|
|
|
Hello,
This week's issue is about preventing identity theft. I hope you find this information useful.
Thanks for reading,
Susan
Enter The Photo Contest:
http://www.thriftyfun.com/photo_contest.ldml
Enter The Tip Contest:
http://www.thriftyfun.com/contest.ldml
Frugal solutions to everyday problems: Submit a request...
http://www.thriftyfun.com/add.ldml
This newsletter contains:
Search ThriftyFun Using Google: Click Here
Tip Contest
Submit a tip and you could win:
New Contest! $50.00 Gift Card
In our newest contest we are giving away a $50.00 Gift Card at one of the following stores: Home Depot, Jo-Ann's Crafts or Amazon.com. If you are the winner, you get to choose which gift card! We figured it would be more valuable if you pick out your own prize, that's why we have decided to go the gift card route. This contest will end on April 15th.
Identity Theft
My friend had her purse stolen. She had parked her car in an out of the way place in a local state park's parking lot. The park recreational area was situated a long way from the parking lot and by parking it where she did in the large parking lot, there were few cars nearby. She did this to prevent someone from crashing into her nice little Miata. She then left her purse in the car, under the seat. She had her car locked and her keys with her.
The thief broke a window, got into the car and found her purse. In her purse was about $40, her credit cards, driver's license, and Social Security Card. She had used her birth month and day as her pin number for her debit card so basically they had everything they needed to ruin her credit.
It has taken years to refute all of the phony bank accounts, bad checks, loans, plane tickets, etc. that the thieves were able to use with her information.
As soon as she saw the car had been broken in to she called the police from her cell phone, then drove home and notified her credit card company, bank and everyone she could think of.
What is important about this is with the loss your driver's license number and social security number, your identity belongs to whoever stole it. Be careful who you give this information to and make sure that you always keep those two cards in different places.
Susan from ThriftyFun
View Article: Click Here
Remove any credit cards from your wallet that you do not use on a regular, consistent basis, and store them in a safe location. Or, if this is not an option, check your wallet often to ensure all your credit cards are accounted for. I mention this tip because I recently heard of an acquaintance who had a credit card stolen from her purse at her workplace. She did not know the card was missing from her wallet because she had literally not used the card herself in several years, and she did not regularly check her wallet to account for all her cards.
Consequently, several days went by and the woman received a call from her credit card company inquiring about her account because there was "an unusual amount of activity" on the account, which was not normal for this particular account's history. It was at this point that the woman, after checking her wallet, realized that the card was gone.
Unfortunately, since she did not report her card lost or stolen within a 24 to 48 hour period, the credit card company intended to hold her liable for any charges on this account, which amounted to thousands of dollars by the time the woman realized the card was gone. I never did find out if the credit card company followed through with making the woman pay the charges, but I do know that if you report a credit card lost or stolen within the stated acceptable time frame the card company permits (usually 24 to 48 hours), the credit card company can charge you for the first $50.00 in fraudulent charges, but they usually waive this completely.
It all boils down to your quick response as the card holder! And yes, this is a true story!
Tori
View Article: Click Here
Help yourself from becoming a victim of identity theft: Do
not keep anything in your wallet/purse with your Social Security number on it. This includes your Social Security card, old Medicare cards, or your group health insurance card. The newest Medicare cards only contain the last 4 digits of your SS number.
Truerblue
Post Feedback: Click Here
Watch Your Receipts and Your Bank Account
I hired a mechanic through a friend at work. I thought he was a little "odd" but the price was right so I asked him to put brakes on my Jeep. As soon as he had my vehicle he searched it and found my debit card receipts in the console. I kept them in there, never reading them, not paying attention to the fact that many of them had my full account number and exp. date printed on them.
The day after he fixed my Jeep, charges for 900 numbers (adult oriented) showed up on my checking account. Hubby and I were working feverishly on our yard at the time, so we just thought we were spending A LOT of money at the Garden Center. That's what I get for not paying closer attention to our money I guess.
By the time this jerk was caught, he had spent $1400 cash out of our account, and opened up 2 other accounts in my husband's name for a 900 number company in California. It has taken me since June 2004 to get this all straighted out and his hearing is June 9th of this year.
The DA has told us he probably won't even serve time for this, even though the total was in excess of $4000. We did get all of our money back in the end, but I get porn mail all the time and it has been so much aggravation dealing with these disreputable companies. Please watch what you do with receipts. I never dreamed someone would do this to us.
By Sandy from Pittsburgh
View Article: Click Here
I have been there and I am still digging out of it. What your not hearing anywhere is the person who took your ID may be as close as a near relative.
1. Check your credit
2. Call the Social Security Administration and let them know. Have your named flagged with everyone.
3. Banks and stores, anywhere you might have credit, pay off credit cards cut them up DON'T get any more until you clear your name, these places sell your information.
4. Go to as many as you can free search engines look for yourself. Why? Because you might be as lucky as I was, I found myself living in nine places. 3 of thoses places was where a sister in law had been and the last one she was still living there. A quick call to the attorney found she was scamming one of my sons and others as well. She was not the only one with my ID she passed it to her friends too.
By Roberta
Post Feedback: Click Here
What To Do If Your Personal Information Has Been Compromised
What To Do If Your Personal Information Has Been Compromised Companies or institutions that keep personal information about you have an obligation to safeguard it. Still, from time to time, the personal information they hold may be accidentally disclosed or deliberately stolen. If your information falls into the wrong hands, it may be misused to commit fraud against you.
If you get a notice that your personal information may have been compromised, taking certain steps quickly can minimize the potential for the theft of your identity.
If the stolen information includes your financial accounts, close compromised credit card accounts immediately. Consult with your financial institution about whether to close bank or brokerage accounts immediately or first change your passwords and have the institution monitor for possible fraud. Place passwords on any new accounts that you open. Avoid using your mother's maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your Social Security number (SSN) or your phone number, or a series of consecutive numbers.
If the stolen information includes your Social Security number, call the toll-free fraud number of any one of the three nationwide consumer reporting companies and place an initial fraud alert on your credit reports. This alert can help stop someone from opening new credit accounts in your name.
Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; www.equifax.com; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742); www.experian.com; P.O. Box 2002, Allen, TX 75013
TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289; www.transunion.com; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790
An initial fraud alert stays on your credit report for 90 days. When you place this alert on your credit report with one nationwide consumer reporting company, you'll get information about ordering one free credit report from each of the companies. It's prudent to wait about a month after your information was stolen before you order your report. That's because suspicious activity may not show up right away. Once you get your reports, review them for suspicious activity, like inquiries from companies you didn't contact, accounts you didn't open, and debts on your accounts that you can't explain. Check that information - like your SSN, address(es), name or initials, and employers - is correct.
If the stolen information includes your driver's license or other government-issued identification, contact the agencies that issued the documents and follow their procedures to cancel a document and get a replacement. Ask the agency to "flag" your file to keep anyone else from getting a license or another identification document in your name.
Once you've taken these precautions, watch for signs that your information is being misused. For example, you may not get certain bills or other mail on time. Follow up with creditors if your bills don't arrive on time. A missing bill could mean an identity thief has taken over your account and changed your billing address to cover his tracks. Other signs include:
Continue to read your financial account statements promptly and carefully, and to monitor your credit reports every few months in the first year of the theft, and once a year thereafter. For more information on getting your credit reports free once a year or buying additional reports, read Your Access to Free Credit Reports at www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/freereports.htm.
If your information has been misused, file a report about your identity theft with the police, and file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at www.consumer.gov/idtheft. Read Take Charge: Fighting Back Against Identity Theft for detailed information on other steps to take in the wake of identity theft.
The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit www.ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.
Source: Consumer.gov
View Article: Click Here
When should I provide my Social Security number?
Your employer and financial institution will likely need your SSN for wage and tax reporting purposes. Other businesses may ask you for your SSN to do a credit check, like when you apply for a car loan. Sometimes, however, they simply want your SSN for general record keeping. If someone asks for your SSN, ask the following questions:
If you don't provide your SSN, some businesses may not provide you with the service or benefit you want. Getting satisfactory answers to your questions, though, will help you to decide whether you want to share your SSN with the business.
View Article: Click Here
How can I prevent identity theft from happening to me?
As with any crime, you can't guarantee that you will never be a victim, but you can minimize your risk. By managing your personal information widely, cautiously and with an awareness of the issue, you can help guard against identity theft.
Source: www.consumer.gov
View Article: Click Here
More Stuff
Coupon Swap!
Swap coupons with other ThriftyFun.com users:
Seed Swap!
Swap seeds with other ThriftyFun.com users:
Tip Contest!
Submit a tip and enter our contest.
Submit a Request
Frugal solutions to everyday problems.
Search ThriftyFun!
Use Google technology to search ThriftyFun.
Like ThriftyFun on Facebook
