Protect
Personal Information
Place
the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine. Do both sides of each license,
credit card, etc., so you will know what you had in your wallet and all of the
account numbers and phone numbers to call to cancel. Keep the photocopy in a
safe place.
We've
all heard horror stories about fraud that's committed using 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 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. 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 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 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.
The
numbers are:
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