useful advice, no kidding

genkaku

Received in email:

Not A Joke!! Even If you dislike attorneys..You will love them for
these tips.

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 ' Second
form of 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 no
t 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 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:

5. We have been told we should cancel our credit cardsimmediately.
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 be en
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,
if it 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

We pass along jokes on the Internet; we pass along just about
everything.

If you are willing to pass this information along, it could really help
someone that you care about..

Cloud

Thank you. I copy/pasted this and sent it to family also. Very useful info to have.

fivebells

The rising economic disorder in the US makes this kind of defensive thinking all the more important. There are going to be a lot more desperate people looking to cut a few corners at someone else's expense.

ShiftPlusOne

I used to think I was too smart to fall for a scam... then I went to China and fell for some of the scams I actually knew about and was looking out for.

So, thanks for sharing, always a good idea to be safe.

Jeffrey

I once got hypnotized into buying a fake chain for a bit (too much) money because I was separated by their magic from companions in crowd and I was tanked. Then foolishly I was angry until I went to bed.

I should put this in the thread asking what buddhism helped me with... Not getting angry when something is tricked out of me. At least not all night.

ShiftPlusOne

Hmm, we weren't angry after we realised we were scammed. I was surprised that I was so gullible and admired the amount of social engineering and psychological tricks that went into it. So, I was mostly humbled and impressed. I suppose that's because the scam didn't go completely according to plan and they didn't get that much money from us.

zenbiker

I've been doing the "See ID" thing on my credit cards for years -- be aware, though, that government agencies may not accept cards that say that. The only place this has ever bitten me was the post office -- I couldn't use my "See ID" credit card to mail packages at the teller. She told me it absolutely had to have a signature on the back that she could match against my ID.

The stupid part is that I just went into the lobby and used the same credit card at the automated postage machine. :rolleyes:

Jeffrey

Dis is why the government is always wrong and automated machines are always right. We have to vote them out of office and replace them with....

Damn no punchline!

fivebells

Jeffrey wrote: »

Not getting angry when something is tricked out of me. At least not all night.

Meditation can really help with that, but it takes practice.

federica

Totally useless advice.

For us Brits......!

genkaku

Rule Britannia!

Jeffrey

Envious of boots and fags. Yuk yuk.

Fivebells: I have whistled at the powder snow of the glacier.... Hi ho hiho hallo Please glacier I wish you to melt.

fivebells

Just hold the glacier in attention, don't try to get it to melt. It's a way of learning not to react to things, not a way to proactively solve problems.