Even if you don’t like attorneys, you’ll
love them for these tips.
Read this and make a copy for your files
in case you need to refer to it someday. Maybe we should
all take some of his advice! A corporate attorney sent
the following out to the employees in his company:
1.
Do not sign the back of your credit
cards. Instead, put 'PHOTO ID REQUIRED.'
2. 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.
3. Put your work phone # on your checks instead of your
home phone. If you have a PO Box use that ins tead of
your home address. If you do not have a PO Box, 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.
4. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy
machine. Do both sides of each license, credit card,
etc. You will know what you had in your wallet and all
of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and
cancel. Keep the photocopy in a safe place.
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.
Unfortunately, I, an attorney, have first hand knowledge
because my wallet was stolen last month. Within a week,
the thieves 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. But here's some critical information
to limit the damage in case this happens to you or
someone you know:
5. We have been told we should
cancel our credit cardsimmediately. 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.
6. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction
where your credit cards, etc., were stolen. This proves
to credit providers you were diligent, and this is a
first step toward an investigation (if there ever is
one).
But here's what is perhaps most important of all: (I
never even thought to do this.)
7. Call the Three national credit reporting
organizationsimmediately
to place a fraud alert on your name and also call the
Social Security fraud line 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 dead in their tracks.
Now, here are the numbers you always need to contact
about your wallet, if it has been stolen:
1.) Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
2.) Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742
3.) Trans Union : 1-800-680 7289
4.) Social Security Administration (fraud line):
1-800-269-0271
We pass along
jokes on the Internet; we pass along just about
everything. If you are will to pass this information
along, it could really help someone that you care
about.
Tim
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