Home Depot’s Free Identity Protection Offer

[Peter]

I signed up for the free Home Depot offer. This morning I got an alert! Oh no!

When I checked, it was for a new credit card I signed up for 3 weeks ago. All OK and above board. But I wonder: how much use is this system if it takes 3 weeks for an alert to be issued?

 

[RonBoyd]

I just noticed this "notice" on our Capital One Account page (it was probably there for awhile):

Capital One Alerts

• IMPORTANT MESSAGE ABOUT THE DATA BREACH AT THE HOME DEPOT
  You’re covered if there’s fraud on your account
  You may have heard: The Home Depot reported that a data breach may have impacted some debit and credit cardholders who shopped in its stores. We’re monitoring customer accounts for suspicious activity and will contact you if we suspect fraud. There’s no need to call us unless you see transactions you don’t recognize.
  What we’re doing to help you feel secure
• • 24/7 Account Monitoring — Using sophisticated fraud monitoring tools, we actively monitor accounts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for suspicious transactions and will contact you if we suspect fraud.
  • Proactive Card Re-Issue — If we determine that your account is at risk, we may proactively issue you a card with a new account number.
  • $0 Fraud Liability — As always, you’re covered if there’s fraud on your account.

If you haven’t already, we also suggest enrolling in Online Banking - it’s an easy way to monitor your account and check for suspicious activity. Signing up for automatic account alerts is another way to stay in the know.
Thanks for your ongoing trust.

 

[pb4uski]

Local HD here will let you return things without a receipt.

So you can charge things up and return them without receipt for cash? Or maybe it's only store credit.

Just store credit if you don't have a receipt. Credit on your CC charged if you have a receipt.

 

[Lsbcal]

I'm guilty, but only because by doing at least 10 debit card transactions, I get 1.5% on the first $25K in the account. Usually I force 10 small transactions early in the month then switch to using my Discover IT cash back card. I've often wondered if it's worth $30/mo for the risk, though.

That is what I do with the debit card. Ours can also be used as a Visa credit card and in the future I'm going to try to force this usage instead of debit.

I looked back and had 3 Home Depot transactions on the Visa debit/credit card between April and June. Will call our credit union this week to maybe get another card issued.

 

[KB]

I found a fraudulent charge on my Visa last week while on vacation in Ireland. By the time I messaged my credit union, they had already cancelled my Visa and issued another one, eliminating the fraudulent charge. Apparently they cancelled all credit cards identified in the Home Depot situation and cancelled them.

I do not usually check my accounts while traveling since the wifi is not secure, but this time I did. Lucky thing. Unfortunately this is the 4th or 5th time this has happened in the past 10 years or so. I signed up for the free fraud protection also.

After the first credit card compromise I started checking my credit card transactions daily so I usually catch the fraud when the charged are still pending and not actual transactions.

I always take 2 credit cards and an ATM card with me when I travel out of the country too and this is the second time it has happened while traveling. I'm still waiting for the new card to arrive too.

 

[Al in Ohio]

I usually use gift cards that earn me gas for my Home Depot purchases, but I did have to use my AMEX card for a few small purchases when I ran out of gift cards. AMEX was aware I used my charge card within the risk period and preemptively issued me a new card with a new account number. I activated the new card a few days ago and low and behold just yesterday I get a call from the AMEX fraud center asking if I had made a charge for $143 and then another for $465 at two different Rite-aid store in Long Beach CA. I told them I have never bought anything at a RiteAid and I am still here in Ohio! So looks like those accounts are definitely being sold on the aftermarket already.


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[target2019]

Just signed up for the free credit protection offered by HD. Was paying a bill and decided to go back and look, beginning in April. Sure enough, I was spending quite a bit there due to a home project.

 

[ChiliPepr]

Just store credit if you don't have a receipt. Credit on your CC charged if you have a receipt.

Actually, around here, if you buy something at Home Depot with a CC and do not have a receipt, but do have the CC you can return it and get credit on your CC. They are able to pull up the receipt/purchase using the CC number. Very nice feature.

 

[Chuckanut]

Free credit monitoring is a poor substitute for real data security. It reminds me of wasteful people who donate to a program to plant trees in some third world country as a way of justifying their wasteful habits.

 

[kcowan]

I suppose Equifax is the only way to track ID theft. But a 3-week delay is not very impressive.

 

[RonBoyd]

FWIW: This is an e-mail I received today from AllClear, the Home Depot thing I signed up for:

​

Monthly Fraud Detection Report
No Suspicious Activity Found ​

Dear Ronald,
​

This email indicates that you are AllClear™.​

Your AllClear ID protection includes Fraud Detection. Here's how Fraud Detection works:
​

• Information is reported from a wide assortment of non-credit bureau sources, including retailers, financial institutions, technology companies, academic researchers, consumer advocates and government agencies.
• Information reported includes compromised Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, PIN numbers, bank account logins, and other online logins (emails & passwords).
• AllClear ID alerts you when your information is reported so we can take action to help protect your identity.

Should our Fraud Detection service find any activity in the future, you will be alerted by a phone call.
Please note: Fraud Detection monitors different sources than credit monitoring. This report does not include activity detected or reported to you through the credit monitoring service. If new activity is detected through credit monitoring you will be alerted by phone.
Thank you for using AllClear ID to protect your identity. We will continue monitoring for fraud to help you stay on top of threats to your identity.

Jamie May
Chief Investigator & VP of Customer Services
​

I guess I will give them the benefit of the doubt but...​

 

[Bikerdude]

I usually use gift cards that earn me gas for my Home Depot purchases, but I did have to use my AMEX card for a few small purchases when I ran out of gift cards. AMEX was aware I used my charge card within the risk period and preemptively issued me a new card with a new account number. I activated the new card a few days ago and low and behold just yesterday I get a call from the AMEX fraud center asking if I had made a charge for $143 and then another for $465 at two different Rite-aid store in Long Beach CA. I told them I have never bought anything at a RiteAid and I am still here in Ohio! So looks like those accounts are definitely being sold on the aftermarket already.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

That's strange as I also used my AMEX 5 times at HD and have not heard a peep from AMEX.

 

[clifp]

I just signed up also. It will be interesting to see what happens.

 

[Al in Ohio]

So after having fraud actually occur on my account, how do I get the extra monitoring protection offered through Home Depot?


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[RonBoyd]

So after having fraud actually occur on my account, how do I get the extra monitoring protection offered through Home Depot?

I would think you should just ask. The only thing they (Home Depot) needed from me was a receipt... and only the number actually. They, then, confirmed the purchase and gave me a "code" to give to AllClear. AllClear, then, asked a bunch of questions and then started monitoring all of my accounts on HD's dime. Anyway, try and see.

 

[Bikerdude]

I still have a few months of free monitoring from Target so I guess I'll wait to sign up for the HD plan.

 

[cranberryjoe]

Yesterday somebody attempted a charge using one of my credit card account I used at HD. Citi called me to check if it was me. Nope - card was compromised, so they canceled it and are sending me a new one. Today I got my first AllClear report saying no fraudulent activity has been detected. I will be awaiting next month's AllClear report to see if it shows this incident. If it's not there, I will wonder what good AllClear is.

 

[RonBoyd]

I will be awaiting next month's AllClear report to see if it shows this incident. If it's not there, I will wonder what good AllClear is.

Do let us know how it turns out. I, too, used a Capital One card -- and it was a single purchase for around $7.00.

 

[target2019]

When I signed up for the free ID Fraud Detection mentioned above, I did not need to enter any shopping details at the HD site. I typed in name and email, and received a code through email to enter with AllClear. I believe they confirmed my purchase through their records. Or better, maybe they searched the stolen data on a Russian hacker site (tongue in cheek comment).

From the email quoted, it sounds like the service is using some intelligence gathering techniques, sifting through various data sources, looking for bits of compromised data. This sounds good, but remains to be seen how effective it is.

I'd like to see the credit bureau entities come forward with a plan that really does protect my identity and credit. Knowing that will not happen, I expect there will be a massive upset to the systems brought about by compromised security. Then there will be outrage, calls for action, years of debate, and a minor update to regulations.

I know we won't be shopping HD or Target for quite a while. We have other options, but eventually I suspect every retailer or one of their partners will fail the security test.

 

[Sunset]

I'm also cautious about checking my financial accounts when travelling, but since I put email alerts on my accounts including credit cards, I feel much safer.
Now when I buy something online, I often get a CC email reporting the purchase before the online store sends me a receipt.
Now just looking at my emails will tell me if someone used my CC for a purchase, at which point I could phone the CC company.

I found a fraudulent charge on my Visa last week while on vacation in Ireland. By the time I messaged my credit union, they had already cancelled my Visa and issued another one, eliminating the fraudulent charge. Apparently they cancelled all credit cards identified in the Home Depot situation and cancelled them.

I do not usually check my accounts while traveling since the wifi is not secure, but this time I did. Lucky thing. Unfortunately this is the 4th or 5th time this has happened in the past 10 years or so. I signed up for the free fraud protection also.

After the first credit card compromise I started checking my credit card transactions daily so I usually catch the fraud when the charged are still pending and not actual transactions.

I always take 2 credit cards and an ATM card with me when I travel out of the country too and this is the second time it has happened while traveling. I'm still waiting for the new card to arrive too.

 

[Al in Ohio]

When I signed up for the free ID Fraud Detection mentioned above, I did not need to enter any shopping details at the HD site. I typed in name and email, and received a code through email to enter with AllClear. I believe they confirmed my purchase through their records. Or better, maybe they searched the stolen data on a Russian hacker site (tongue in cheek comment).

From the email quoted, it sounds like the service is using some intelligence gathering techniques, sifting through various data sources, looking for bits of compromised data. This sounds good, but remains to be seen how effective it is.

I'd like to see the credit bureau entities come forward with a plan that really does protect my identity and credit. Knowing that will not happen, I expect there will be a massive upset to the systems brought about by compromised security. Then there will be outrage, calls for action, years of debate, and a minor update to regulations.

I know we won't be shopping HD or Target for quite a while. We have other options, but eventually I suspect every retailer or one of their partners will fail the security test.

I just went to their website yesterday and signed up having the same experience. They emailed me a code for the one year protection and I'm all set. I also went to the free annual credit report website and printed out both Experian and one of the other ones to review and file.


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[lynxville]

Just got an email from my credit card company and they said they were issuing me a new card, because of the Hd theft.

 

[jonc]

I reduced the number of places I swipe my debit card because big data is a rapidly growing industry and math majors have never been more commercially desirable.

The side effect is that I reduce point of sale information that HD lost to ID theft criminals.

Why did I reduce my debit card usage?

How Target Figured Out A Teen Girl Was Pregnant Before Her Father Did - Forbes

After I read the above article, I decided to start using cash where ever possible. Since I rarely make 3 or 4 figure purchases, cash works for me.

I have a friend working for a big data analytic start-up. It's amazing what one may learn about a person from their spending habits and the accuracy rate.

I recently heard a news report about banks selling data to health care providers so your doctor might know if you start or stop buying cigarettes or booze.

Keeping your ID safe and keeping your privacy are really closely related in my mind.
-Jon

 

[cranberryjoe]

I'm also cautious about checking my financial accounts when travelling, but since I put email alerts on my accounts including credit cards, I feel much safer.
Now when I buy something online, I often get a CC email reporting the purchase before the online store sends me a receipt.
Now just looking at my emails will tell me if someone used my CC for a purchase, at which point I could phone the CC company.

After the Target hack I logged in to all my CC accounts (I have lots of them) and setup email alerts. Unfortunately, some of them only send you an alert if the charge exceeds $20. The "test" charge some criminal attempted on my HD-exposed card was for about $11, so if the CC company had not immediately detected it as suspicious it would have been up to me to discover it later. I download all my CC transactions into MoneyDance every few days, so I would have found it before the next statement.

Some CC's send email alerts within minutes of a charge, others send them the next day.