Partner victim of identity theft/fraud?? Help!

eggedd2k

My partner received the email below earlier today from [EMAIL="icardcust.service@citicorp.com"]icardcust.service@citicorp.com[/EMAIL].

What's concerning us is that the email is personal - i.e. it has her full name in it.

She's changed her Hotmail password to something highly complex just in case.

This obviously sounds like identity fraud. She hasn't replied to the email.

Other than reporting to the relevant authorities, are there any other protocols that we should follow on this?

Thanks in advance!


Citigroup Pty Limited
ABN 88 004 325 080 AFSL 238098
GPO BOX 1625
Sydney NSW 2001
CitiPhone Banking 13 24 84
Facsimile 1300 301 249
Citibank.com.au
Usecreditwisely.com.au

20/03/2012 11:45:23

Dear (my partner's full name)

Thank you for taking the time to apply for a Citibank READY CREDIT. We are pleased to advise that your recent application for a Citibank READY CREDIT has been conditionally approved. Your application is currently being processed and your Application Reference Number is 2012031645179.
As a responsible lender, we need to verify your identity and income details. To ensure that we can process your application as quickly as possible, please notify your payroll department (or accountant if self employed) and authorise them to confirm your income and identity details when contacted by a Citibank specialist.
Please also forward copies of your supporting documents of evidence with your Full Name and Application Reference Number clearly visible in the top right hand corner of each document.
Documents accepted include:
* Drivers Licence or Proof of Age Card
* Passport or Medicare Card
* Most recent pay slips or last 2 years Tax Assessments if Self-Employed
Please fax to 1300 301 249 or alternatively post to Citibank Consumer Lending, GPO BOX 1625, Sydney NSW 2001.
Once your documents have been received and we have completed our verification checks, we will let you know the outcome of your application by mail within 7 to 10 working days.

To track the status of your Citibank READY CREDIT application, simply go to Citibank.com.au, and click on "Application Status" in the "Sign On to Citibank Online" blue box on the right hand side of the page.

Yours sincerely,

Madeline O'Connor
Director: Credit Cards & Consumer Lending, Citibank Pty Limited

Important Information
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jalexa

eggedd2k wrote: »

This obviously sounds like identity fraud.

Is your partner an Australian resident?

It's not identity fraud. More a case of "phishing", name and email is hardly confidential. Just ignore it.

Has your partner's personal data been compromised somewhere? That's a harder possibility to exclude.

System

There is no such thing as 'identity theft'. We all know (unless we are mentally ill) who we are. 'Identity theft' is just a marketing term used by sellers of shredders to scare you, and by banks to cloud the fact that the bank, not you, is the victim if someone else fraudulently uses your account.

This email could be a standard scam from one of the million people who can easily find out your partner's full name, and have a programme that scatters phishing emails to all likely and unlikely email addresses. Being sensible, your partner is not going to post anything to a PO Box address which she's never heard of, and which is most unlikely to have anything to do with Citibank, is she? [But it seems contact details are genuine: see below]

There is no point in reporting the email to, for example, the UK Police. They won't take any action. If you can be bothered, you could email it to the real Citibank Australia, in case it is one they haven't seen before.

If someone else fraudulently uses your partner's name and details for example to take out a loan, the loan company that is the victim of the fraud must write to you at the address given by the fraudster. If that is your real address, then you can spot that a fraud has been attempted, and tell the loan company it has been duped.

If you stop getting mail, then a fraudster could have fraudulently arranged a redirection. If that happens, complain quickly to Royal Mail, and consider contacting CIFAS to put a warning on your credit files.

antrobus

eggedd2k wrote: »

...
Please fax to 1300 301 249 or alternatively post to Citibank Consumer Lending, GPO BOX 1625, Sydney NSW 2001....

As far as I can see these are genuine contact details for Citibank, and Citibank does indeed have a Ready Credit loan product. So I would thus conclude that somebody has indeed made a loan application using the OPs name and email address.

Contacting Citibank and alerting them to the fact that the OP has no idea what they're on about might well be an idea.

Just to be 100% on the safe side I'd use the direct contact details shown at http://www.citibank.com.au/aus/footer/contact.htm

eggedd2k

Cheers.

My initial thought was phishing but when I saw her full name I then had some doubts.

We won't take any action other than probably contacting citi at the address you mentioned.

Thanks again.

Ben8282

Unless your partner is Australian or a current/former Australian resident she has nothing to worry about as the cc company would never accept a UK address and even if the full name is the same nobody would connect her with this person in Australia.

However, I'm sure this is some sort of scam.

jalexa

eggedd2k wrote: »

We won't take any action other than probably contacting citi at the address you mentioned.

citi bank: "g'day, you are through to Bruce"

egg's partner: "Good morning, I'd like to discuss Ready Credit Application Reference Number is 2012031645179"

citi bank: Name?

egg's partner: "Sheila"

citi bank: "g'day Sheila, for security I need your DOB and mother's maiden name"

egg's partner (I hope) "No way"


IMHO, its pointless phoning.

ashleypride

Ben8282 wrote: »

However, I'm sure this is some sort of scam.

I suspect it isn't. OP, does your partner use a email address such as firstnamelastname@webmailprovider.com ? I do, and get quite a lot of emails intended for somebody with the same name but slightly different email address.

System

Antrobus is right, and I was wrong: the contact details for Citibank are genuine. So Citibank Australia emailing sheilaeggsmate@hotmail instead of sheilaeggsmate1 (or the like) looks the most probable explanation. It's surprising that Citibank Australia apparently uses ordinary unsecure emails.

eggedd2k

Yes - she does us [EMAIL="firstnamelastname@webmailprovider.com"]firstnamelastname@webmailprovider.com[/EMAIL].

She received the email below a couple of hours ago. We will probably contact Citigroup next using the link provided earlier.

Citigroup Pty Limited
ABN 88 004 325 080 AFSL 238098
GPO BOX 1625
Sydney NSW 2001
CitiPhone Banking 13 24 84
Facsimile 1300 301 249
Citibank.com.au
Usecreditwisely.com.au
21/03/2012 15:19:45

Dear (MY PARTNER'S NAME)
Welcome to Citibank! We are pleased to advise that your recent application for a Citibank READY CREDIT has been approved.
The following items have been ordered for your new account and should arrive in seven working days:
* Visa Debit Citicard, which you can use to withdraw cash from ATMs and make purchases at any retailers that accept Visa.
* ATM Personal Identification Number (PIN)
* Telephone Banking PIN (TPIN)
* Cheque book request form
If you currently have a Citibank ATM card, please call CitiPhone Banking on 13 24 84 (or +61 2 8225 0615 if calling from overseas) to set up access to your new Citibank READY CREDIT account.
READY CREDIT is one of the easiest ways to withdraw cash, pay for your purchases and even consolidate your other debts. It gives you 24-hour access to cash when and where you need it, whether that is via ATMs, EFTPOS, where ever Visa is accepted or a cheque book. You can also access your account over the telephone or via Citibank Online.
We hope you will enjoy the benefits and convenience of your Citibank READY CREDIT.
Yours sincerely,
Jacqueline Nissen
Head of Marketing and Product - Consumer Lending
Citibank Pty Limited

---

Important Information
This message may contain confidential, proprietary or privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately and delete the message from your system. You should not copy or use it for any purpose, nor disclose its contents to any other person. E-mail transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free.
No guarantee is made that any attachments are virus free. We reserve the right to monitor all e-mail communications.
Although the information is believed to be reliable, we do not guarantee its accuracy and it may be incomplete or condensed. All opinions and estimates constitute our judgement at the date of issue and are subject to change without notice.

This e-mail is made available to you in Australia by Citigroup Pty Limited ABN 88 004 325 080 AFSL 238098.

jalexa

eggedd2k wrote: »

She received the following email a couple of hours ago:

The "email typo" theory is plausible but there is a flaw in it. The process has gone from requesting documentary ID to account opening in 1 day even though the email has not gone to the applicant.

I advise caution. Ignore it, as any contact simply involves a release of further personal data, however small e.g. confirmation that the "full name" is actually associated with the email address. That may not currently be known as a matter of fact.

If not an Australian citizen with an Australian address there is currently no risk.