theft/identity-theft/attorney-generals-guide-to-id-theft-for.html
>Attorney General's Guide to ID Theft for Victims and Consumers

myfloridalegal.com/pages.nsf/0/CBBEBA3F2583433385256DBA004BC600?OpenDocument
>Attorney General of Florida Identity Theft Victim Kit

ksrevenue.org/faqs-dmvdl.html
info regarding stolen Kansas drivers license and Victims of Identity Theft

themcfox.com/THE-NET/identity-theft/7-check-bank-fraud.htm

bobpearce.com/_Identity Theft/Identity Theft Disc CD ROM/Student Manual/index.htm

usarec.army.mil/downloads/hq/HRD/SFA/ConsumerGuideToGoodCredit.pdf
page 89 Steps to Take If Your Identity is Stolen

experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/credit-education/preventing-fraud/victim-assistance/

juliebestry.com/2009/10/27/who-knows-your-secrets-part-2-checking-up-on-your-checking-history/

usbank.com/cgi_w/cfm/personal/achieve_goals/id_theft.cfm
What To Do If You Suspect Identity Theft

consumer.ftc.gov/features/feature-0014-identity-theft

justice.gov/criminal-fraud/identity-theft/identity-theft-and-identity-fraud
What Should I Do If I've Become a Victim of Identity Theft?