CREDIT AND IDENTITY THEFT PROTECTION
Our good friends at American Industrial forwarded some practical advice they had received online about easy steps you can take to minimize the risk of credit and identity theft. The advice is certainly well worth passing along, so here are some practical do’s and don’ts:
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.
3. Put your work phone number on your checks instead of your home phone. If you have a P.O. Box, use that instead of your home address. If you do not have a P.O. Box, use your work address. Never have your Social Security number printed on your checks.
4. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine. Copy 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.
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 that you were diligent, and this is the first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one).
7. If your wallet is stolen, call the three national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and also call the Social Security fraud line number:
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
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.
Dirk A. Beamer
Know Your Business. Grow Your Business. Protect Your Business
Discussion Area - Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.