Man In Handcuffs
Unfortunately, Identity Theft is on the rise and crooks are getting ever more crafty in getting your information, such as phishing, hacking e-commerce websites like Ebay or Amazon, stealing tapes from the mail, and so forth.
But some use more simple means - they call you on the telephone trying to trick you into providing your information, or they look through your mail or trash.
There are some things you can do to help reduce your risk!
Prevention
The following are some things that you can do to limit your risk for a crook stealing your identity.
1. The next time you order checks, omit your first name and have only your initials 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.
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 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 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.
5. Keep the photocopy in a safe place. I also carry a photocopy of my passport when I travel either here or abroad.
The Path To Recovery
If you do find yourself a victim of Identity Theft, there are some things you can do:
1. First, call all the toll-free numbers from the back of your cards you photocopied. Notify your card companies and banks what has happened so they can flag or freeze your accounts.
2. 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).
3. Call the three national credit reporting organizations and the Social Security Administration Fraud line immediately to place e a fraud alert on your name and Social Security number. 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.
- Equifax:1-800-525-6285
- Experian:(formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742
- Trans Union:1-800-680-72 89
- Social Security Administration(fraud line):1-800-269-0271
As they say, an ounce of preventure is worth a pound of cure, but being armed with how to recover from Identify Theft can put your mind at more ease.