good stuff to know

Subject: ATTORNEY's ADVICE - NO CHARGE

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 '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. 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 not 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 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 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 been 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 1-800-525-6285

2.) Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742 1-888-397-3742

3.) Trans Union : 1-800-680 7289 1-800-680 7289

4.) Social Security Administration (fraud line):
1-800-269-0271 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..