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If you recently received a random doorbell card in the mail, you may be wondering why or even what the doorbell is. The truth is, if you received a debit card or possibly a fake card in the mail that you didn’t sign up for, someone is probably trying to open a fraudulent account in your name. this is a serious matter and it is important that you take action as soon as possible.
If you don’t take action, someone could successfully open a chime account in your name and wreak havoc on your financial history. fees could accumulate on the account, making it difficult to approve loans or credit cards in the future. in addition, they could also withdraw money from the account, leaving you liable for any fees or penalties associated with unauthorized transactions.
Fortunately, there are steps you can take to protect yourself from this type of fraud. In the post below, we’ll discuss the do’s and don’ts to protect yourself.
In the post below, I’ll discuss what to do if you receive an unexpected visa chime debit card in the mail.
In This Post:
- what is chime?
- why you probably received a random chime card in the mail
- by contacting chime support (which is the best way)
- how to close your chime account
- how to prevent this from happening again (crucial!)
- how to check your credit reports
- add fraud alert
- add equifax fraud alert
- add transunion fraud alert
- add experian fraud alert
what is the doorbell?
chime is an online-only bank that offers a number of features that may be useful to consumers.
Some of the most popular features include no fees for using out-of-network ATMs and allowing you to receive a direct deposit up to 2 days early if you have a checking account with them.
In addition, chime offers a “round up” feature that rounds transactions to the nearest dollar and deposits the difference into your savings account. this can be a useful way to save money without having to think about it. the chime app is also simple and intuitive to use.
Lastly, chime is fdic insured, which means your money is safe if something happens to the bank.
chime is more of a fintech company than a traditional bank as it does not offer loans or other products/services found in other real banks. this is in an effort to try and simplify things for consumers.
In a nutshell, it’s a very popular banking option.
why you probably received a random ring card in the mail
You may be wondering why you recently received a chime visa debit card in the mail even though you don’t have a chime account. Unfortunately, someone has probably committed fraud and tried to open a Chime bank account using your name and information.
chime is a legitimate online-only bank with millions of active members. many people consider it the future of banking.
Fortunately, this time the chime card associated with the new account was sent to your mailing address and you were notified. But I wouldn’t count on that happening again, so it’s crucial that you take action as soon as possible to keep your banking history and finances as safe as possible.
The first thing you should do is contact chime support to notify them of the problem. they will be able to help you close the fraudulent account and make sure your information is safe.
related: answers to chime spotme questions
contact chime support (what is the best way)
Calling someone from chime bank on the phone is usually next to impossible. while chime is a really good bank, it has its drawbacks like any bank or service, and the lack of in-person customer support at times like these is often one of the main drawbacks.
If you want, you can at least try calling chime tech support at 844-244-6363, but be warned, the phone system is automated, so you may or may not have any luck figuring out how to actually talk to someone there. .
Usually the best option for contacting a chime customer service representative is to email chime support and tell them about your problem and that you need to close the new account as soon as possible.
related: chime account suspended (why and what to do)
how to close chime account
chime makes it easy to close an account. just call or email them, and they’ll take care of the rest. They may ask for your social security number and photo ID, but that’s just to verify your identity. once they have it, they will close the account for you.
how to prevent this from happening again (crucial!)
once you have closed your chime account, the next step is to mark the account as fraudulent with chime support. this will help prevent someone from using your information to open a new account.
Also, it’s a good idea to add a fraud alert with all three major credit bureaus. this will give you greater protection against identity theft. I’ll show you how and where below.
how to check your credit reports
Your credit report is an important document that contains a lot of information about your financial history. Lenders, landlords, and employers often look at you when making decisions about whether or not to extend your credit, offer you a lease, or give you a job. That’s why it’s so important to make sure the information it contains is accurate.
The good news is that you can get a free copy of your report from each of the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) once a year at annualcreditreport.com. This site was created by the government to allow consumers to obtain their free credit reports in an easy and convenient way.
So if you want to check the accuracy of your credit report, this is the place to be, and since someone is trying to open a chime account in your name, it’s a very good idea to look for anything other than get your credit report right.
This is the site you should go to for checking your credit report for free. Adding Fraud Alerts
Adding a fraud alert is a great preventative measure if you think someone has tried to open a chime account without your knowledge.
Fraud alerts basically add a red flag to your accounts, informing potential creditors or lenders that you may have been a victim of fraud or identity theft. This added layer of security can help protect you from incurring debt or other problems as a result of fraudulent activity.
While fraud alerts are only temporary, they can give you peace of mind knowing your information is better protected. so if you think someone may have tried to open a chime account in your name, be sure to add a fraud alert right away.
add an equifax fraud alert
To add an equifax fraud alert, visit the following website: https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-fraud-alerts/.
then click “place an alert” and complete and submit your information in the online form below.
add a transunion fraud alert
To add a transunion fraud alert, visit the following website: https://www.transunion.com/fraud-alerts.
click “add fraud alert” and then choose the appropriate fraud alert for your situation (1 year or 7 years).
For most people, choosing the 1-year option is what you need, unless you have a valid identity theft report from the authorities, in which case you can choose the 7-year option.
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On the next page, you will need to “create an account” or log in to your transunion account to add the fraud alert to your account.
add a fraud alert on experian
To add a fraud alert on Experian, please visit the following website: https://www.experian.com/fraud/center.html.
click “add a fraud alert”. then select the period of time you would like the fraud alert to be on your account (either “temporary” 1 year or “extended” 7 years).
In most cases, you would choose the 1-year temporary option unless you have a copy of a valid law enforcement identity theft report, in which case you can add a 7-year extended fraud alert years in your account if you wish. to do it.
then on the screen that appears, simply fill out the online form with the relevant information and then click submit.
summarizing
If you receive a random chime card in the mail, it’s often a bad sign that someone fraudulently used your information to try to open a new chime bank account. If this is the case, you should definitely take steps to protect your banking history and finances. not doing so could be an expensive mistake.
The first thing you need to do is contact chime customer service and open the account with your information closed as soon as possible and mark the account as fraud. As an added layer of protection, it is recommended that you add fraud alerts to the 3 major credit bureaus as well; At this point, you really don’t know what else this person has access to, so it’s best to protect yourself.
references
- https://help.chime.com/hc/en-us/articles/224860707-how-do-i-contact-chime-
- https://www.equifax .com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-fraud-alerts/
- https://www.transunion.com/fraud-alerts
- https://www. experian.com/fraud/center.html