certegy advises emplyee theft

Today I received a letter from certegy advising me that an employee of theirs stole financial information from many of the people and companies who have had their checks approved by certegy. They advise that I check with the three major credit companies every month for the next two years to assure that noone is using the info their employee stole to purchase unauthorized items.
It seems certegy should have worried a bit more about their owm people, and not hassled others who had excellent credit ratings.

There's lots more info on this forum:
http://www.topix.net/forum/com/bbby/T2QJM5MNF...

See this forum, too:
http://www.topix.net/forum/com/bbby/TK6H9RIQR...

i just got this letter from certegy about the employee theft. i am an elderly widow and i am very worried. what am i supposed to do? whose fault is this? why do we (the consumers) have to do all the work when their employee did the crime? aren't they bonded or insured?

I got this same letter 2day.I'm going 2 have my banking acct# changed tomorrow(that's the acct that was stolen). I wonder if I should really be concerned or does Certegy "really" have it under control.I'm gonna watch this story closely 2 see how it unfolds

One thing you can do is pull your free credit report from each of the agencies at different times of the year so you won't have to pay. You get one free credit report per year from each agency. They all are updated with any changes to your credit profile. So, you can pull your free credit report from Equifax in April, then your free one from Trans Union in August, and then your free one from Experian in December. That way you can keep an eye on your credit report for free.

From clarkhoward.com -
Don't be fooled by phony site!
The website set up by the credit reporting agency Experian is bogus. The name of their website sure makes it sound as though you can get your credit report for free, but that isn't the case. When you go to the site, you are automatically enrolled in a "free trial," for which you will pay $12.95. Don't ever pay to see your credit report at this site! Instead, go to the site that is sanctioned for viewing your credit report for free, really. It's annualcreditreport.com and you can get a report from each of the agencies for free.

I do not understand why all these people scammed by certegy are so humiliated and embarassed, etc. Their checks being denied happened through no fault of their own, but because of this obviously crappy agency.
I too received that letter about an employee stealing data and info, and I was not in the least scared. A bit puzzzled at first. What I will do is totally ignore it. But thanks for the anualcreditreport.com info about how to obtain my report free, from clarkhoward.com .

Here is a web site of the Austin Business Journal that spells out the suit, and the firms involved in it:
http://austin.bizjournals.com/austin/othercit...

here is a web site that tells what is going on with the certegy problem:
http://austin.bizjournals.com/austin/othercit...

Law Enforcement.

I contacted the Pinellas County Sheriff's Department by email. An officer confirmed some aspects of the investigation and said any further info would have to come from a contact at the Secret Service.

I was glad to get confirmation of an investigation from a law enforcement agency. I was starting to wonder whether this whole thing was a scam itself!

This being a result of a search concerning Certegy, I might add my own story to help people beware of this agency. My boyfriend moved in with me last year in October and I added his name to my checking account after he removed himself from the account of his ex-wife. I've only ever used the checking account to write checks to the IRS and for minor purchases from eBay ....absolutely NOTHING else. My boyfriend has never even written or signed a check from our joint account. Today he gets a letter from Certegy claiming an employee of theirs leaked out some pertinent info concerning (my boyfriend's) checking account. They request him to call and discuss the safety and security of his checking account. It states in the letter that (my boyfriend's) checking account is in jeopardy and he might become a victim of fraud. How can they know any of this information when the account is in MY name to begin with ? Something fishy indeed is going on here with this agency. I hope everyone above sticks to their guns and fights this abominable force. Oh, p.s. I have the same address as above, but a different post box number. It's P.O. Box 30046. Shouldn't this agency, if really legit, have a street address ? Perhaps they can get bullet-proof windows for their receptionist ....

Carlos wrote:

Today I received a letter from certegy advising me that an employee of theirs stole financial information from many of the people and companies who have had their checks approved by certegy. They advise that I check with the three major credit companies every month for the next two years to assure that noone is using the info their employee stole to purchase unauthorized items.
It seems certegy should have worried a bit more about their owm people, and not hassled others who had excellent credit ratings.

I received the same letter as Carlos. It's really frightening.

I got the letter - it explains the fraud I have had on the credit/debit cards that are attached to the bank account that was compromised. I have had $2000 stolen due to check card fraud. I was able to get it all back, but I have spent hours getting forms notarized, etc for the fraud investigators. We all need to get a credit monitoring company like TrustedID to monitor for identity theft - it would be nice if Certegy would pay for it for a couple of years at least. I'm willing to throw in for a class action lawsuit. I will check back, just let me know if you need my contact info (or contact any Certegy employee who has access to their database)

ZaMeeN wrote:

How can they know any of this information when the account is in MY name to begin with ?....

because...

ZaMeeN wrote:

My boyfriend moved in with me last year in October and I added his name to my checking account ....

Certegy can send the notice to any party who is registered on the account. Apparently, no priority is given to joint account-holders. Maybe his name comes before yours in alphabetical order.

When was the $2000 stolen?

Waylon wrote:

I got the letter - it explains the fraud I have had on the credit/debit cards that are attached to the bank account that was compromised. I have had $2000 stolen due to check card fraud. I was able to get it all back, but I have spent hours getting forms notarized, etc for the fraud investigators. We all need to get a credit monitoring company like TrustedID to monitor for identity theft - it would be nice if Certegy would pay for it for a couple of years at least. I'm willing to throw in for a class action lawsuit. I will check back, just let me know if you need my contact info (or contact any Certegy employee who has access to their database)

Hello,

My check was turned down by [CERTEGY] at Harrahs Casino in Maryland Heights Missouri.
(I have never had a returned check)
Because of that ERROR,

The same Harrahs Casino had cashed many checks in the months before that night, all had cleared. I have used the same checking account and same Id in three Different States.
ZERO (0) Returned Checks.
A black male in plain clothes,(Maurice Benzie) choked me to the point I could not breath and even then, I never rasied a hand, or kick'd him nor any one else.
I was choked by him, My face busted against the brick floor, busting my head ,injuring my right shoulder , blacking my right eye from the outer corner to my nose,blood all over my face,
Their were two others that were holding my wrist behind me while Maurice Benzie grabbed my right leg jerking it upwards into the air behind me.One second my head was 5'8" off the Brick Floor, the next second it was slamming against the brick floor.
No one was touched by me in any way, although Maurice Benzie LIED and said at one point my cap touched him.I was railroaded by the St Louis County Court System and found Guilty of Assault on an Officer, and Resisting Arrest by a black female judge, Brenda Stith Loftin.
In the Railroad Trial, Harrahs Casino ,The State Of Missouri and Prosecutor, used a chopped up VIDEO, using only angles that wouldn't prove my innocence...
I then contacted many St Louis Attorneys, the Justice Department, The ACLU, and the FBI.
No one would help.They claimed because I had been found guilty I could not take action against all of these involved that Assaulted Me,,falsely Accused and Railroaded me thru the St. Louis County Court System.
Then I get this letter from the company that actually started all of that into motion, telling me that I now have to go thru more Emotional Distress from their Negligent Actions.

Got mine yesterday - after it had been forwarded from an address I haven't lived at for almost a year! Obviously, whatever records they have aren't up to date.

Will Bailey -- Answer this: "Do you work for or have any financial interest in Certegy or any of Fidelity National's (NYSE: FIS) companies?" You've spent a whole lot of time defending Certegy on this blog site.

You are acting much like CEO John MacKey who posted very favorable info about Whole Foods on various blogs. You can be prosecuted by the federal government if you have a financial stake in this firm.

D Abraham wrote:

Will Bailey -- Answer this: "Do you work for or have any financial interest in Certegy or any of Fidelity National's (NYSE: FIS) companies?" You've spent a whole lot of time defending Certegy on this blog site.
You are acting much like CEO John MacKey who posted very favorable info about Whole Foods on various blogs. You can be prosecuted by the federal government if you have a financial stake in this firm.

D Abraham -- My answer is "No".

Answer this: "Do you understand how much money retailers lose in check fraud each year and why they need companies like Certegy to keep prices low for everybody?"

Will,

How did you become so knowledgeable about the retail environment. What are your qualifications regarding business administration?

Will Bailey wrote:

<quoted text>
D Abraham -- My answer is "No".
Answer this: "Do you understand how much money retailers lose in check fraud each year and why they need companies like Certegy to keep prices low for everybody?"