Namaste cafe members,
A Dear friend sent this to me this morning, bless her peach pickin' heart. Good advise.
Walk in beauty,
Rebecca
> THIS IS NOT A JOKE
>
> 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 redit 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.
>
> 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
>
