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.

1. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put "PHOTO ID
REQUIRED".

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. 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.

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. 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:

5. 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.

6. 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.)

7. Call the 3 national credit reporting organizations immediately to
place a fraud alert on your name and also call the Social Security
fraud line 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 about 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