The Rockdale County Sheriff's Office (RCSO) has received a number of reports of an identity theft scam by sending people Green Dot reloadable prepaid debit cards in the mail. The incidents reported have shown these cards have been created using a person's personal information, not through a company promotion. These cards also are being applied for/received during this tax season and could be connected to a large tax fraud where personal information is used to fraudulently file federal and state taxes and have the tax return directly deposited into the Green Dot card account. The money is then spent or transferred before the identity theft victim is aware.
Many Rockdale County employees have received notices from Anthem in reference to the Blue Cross and Blue Shield cyber-attack that may have compromised their personal identifying information. Any county employee (or any other person) who has received a letter from Anthem is encouraged to carefully read the letter carefully and strongly consider any offer being providing from AllClear ID.
In the event a person becomes the victim of any identity theft and/or fraud the following steps should be followed and are listed on the IRS website at http://www.irs.gov/uac/Taxpayer-Guide-to-Identity-Theft:
Steps to Take if You Become a Victim
• File a report with law enforcement.
• File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission atwww.identitytheft.gov or the FTC Identity Theft Hotline at 1-877-438-4338 or TTY 1-866-653-4261.
• Contact one of the three major credit bureaus to place a ‘fraud alert' on your credit records:
o Equifax, www.Equifax.com, 1-800-525-6285
o Experian, www.Experian.com, 1-888-397-3742
o TransUnion, www.TransUnion.com, 1-800-680-7289
• Contact your financial institutions, and close any accounts opened without your permission or tampered with.
• Check your Social Security Administration earnings statement annually. You can create an account online at www.ssa.gov.
In the event a person's social security number is compromised and it is a known or suspected the person is a victim of tax-related identity theft, the following additional steps should be taken:
• Respond immediately to any IRS notice; call the number provided.
• Complete IRS Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit. Use a fillable form at IRS.gov, print, then mail or fax according to instructions.
• Continue to pay your taxes and file your tax return, even if you must do so by paper.
If a person previously contacted the IRS and did not have a resolution, they should contact the Identity Protection Specialized Unit at 1-800-908-4490.
If a person has received a Green Dot card in the mail, who did not apply for it, they should call 1-866-795-7597 and ask the following questions:
• Was the card applied for/created online by an individual, or was it sent to you as a promotion?
• Is there a phone number associated with the account?
• Is there an email address associated with the account?
If the person does not want to have the account, they should the Green Dot representative is very clear the person calling did not create it/apply for it, and ensure no transactions, whether into or out of, can occur to the account. Callers also should make sure their personal information cannot be used to create another separate account.
Any Rockdale County employee wishing to report a suspected identity theft may call the RCSO non-emergency number, 770-483-4200, to request a deputy be dispatched to their location (if within Rockdale County) to complete a report. Or, any employee may visit the RCSO Headquarters to have a report completed.
