When Bryan Hiler started applying for jobs at local banks a few years ago he got some troubling news about his credit score.
"When I was applying for these jobs and got denied it had all these addresses I'd never lived at and these credit cards that I've never had," he said. "It was like 'where did this come from?"
He quickly learned that his credit score was in shambles. That score--also known as a FICO score--is what big banks use when deciding whether to make a loan.
After doing some digging, Hiler discovered thousands of dollars in charges wracked up on his card by someone who stole his wallet at a party in Austin back in 2005.
The thief used Hiler's name to open credit cards, rent an apartment and even turn on utilities. Most of the bills went unpaid.
"Since I didn't notice it and didn't track my credit the way I should have--or monitored it the way I should have--I didn't realize all of this was going on in my name," he said.
Hiler went years without knowing his credit was in jeopardy. He's now spent the past two years trying to fix it. In several instances, he's even had to resort to filing a lawsuit against banks and debt collection agencies who refused to remove the fraudulent charges.
"One thing I wish I would've done different, I wish I'd realized back in '05 what had happened, it would've been a lot easier to fix," he said.
Greg Jones, Executive Vice President of Business Development at American State Bank, reinforces Hiler's warning to stay on top of your financial information.
"I advise people to check their credit card statements regularly to make sure there's not any negative activity there and to check their bank accounts on-line to make sure there's not anything going on there," Jones said.
He also tells his clients to keep their information close.
"We primarily try to advise people to just keep their information private and be very careful about who they give their account information out to," he said.
Hiler says it pays off to know of any problems now before it's too late.
"When I needed my credit, it takes a while to get it corrected," Hiler said with laughter. "It's not an overnight process by any means so if you are planning on getting a house or a loan or a car you want to make sure you do check that out before you go into that process."
"When I was applying for these jobs and got denied it had all these addresses I'd never lived at and these credit cards that I've never had," he said. "It was like 'where did this come from?"
He quickly learned that his credit score was in shambles. That score--also known as a FICO score--is what big banks use when deciding whether to make a loan.
After doing some digging, Hiler discovered thousands of dollars in charges wracked up on his card by someone who stole his wallet at a party in Austin back in 2005.
The thief used Hiler's name to open credit cards, rent an apartment and even turn on utilities. Most of the bills went unpaid.
"Since I didn't notice it and didn't track my credit the way I should have--or monitored it the way I should have--I didn't realize all of this was going on in my name," he said.
Hiler went years without knowing his credit was in jeopardy. He's now spent the past two years trying to fix it. In several instances, he's even had to resort to filing a lawsuit against banks and debt collection agencies who refused to remove the fraudulent charges.
"One thing I wish I would've done different, I wish I'd realized back in '05 what had happened, it would've been a lot easier to fix," he said.
Greg Jones, Executive Vice President of Business Development at American State Bank, reinforces Hiler's warning to stay on top of your financial information.
"I advise people to check their credit card statements regularly to make sure there's not any negative activity there and to check their bank accounts on-line to make sure there's not anything going on there," Jones said.
He also tells his clients to keep their information close.
"We primarily try to advise people to just keep their information private and be very careful about who they give their account information out to," he said.
Hiler says it pays off to know of any problems now before it's too late.
"When I needed my credit, it takes a while to get it corrected," Hiler said with laughter. "It's not an overnight process by any means so if you are planning on getting a house or a loan or a car you want to make sure you do check that out before you go into that process."
