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A corporate attorney sent the following out to the employees in his company.
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.
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, 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 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:
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, which I never even thought to do.
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 past 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., when it has been stolen:
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
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.
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