MIL got scammed. Credit freeze thread helpful but can't find

They have no way to know it isnt her pushing the buttons.

Bank accounts aren’t protected the same way that credit cards are. When DH had his wallet stolen in a Paris metro station, the thieves had racked up $20,000 by the time that I logged in to our CC accounts. It was minutes.

I would try to freeze her credit tonight.

Never, never, never give your payment information out to someone who calls you. Call them back, looking up the number yourself. I’m preaching to the choir, I know!

I am so sorry. It is so stressful trying to get through this.  When DH’s account was hacked, he had to go to the Social Security office to get his payments changed to the new account.

If the bank has shut down the account and cancelled her debit abd credit cards, then nothing more should happen.

www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/08/21/credit-freeze-versus-fraud-alert-social-security-number-breach/

After the news of this latest breach, a friend texted me in a panic.

“Should I freeze my credit files?” she asked.

Yes, you should, according to Brian Krebs, author of the security blog Krebs on Security. This prevents your credit report from being accessed without your permission, making it harder for swindlers to take out loans or open new credit cards in your name.

“We don’t have control over this information, so you should exercise what little control you have,” Krebs said. “If you’re really worried about your credit file being compromised, you should just freeze your credit.”

When there is a breach, consumers are told, among other steps, to place a fraud alert on their credit files or freeze them.

There are pros and cons to both options. Here’s why one is better than the other.
Fraud alert

A fraud alert is a red flag telling creditors to contact you before new credit is opened in your name or changes are made to existing accounts. You can place this notice on your credit reports if you’re concerned you are or may become a victim of identity theft.

Pros:

You need to contact only one of the three major credit bureaus to set up an alert — Equifax, Experian or TransUnion. The credit bureau you contact must then notify the others to place an alert on your credit reports.
It’s free.
A fraud alert does not affect your credit score.
The alert lasts one year. If you want to keep it, you have to renew it.
Victims of identity theft can keep a fraud alert in place for seven years. To get an extended fraud alert, submit an identity theft report to the Federal Trade Commission at IdentityTheft.gov or file a police report.
You can add or remove a fraud alert at any time. You don’t have to remove the alert if you’re shopping for a loan.

Cons:

It’s easy for folks to forget to renew a fraud alert.
With a fraud alert, a lender is supposed to verify your identity before it issues credit. But this doesn’t always happen. “Not all creditors are going to respect that restriction,” Krebs said. “Some of them pull up your credit anyway.”

I have friend that just had to change SSA info etc for checking account and also banking all in person.. everything was frozen ok but for new info in person.