Someone Tried to Spend $2,000 in My Name – While I Was Out Running Errands

A couple of weeks ago, I left the house to run a quick errand. I was gone for about an hour. When I came back, I had more than 150 new emails in my personal Gmail account. Most were confirmations of signing up for random websites and accounts I had never heard of. Some were in English, but many were in languages I don’t speak — Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Spanish, French, and a few others I couldn’t identify. The very first email caught my attention: it was from Best Buy, thanking me for my recent purchase. Apparently, while I was out driving, I had unknowingly bought five electric toothbrushes totaling just under $2,000. Fortunately, I caught the order in time, canceled it, and the fallout was limited to some spam unsubscribing and a reset of a few passwords. But the outcome could’ve been much worse. As a mortgage banker, I routinely see how identity theft and credit fraud impact people’s lives — especially when they’re preparing to make big financial moves like buying a home. It’s not just an inconvenience; it can stop someone’s plans in their tracks.

How to Protect Yourself (and Your Credit)

Here are a few simple but effective steps you can take to minimize your risk:

1. Monitor Your Credit

Many banks and credit card companies offer free credit monitoring or alerts for suspicious activity. Use them. Set up alerts for:

  • Purchases over a certain dollar amount
  • Credit usage (i.e., percentage of your available balance)
  • Suspicious login attempts or location mismatches

These alerts can be both helpful and overwhelming, but I typically recommend them for clients trying to build or rebuild credit. Staying aware of your usage and account activity is one of the best habits you can form. 

Or you can sign up for one of the credit reporting agencies’ monitoring services or use a trusted third-party service.

2. Freeze or Lock Your Credit

This is one of the most effective ways to protect yourself from new credit being opened in your name.

But first, it’s important to understand the difference:

Credit Freeze

  • Free to set up with each of the three major bureaus.
  • Regulated by federal law.
  • Prevents creditors from accessing your report unless you lift the freeze.
  • Requires a PIN or password to thaw (temporarily or permanently).
  • Does not affect your current accounts or credit score.

Credit Lock

  • Offered by credit bureaus as part of subscription-based services.
  • Managed via apps or online portals (more convenient to turn on/off).
  • Not legally regulated in the same way freezes are—coverage and protection terms vary.

🔗 Learn more or initiate a freeze/lock with each bureau:

Monitor Your Credit

3. Watch for These Signs of Identity Theft

Not everyone gets a helpful email from Best Buy like I did. Often, identity theft is discovered too late, after the damage has already been done. Here are a few red flags to watch for:

  • You’re denied for credit with no clear reason.
  • You start receiving statements for accounts you never opened.
  • There are unauthorized hard inquiries on your credit report.
  • You stop receiving bills or mail that normally arrives like clockwork.
  • You see unexpected changes to your credit score.

🔗 You can check your credit reports for free at: www.annualcreditreport.com

4. Know What to Do If Something’s Wrong

If you spot something fraudulent:

  • Dispute the item with the credit bureau immediately
  • File an identity theft report with the FTC at IdentityTheft.gov
  • Contact the fraud departments of the affected creditors

Cleaning up a compromised credit report can take months – and delay major life goals like buying a home.

Credit Freeze

How It Shows Up in My Work

In my day-to-day work helping people secure mortgages, I regularly pull credit reports. You’d be surprised how often I come across unauthorized accounts, collections, or hard pulls that the client knew nothing about. In some cases, we catch it just in time to resolve the issue before closing. In others, it causes delays—or even forces buyers to walk away from their dream homes.

Fraud on a credit report is notoriously difficult to clear up. It takes time, documentation, persistence, and often legal support. Prevention is much easier than the cure.

Bottom Line

What happened to me was a wake-up call. But it was also a reminder of how lucky I was — it could have been much worse.

Whether you’re preparing to buy a home, applying for a loan, or just want to safeguard your finances, being proactive is essential.

  • Set up alerts.
  • Review your credit.
  • Freeze or lock your reports.
  • Stay aware.

If you’ve never thought about these steps before, now is a good time to start. And if you already have, share this with someone who hasn’t. It might just save them a serious headache.

Have questions about any of this? Reach out to me at 312-296-4175 or email me at connect@borislending.com — I am here to help you make informed, confident decisions during your homebuying journey. I lend in all 50 states and I am never too busy for your referrals!!