Description

On Saturday, June 17, 2023 I was contacted via text by a scammer posing as a "property owner" of an apartment I had inquired about on Craigslist. During our text conversation, the person indicated that they required a credit check and directed me to the website https://creditpeople.info which redirected me to a website managed by IdentityIQ (https://www.identityiq.com/). The credit check required a credit monitoring membership, which cost $1 for a 7-day trial. The person said this was refundable after the credit check went through. After the 7-day trial, the plan increases to $34.99/month. I entered sensitive information like my SSN, credit card number, email, phone number, and address into the website, which I now believe is fraudulent. The scammer then required an application fee for the apartment of $45, which they wanted via PayPal or Venmo using the email [email protected]. I declined to pay. I didn't realize at the time that the IdentityIQ membership cannot be cancelled online. The website instead suggests calling their Customer Service number (1-877-875-4347) to cancel. I tried calling twice to cancel during their business hours on Saturday June 17, 2023 but no one answered. That's when I got suspicious and started reading reviews online from others who've tried canceling, calling customer service multiple times, and then been charged monthly. I tried calling again on Monday, June 19, 2023, but the recording said they were closed in observance of the Juneteenth Holiday. I called again today, Tuesday June 20, 2023 and reached an agent. She cancelled my membership. However, when I asked to be reimbursed for the $1 charge, she said that was not possible. So, I'm disputing the charge with my bank. I also asked that the company not store my sensitive information now that I've cancelled. The agent said that's not possible, and that they need to keep my information on file due to "federal law."