Am I dealing with identity theft? What should I do?

I’m not sure if this is the right place to share this, so sorry if I’m in the wrong spot.

I believe I might be a victim of identity theft. I recently got an email from Credit Karma saying there was a hard inquiry on my credit from Capital One.

I only have one credit card that I opened last November, and I’m not planning to open another one for a while.

I think someone has gotten my personal information and only started trying to do something shady after I opened my credit card. A couple of weeks ago, I received a Cash App card in the mail that I didn’t request, and it had my name but the wrong cashtag. I contacted Cash App, and they have since closed that account.

I’ve reached out to TransUnion and Equifax about this problem and have placed a credit freeze and a fraud alert. I noticed that my birthday is even wrong on TransUnion.

I’m new to using credit cards and I’m really worried about someone having my personal details and attempting to misuse them. I haven’t shared my information with anyone at all.

Can anyone share some advice on what more I can do to protect myself? I would really appreciate it.

Always make sure to freeze your credit accounts with the three bureaus when you’re not applying for credit. Unfreeze them for the short time it takes to apply, and then freeze them again right after. That would have saved you a lot of trouble.

I used this guide to help me out when I discovered my SSN was leaked.

Also, don’t forget to contact Experian as well, just like you did with the other two credit bureaus. It’s also a good idea to inform Capital One about what’s happening, so they can assist in removing that inquiry and alert their systems if it happens again.

Here’s a helpful resource on identity theft:
https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/wiki/identity_theft

Make sure to change all your passwords for your accounts. Contact every bank, credit card company, etc., to inform them.

It looks like someone might have your information, but there isn’t much more you can do beyond what you’ve already done. You could consider reputable identity monitoring services that will notify you if any new issues arise. The downside is since you don’t know where or when your information was leaked, only you can cover any costs for those services (although there are also some solid free options). I understand how unsettling this can be! I recently experienced something similar when my husband’s and my medical records were breached, and sensitive info, including our SSNs, was leaked. Thankfully, nothing bad happened but the hospital still offered a free year of identity monitoring, which has been helpful. I receive weekly updates and immediate alerts if our SSNs are used for anything legit.

Here’s a link that explains freezing your main credit reports:
https://www.reddit.com/r/IdentityTheft/comments/uvv3ij/psa_freezing_your_three_main_credit_reports_is/

Pretty much everyone in the US with a credit profile over the last century has had their Socials, addresses, names, etc., leaked recently. Just freeze your credit reports with Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. It doesn’t cost anything.

Don’t forget to put a freeze on all three of your credit reports.