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Blog: Surfing the Paper Wave
 Preventing and Coping with Identity Theft
While doing my daily file folder purge (see I Got SMART, 10/28/07) I came upon a three-year-old email with such useful ideas on preventing identity theft and coping with it after the fact that I had to share them with you. I want to give credit to the author, but he is identified simply as "a corporate attorney who sent the following out to the employees in his company."
Preventing Identity Theft
- The next time you order checks, have only your initials 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.
- Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put "PHOTO ID REQUIRED."
- When you are writing checks to pay your credit card bills, 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. (Your blogger adds: avoid making purchases or donations through the mail where you send in a form with your credit card number and expiration date. This passes through too many human hands before reaching a computer.)
- Put your work phone number on your checks instead of your home phone, (or don't put any phone number at all.) If you have a PO box, use that instead of your home address. If you don't have a PO box, use your work address. NEVER have your Social Security number printed on your checks.
- 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.
Coping After Identity Theft
- We have been told we should cancel our credit cards immediately. But the key is having the toll-free numbers and your credit card numbers handy so you know whom to call. Keep them where you can find them.
- File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit cards were stolen. This proves to credit providers that you were diligent, and this is the first step toward an investigation.
- Call the 3 national credit-reporting agencies and the Social Security Administration immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and Social Security number. The alert means that any company who checks your credit knows your information was stolen, and they have to contact you before they authorize new credit. Here are the numbers to use:
Equifax – 1-800-525-6285
Experian – 1-888-397-3742
TransUnion – 1-800-680-7289
Social Security Administration Fraud Line 1-800-269-0271
The source email for these ideas indicates that the attorney/author learned what to do from bitter experience when his own wallet was stolen. I experienced credit card fraud myself recently. Fortunately, I caught it right away because I check my credit card statements online weekly (another good thing to do.) I have to say that I was gratified with the credit card company's response to my fraud report: they unhesitatingly issued me a new credit card and reversed the three transactions I knew to be fraudulent. Further, the fraud representatives were sympathetic and helpful.
How about you? Do you have any practical suggestions to share based on your personal experience with identity theft?
posted on: 11/11/2007 10:30:00 AM by Suzanne Kuhn
category: Paper
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Surfing the Paper Wave
by Suzanne Kuhn
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About Suzanne:
Suzanne Kuhn is the owner of ACE ORGANIZING, offering affordable, customized, energizing organizing solutions to homes, schools and small businesses in the five-county Philadelphia area and central New Jersey. Although an organizing generalist, (she'll organize anything!) Suzanne has a growing specialty in paper and electronic filing systems and financial organizing. To receive her FREE booklet, 50 TOP TIME MANAGAGEMENT TIPS, email her at [email protected]
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