If you receive a letter from XLibris, even if it's addressed incorrectly, OPEN IT.
This is a warning to anyone who has bought a book from XLibris

Yesterday I received a letter from XLibris, to my address, with a different name, but the flap was opened, and so before writing "not at this address" on it, and putting it back in the mail, I looked at it. Inside was a letter from XLibris, from where I have bought a lot of books, both directly and through Amazon.com, saying that their security had been breached, and that it was "probable" that my personal account info - my credit card number, etc. - had been stolen. I called XLibris and was told, after trying to understand an obviously overwhelmed service rep named Patricia, desk# 7983, should you want a direct line in (phone numbers to come) who couldn't explain the mix-up in addresses and names, that, "we've been getting lots of calls like this today." Great.

The gist of the letter was that in order to "make up" for this security breach - and she was able to track my purchases by my address and name - they were offering all customers a free one-year credit tracking by one of the the three main Credit Bureaus: either Equifax,
Experian or Trans Union. But first I had to call one, and my credit card company and make a report. Here's another WARNING. The phone numbers in the letter are incorrect.
To get this free one year credit monitoring, you do have to call XLibris, at 1800 -768-0679, from 9am to 10pm, EST, Monday through Friday.

They will tell you to call Equifax and that Equifax will put a flag on your account, and notify the other companies. And they will give you an "Access Code" with which to get a year's free credit monitoring but the phone number for Equifax's free one year monitoring is not the one on the letter.
If you call that, you will go through an automated system that will sign you up for 90 days and give you no opportunity to use your access code. If you get a service rep at Equifax, they will not know anything about the free one year monitoring and will tell you that you get 90 days or, if you file a police report, 7 years. DON'T call the number on the letter.
The correct number to get through to the Equifax team that can take the access code is
1866-937-8432, to enroll for the year's free monitoring. Once you've done that, then call your credit card company and tell them that you've been involved in a credit card fraud alert and want a new card and new password. I canceled my card yesterday, and AMEX is sending me a new one by expedited shipping, and I'll have it sooner than regular mail.

They are so overwhelmed and understaffed at XLibris, and English is not the first language of most of the reps. I received a call from a Supervisor today, because after speaking to 3 reps and getting nowhere, I insisted on speaking with one. Yesterday she was too busy to call me back - she was "with a very important author," I was told. English is not her first language and she uses a speaker phone, so be prepared for a very long wait, and to hear your own voice coming back at you loudly.

This is not XLibris' fault, but they are not equipped to handle a problem of this magnitude.
You'll need patience, and your personal information, like a social security number and your birth date to deal with your credit card company. Truthfully, I don't remember what I needed for XLibris, but I think it was just my name and address. But don't trust the letter.
And keep the envelope so you can alert XLibris that it was sent to the wrong name. That person is probably sitting and reading, and doesn't know that her/his credit has been compromised. Today I was told that they are working on it.

By the way, I got NO satisfaction from XLibris in explaining why they gave out the wrong number for Equifax. No one knows. But their CEO is named John Feldcamp, @
XLibrisCorporation, 2 International Plaza Suite, Suite 410, Philadelphia, PA 19113-1547
I plan to write to him that a letter sent out under his name had glaring inaccuracies and at dinnertime, took over 3 hours to resolve.

You can get a free annual credit report from each of the three bureaus, free of charge.
Order at 1877-322-8228 or going to www.annualcreditreport.com.

For more info on identity theft, visit the Federal Trade Commission at
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft

I hope this helps you save some time and keeps you from getting your credit 'jacked!
Peace,
Selene