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A Fortune
500 corporate attorney sent the
following out to his employees in his company: Loss
of a wallet, purse or theft
from ones car or even the car and breaking into a home can
have a myriad of impacting problems. This can cause economic chaos... it
is Identity Theft. It will be much harder to handle than
just the loss of a credit card or belongings that may or may
not be insured. Here
are some things you can
do now that are smart, very easy to do and cost next to
nothing...
The next time you order checks
have only your initials (instead of first name) and last
name put on them.
If someone takes your check book
they will not know if you sign your checks with just your
initials or your first name but your bank will know how you
sign your checks.
When you are writing checks to
pay on your credit card accounts, DO NOT put the complete
account number on the "For" line.
Instead, just put the last four
numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the
number and anyone who might be handling your check as it
passes through all the check processing channels won't have
access to it.
Put your work phone # on your
checks instead of your home phone. If you have a PO Box... use
that instead of your home address. If you do not have a PO
Box then use your work address.
Never have your SS# printed on
your checks (DUH!) you can add it if it is necessary. But if
you have it printed, anyone can get it.
Place the contents of your
wallet on a photocopy machine, do both sides of each
license, credit card, etc. THEN, You will know what you had in
your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers
to call and have canceled.
Keep the photocopy in a safe
place like at home or a safe deposit box. I also carry a photocopy of my passport when I travel
either here or abroad.
We've all heard horror stories
about fraud that's committed on us in stealing a name,
address, Social Security number, credit cards, etc.
Unfortunately I, an attorney,
have firsthand knowledge because my wallet was stolen last
month. Within a week, the thieve(s) ordered an expensive
monthly cell phone package, applied for a VISA credit card,
had a credit line approved to buy a Gateway computer,
received a PIN number from DMV to change my driving record
information online, and more. This is a nightmare that can
take years to unravel or finally get a computer to correct
fraudulent billing statements!
But here's some critical
information to limit the damage in case this happens to you
or someone you know:
We have been told we should
cancel our credit cards immediately. But the key is having
the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so you
know whom to call. Keep those where you can find them
easily.
File A Police Report Immediately
in the jurisdiction where it was stolen, this proves to
credit providers you were diligent, and is a FIRST step
toward an investigation (if there ever is one).
But here's what is perhaps most
important: (I never even thought to do this).
Call the three national credit
reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert
on your name and Social Security number. I had never heard
of doing that until advised by a bank that called to tell me
an application for credit was made over the Internet in my
name. The alert means any company that checks your credit
knows your information was stolen and they have to contact
you by phone to authorize new credit.
By the time I was advised to do
this, almost two weeks after the theft, all the damage had
been done.
There are records of all the
credit checks initiated by the thieves' purchases, none of
which I knew about before placing the alert. Since then, no
additional damage has been done, and the thieves threw my
wallet away this weekend (someone turned it in). It seems to
have stopped them in their tracks.
The numbers are:
Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742
Trans Union: 1-800-680-7289
Social Security Administration (fraud line): 1-800-269-0271
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