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 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.
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 later 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, etc. 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:
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 easily. 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).
But here's what is perhaps most important: (I never even thought to
do this).
Call the three 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 in their
tracks.
The numbers are:
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. Pass this information along. It could
really help someone you care about.
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