STOP
CREDIT CARD AND IDENTITY THEFT
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.
- Do
not simply sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put
“PHOTO ID REQUIRED”, along with your signature. (Most major
credit cards say “Void without signature” on the back,
so leaving it blank, or simply putting “Photo ID
Required” may not do it for the merchant taking the
card.
- When
you are writing checks to pay on your credit card
account, 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 number on your checks instead of your
home phone.
If you have a PO Box, use that instead of your
home 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.
- 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 against us by stealing a name,
address, Social Security number, or credit cards.
Unfortunately,
I, an attorney, have firsthand knowledge because my
wallet was stolen last month. Within a week,
the thief(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:
·
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.
·
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.)
·
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 when 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
We pass along jokes on the Internet; we pass
along just about everything. But if you are
willing to pass this information along, it could really
help someone that you care about.
