A little education on ID Fraud

[Steve 78]

ATTORNEY'S ADVICE -- NO CHARGE 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. The next time you order checks have only your initials (instead of

first name) and last name put on them. If someone takes your

checkbook, 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.

2. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put "PHOTO ID

REQUIRED".

3. 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.

4. 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, 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.

5. 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 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. But

here's some critical information to limit the damage in case this happens

to you or someone you know:

1. 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.

2. 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.)

3. Call the 3 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 dead in their tracks.

Now, here are the numbers you always need to contact about your

wallet, etc., 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

[Guest]

Steve, excellent post with really useful advice !! =D> =D>

I would add the following:

-- Buy a shredder at Staples/Costco and (this is annoying but crucial) open every piece of junk mail you get to see if it contains a credit application. DO NOT throw those in your garbage! Take them together with your credit card receipts, old medical insurance confirms, anything with a SS# on it and, shred all of it on a regular basis. The easiest way for a thief to steal your identity is to go through your paper garbage (home, office, quarters, etc). See link:

http://www.staples.com/Catalog/Browse/clas...tName=Shredders

-- Get a subscription with Equifax to have them report to you by e-mail any changes to your credit file. I've been using it for 2 yrs. and it really works. It allows you to monitor any unauthorized activity in your file. Link is:

https://www.econsumer.equifax.com/consumer/...ward=esn_detail

[mfc2257 464]

Let me add my two cents...

Stop using debit cards to purchase items every day. This is a direct link to your bank account and if something goes wrong your account gets drained.... Use a credit card instead. If someone gets your card and charges on it, you simply report it, cancel the card and the cc company has to deal with the problem. If your debit card gets stolen, the thieves can swipe away until someone asks them for photo ID in which case they say they forgot it and the cashier hands your card back to them for another try at another store.

This happened to me on the day I was leaving for my honeymoon last September. I used by debit card for EVERYTHING. I almost never used my credit card because I thought it was too much of a temptation. Well that was bad logic. The week before I got married I went to Target in White Plains. Someone must have memorized my card # while I was holding it in line to check out. Then when I punched in my pin they watched me to that too. What they were able to do is put my account info on a fake card and charge away. My moneymarket was linked to my checking so they drained me of any liquid money I had.

The night before I left for my honeymoon in Hawaii I checked my account to move some money into my checking from my moneymarket, and I had $0.00 in my moneymarket and $0.26 in my checking. Thank god we were able to cash our wedding checks into my wife's account (we hadn't merged them yet) and use our CC's in Hawaii, because it took two weeks for me to get a temporary credit of the charges back into my account from the bank fraud unit and another six weeks to resolve the issue all together.

My best advise is to carry enough cash to make it through each day, use a credit card as often as possible and only use a debit card if there is no other alternative.