Check your mail, Hilton Head and Bluffton: these folks had surprise Forever 21 bills

Two instances of what appear to be identity theft resulting in fraudulent credit card charges made to a well-known women’s fashion retailer have been reported in Beaufort County this week, according to Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office reports.

Sheriff’s deputies spoke Wednesday morning with two people — one in Bluffton, one on Hilton Head Island — who both reported credit card accounts had been opened without their knowledge with Forever 21, and that they’d been charged hundreds of dollars.

Both people received notification of the charges by mail and were surprised to find credit card accounts had been opened in their names.

A Hilton Head woman met with a deputy around 8 a.m. Tuesday and told the officer she’d received a Forever 21 credit card in the mail with a notice that she owned $158.36. She contacted the retailer, according to the report, who told her it would cancel the card and start an investigation.

A couple of hours later, a Bluffton man told a deputy over the phone that he’d received notice that he owed almost $300 for two separate charges from Forever 21. He “contacted the company and learned a store Visa credit card had been opened in his name using his personal identification, including his social security number,” the report said.

Last year, Forever 21 released statements saying it was targeted by hackers, and that some of its in-store points of sale had been compromised by malicious software installation, according to CBS News. Various points of sale were affected between April and November, the news agency said, and customers’ payment information data was stolen.

This story was originally published January 18, 2018 at 3:51 PM with the headline "Check your mail, Hilton Head and Bluffton: these folks had surprise Forever 21 bills."