A GOOD IDEA

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.

A corporate attorney sent this out to the employees in his company. I pass it along, for your information.

We've all heard horror stories about fraud that's committed us in your name, address, SS#, credit, etc. Unfortunately I (the author of this piece who happens to be an attorney) have firsthand knowledge, because my wallet was stolen last month and 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.

As everyone always advises, cancel your 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 ever thought to do this) - Call the three national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and SS#. 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 2 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; we pass along just about everything. Do think about
passing this information along. It could really help someone.

Shortcake, sorry to hear of your misfortune. I think your information is valuable and as history goes, when the economy slows down - thefts go up. Thanks for sharing.

terry

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. Thanks for the valuable info. My wife and I will follow your suggestion today.

I hope the coming New year will hold better things for you.

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bigdragon

NO, Thank God, this did not happen to me. I am just passing on the information as it was passed to me. I felt that it was worth everybody's reading.

I have taken it's advice and hope that all of you will too.

Stephanie

Thanks for the imfo.
just printed it and will follow it Thanks
Larry

THANKS LARRY !!!! I printed the info for posterity and will surely use it if i have too!!

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[This message has been edited by pharologst (edited 01-12-2002).]

One other note of caution - I was a victim on this one - shredding credit applications you don't want is a good idea. We unfortunately had one of those sent out by Discover card that went to a former address nearly a year after we'd moved - all of the proper forwarding stuff was done with the USPO. Some turkey applied for a discover card in our name, ran up about a $3K tab, made one or two minor payments in the process and then just disappeared, leaving us to try to unscramble the mess after we finally found out what had happened some time later. It is possible to have all of the three national credit bureaus put a hold on all credit authorizations without telephone contact to your home phone number. A word of caution, however, it doesn't seem to last for more than a couple of months as the unwanted preapproved credit card applications have started rolling in yet again. One more thing to be vigilant about, I suppose for whatever its worth.

As dangerous as losing your credit cards to a thief is losing your identity. Identity theft may not become apparent for months or even years after it has happened. And, it can take many years to correct the mess it will cause. Here are some sites to help you with various issues from this thread:

To remove your name from direct mail and telephone solicitation lists:
Direct Marketing Association

Identity Theft: FTC ID Theft Web Site

The Federal Trade Commission's web site is an excellent resource for information on a wide ranging number of topics. From the main page, choose the "Consumer Protection" button.

Dave
[This message has been edited by Dave H (edited 01-13-2002).]

[This message has been edited by Dave H (edited 01-13-2002).]