What Should Be Done about Identity Theft?

Using e-mail and other techniques on the internet, scam artists are employing a technique known as phjsMngto try to steal yourpeiscmal

infomtation such as credit card numbers, banking information, and passwords. For example, an e-mail message may appear to bi a
from your credit card company to verify your Social Security number and online banking password. Instead, the information yousutwwftx
ends up in the hands of the scammer, who then uses the information for a variety of unethical and legal acts. Sadly, the result often li m^\
tify theft You can help to deter Identity theft in several ways: 1) shred your financial documents before discarding them, 2) do notelekfi§
in unsolicited e-mail messages, and 3) enroll in a creel motoring servte Consumer advocates often blamt Credit card co^nW tl^SS
credit bureaus for lax security standards. Meanwhile, the companies bfeme consumers ftr being too gullible am! forthcoming *^f riattrf *
information. Both sides Wame the government for poor privacy laws and ttftrt punishments fw identify thieves; But white the
on law enforcement agencies bear the brunt of the problem by spending hundreds of mltens of dote resting to cwpfc^^
ing and processing the criminals. Who should be responsible for protecting the puWc from Internet identity theft? Why?
changed to stop it, or should wisumers change behavior? What is an appropriate punishment for Identity tfHives? Sivin
nature of the Internet, how can foreign identity tWe^ be handled?

Is Check Washing On Your Laundry List?

The first time I ever heard about check washing was some years ago from a client of mine at one of my insurance accounts. She was signing the application with her ’special’ pen. I asked her if it was ’special’ because it was purple. She told me it was a gel pen that had indelible ink that can’t be washed off with water or chemicals like bleach or solvents.

Check washing is a pretty simple way thieves have of stealing your money. They chemically erase the handwritten parts of your check - most commonly the Payee (who the check is written to) and the amount. Clever thieves will only change the Payee part making it payable to themselves and leave the amount the same. You’ll probably not even notice this in your banking statement. That is, until you start to get late or unpaid notices from the company you wrote the check to - like your credit card payment, utility bills or mortgage.

Mail theft is the typical way a thief would get his hands on your checks. You put your paid bills in your mailbox in the morning and go off to work leaving them unattended and exposed to any bold thief who drives down your street. It’s not hard to figure out which envelopes contain paid bills and greeting cards many times have gift checks in them.

What can you do to prevent this type of identity theft?

• Use a gel pen preferably black ink - Uni-ball and Avery are good choices
• Mail letters with checks in them at the Post Office - preferably at the inside mail drop
• Get a locking mailbox for your home
• Do your banking online on a secure computer
• Check your bank statements right away - Banks generally give you only 30 days to report a fraudulent transaction
• Fill in all the lines on a check and if the Payee name is short, draw a horizontal line across the middle of the space left over to prevent anything else being written there.

Is Check Washing On Your Laundry List?

The first time I ever heard about check washing was some years ago from a client of mine at one of my insurance accounts. She was signing the application with her ’special’ pen. I asked her if it was ’special’ because it was purple. She told me it was a gel pen that had indelible ink that can’t be washed off with water or chemicals like bleach or solvents.

Check washing is a pretty simple way thieves have of stealing your money. They chemically erase the handwritten parts of your check - most commonly the Payee (who the check is written to) and the amount. Clever thieves will only change the Payee part making it payable to themselves and leave the amount the same. You’ll probably not even notice this in your banking statement. That is, until you start to get late or unpaid notices from the company you wrote the check to - like your credit card payment, utility bills or mortgage.

Mail theft is the typical way a thief would get his hands on your checks. You put your paid bills in your mailbox in the morning and go off to work leaving them unattended and exposed to any bold thief who drives down your street. It’s not hard to figure out which envelopes contain paid bills and greeting cards many times have gift checks in them.

What can you do to prevent this type of identity theft?

• Use a gel pen preferably black ink - Uni-ball and Avery are good choices
• Mail letters with checks in them at the Post Office - preferably at the inside mail drop
• Get a locking mailbox for your home
• Do your banking online on a secure computer
• Check your bank statements right away - Banks generally give you only 30 days to report a fraudulent transaction
• Fill in all the lines on a check and if the Payee name is short, draw a horizontal line across the middle of the space left over to prevent anything else being written there.

Students, Grades and Social Security Numbers

When social security numbers were first issued back in the 1920’s, they were never intended to be used for identification purposes. They were simply to be a way to track earnings and the amount of money you had paid into the new social security system not a critical piece of information for identity theft.

Flash forward 50 years….

SSN’s are being used by everybody to identity you. In recent decades past, they were used as student numbers. Every report card my children got has their number on it. Even colleges used them.

Flash forward to the present time…..

Schools, colleges and universities routinely post grades online now. The Department of Education reports that almost 50 percent of college students have had grades posted by Social Security number. Because students seldom bother to check their credit report, a theft can go on for years and not be discovered until they’re turned down for a school loan, an apartment, or a job.

Identity theft isn’t always about having money stolen from you. The real danger in identity theft is the harm it does to your financial future. In reality, they are stealing your reputation and that’s where the real harm is done.

Imagine graduating from college all ready to start off on a new life only to find out that someone has racked up thousands of dollars in charges using your name. The unfortunate reality of identity theft is that you, as the victim, are left to clean up the mess and clear your good name. It can be unbelievably frustrating and can take months or even years. You will automatically be assumed to be a deadbeat and it’s up to you to prove you’re not.

If your school is still using any part of your social security number for identification, you need to find out what you can do to get this archaic practice changed.

Students, Grades and Social Security Numbers

When social security numbers were first issued back in the 1920’s, they were never intended to be used for identification purposes. They were simply to be a way to track earnings and the amount of money you had paid into the new social security system not a critical piece of information for identity theft.

Flash forward 50 years….

SSN’s are being used by everybody to identity you. In recent decades past, they were used as student numbers. Every report card my children got has their number on it. Even colleges used them.

Flash forward to the present time…..

Schools, colleges and universities routinely post grades online now. The Department of Education reports that almost 50 percent of college students have had grades posted by Social Security number. Because students seldom bother to check their credit report, a theft can go on for years and not be discovered until they’re turned down for a school loan, an apartment, or a job.

Identity theft isn’t always about having money stolen from you. The real danger in identity theft is the harm it does to your financial future. In reality, they are stealing your reputation and that’s where the real harm is done.

Imagine graduating from college all ready to start off on a new life only to find out that someone has racked up thousands of dollars in charges using your name. The unfortunate reality of identity theft is that you, as the victim, are left to clean up the mess and clear your good name. It can be unbelievably frustrating and can take months or even years. You will automatically be assumed to be a deadbeat and it’s up to you to prove you’re not.

If your school is still using any part of your social security number for identification, you need to find out what you can do to get this archaic practice changed.

Identity Theft and P2P sites

Are P2P sites safe?

Peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing networks are very popular. Especially the music sites. Napster got this started back in the late 90’s.

The problem with P2P file sharing sites is that you can share a whole lot more than you thought you were sharing. Identity thieves can use these programs, including Limewire, to search your computer for tax returns, bank statements, credit reports and student financial aid info. They know exactly what they’re doing and what to look for.

Tiversa Inc. is a computer security company monitors global file sharing networks on behalf of the world’s largest financial institutions, government agencies and individual consumers. The US Attorney General asked them to monitor the P2P sites for a two week period.

At the end of the two weeks, Tiversa reported:

• Almost 56,000 requests for files involving “credit card”
• Over 75,000 requests for specific credit card statements by brand
• 50,000 requests for ‘tax returns’
• Over 317,000 requests for files involving ‘pin’and ‘user id’

 File sharing networks open your computer and your sensitive data to thousands of cyber-criminals. They happily use or sell your information to commit identity theft and fraud.

To secure the personal information stored on your computer, the FTC suggests that you:

• Set up the file-sharing software very carefully. If you don’t check the proper settings when you install the software, you could open access not just to the files you intend to share, but also to other information on your hard drive, like your tax returns, email messages, medical records, photos, or other personal documents.
• Talk with your family about file-sharing. Parents may not be aware that their children have downloaded file-sharing software on the family computer and that they may have exchanged games, videos, music, pornography, or other material that may be inappropriate for them. Kids may not understand the security and other risks involved with file-sharing and may install the software incorrectly, giving anyone on the Internet access to the family’s private computer files.
• Be aware of spyware. Some file-sharing programs install other software known as spyware. Spyware monitors a user’s browsing habits and then sends that data to third parties.
• Use and update your anti-virus software regularly. Files you download could be mislabeled, hiding a virus or other unwanted content. Use anti-virus software to protect your computer from viruses you might pick up from other users through the file-sharing program.
• Close your connection. In some instances, closing the file-sharing program window does not actually close your connection to the network. That allows file-sharing to continue and could increase your security risk. "Always on" connections may allow others to copy your shared files at any time.

 Here’s a list of P2P sites:

Acquisition	eDonkey2000	Kazaa Media Desktop	Phex	WinMX
Aimster	Freewire	LimeWire	Piolet	XoLoX
Ares	Gnotella	LordofSearch	Poisoned
Ares Lite	Gnucleus	Mactella	Qtella
Audiogalaxy	Grokster	Madster	Shareaza
BearShare	GTK-Gnutella	Morpheus	SoulSeek
BitTorrent	iMesh	NeoNapster	SwapNut
Blubster	Kazaa Lite	OneMX	TrustyFiles
Direct Connect	Kazaa Lite K++	Overnet	Warez P2P

The University of Chicago has a page with directions to disable the above P2P sites

Identity Theft and P2P sites

Are P2P sites safe?

Peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing networks are very popular. Especially the music sites. Napster got this started back in the late 90’s.

The problem with P2P file sharing sites is that you can share a whole lot more than you thought you were sharing. Identity thieves can use these programs, including Limewire, to search your computer for tax returns, bank statements, credit reports and student financial aid info. They know exactly what they’re doing and what to look for.

Tiversa Inc. is a computer security company monitors global file sharing networks on behalf of the world’s largest financial institutions, government agencies and individual consumers. The US Attorney General asked them to monitor the P2P sites for a two week period.

At the end of the two weeks, Tiversa reported:

• Almost 56,000 requests for files involving “credit card”
• Over 75,000 requests for specific credit card statements by brand
• 50,000 requests for ‘tax returns’
• Over 317,000 requests for files involving ‘pin’and ‘user id’

 File sharing networks open your computer and your sensitive data to thousands of cyber-criminals. They happily use or sell your information to commit identity theft and fraud.

To secure the personal information stored on your computer, the FTC suggests that you:

• Set up the file-sharing software very carefully. If you don’t check the proper settings when you install the software, you could open access not just to the files you intend to share, but also to other information on your hard drive, like your tax returns, email messages, medical records, photos, or other personal documents.
• Talk with your family about file-sharing. Parents may not be aware that their children have downloaded file-sharing software on the family computer and that they may have exchanged games, videos, music, pornography, or other material that may be inappropriate for them. Kids may not understand the security and other risks involved with file-sharing and may install the software incorrectly, giving anyone on the Internet access to the family’s private computer files.
• Be aware of spyware. Some file-sharing programs install other software known as spyware. Spyware monitors a user’s browsing habits and then sends that data to third parties.
• Use and update your anti-virus software regularly. Files you download could be mislabeled, hiding a virus or other unwanted content. Use anti-virus software to protect your computer from viruses you might pick up from other users through the file-sharing program.
• Close your connection. In some instances, closing the file-sharing program window does not actually close your connection to the network. That allows file-sharing to continue and could increase your security risk. "Always on" connections may allow others to copy your shared files at any time.

 Here’s a list of P2P sites:

Acquisition	eDonkey2000	Kazaa Media Desktop	Phex	WinMX
Aimster	Freewire	LimeWire	Piolet	XoLoX
Ares	Gnotella	LordofSearch	Poisoned
Ares Lite	Gnucleus	Mactella	Qtella
Audiogalaxy	Grokster	Madster	Shareaza
BearShare	GTK-Gnutella	Morpheus	SoulSeek
BitTorrent	iMesh	NeoNapster	SwapNut
Blubster	Kazaa Lite	OneMX	TrustyFiles
Direct Connect	Kazaa Lite K++	Overnet	Warez P2P

The University of Chicago has a page with directions to disable the above P2P sites

Identity Theft - How Much The Worth Of Your Family?

Internet Cyber Crime Pays Well.

Not only that, but it’s a relatively safe crime to commit. Law enforcement estimates that only 1 in 7,000 hackers is convicted. And that’s a low estimate. It’s very difficult to gather all the evidence to put them behind bars. No wonder so many hackers succumb to the lure of easy money.

Identity thieves don’t just steal your personal information for only themselves to use. There’s a bunch of well funded international criminals willing to pay good money for your personal information. Hackers can make money by finding your numbers and selling them. Quite a nasty litte work at home job.

Bank account numbers along with authentication codes are the most valuable commodities. They can easily bring from $30 to a whopping $400. The more money you have available in your account, the higher the asking price. They are the second most advertised numbers for sale on the underground black market.

Credit card numbers are the most popular items for sale. Even though they bring considerably less money than bank numbers, they are the easiest to steal. Their value is anywhere from $.50 to $5.

According to Symantec’s Internet Security Threat Report for the first six months of 2007, banking information and credit cards amounted to 43% of the information available for sale in the criminal community.

The next most valuable piece of info is your email password. It can bring from $1 - $150 depending on whether your account has been used for spamming previously. Email passwords allow access to an email account and are typically used for sending spam. They can also be used to recover a user’s passwords from various Web sites that will email password-reset information to the user’s email account.  Here’s another kick - email accounts with usernames in standard English are generally higher priced. Kinda makes you want to change your name to "Qwerty".

Your full identity goes for $10 - $150. That includes name, DOB, address and social security number. Surprisingly, your social security number will fetch a paltry $5 - $7. They are more valuable when attached to the rest of your personal info.

How do the bad guys get your information to sell?

Bot infected computers are the most common way. They can be in your personal computer or in a company or organization. Bots can also be used by attackers to harvest confidential information from compromised computers, which can lead to identity theft. Furthermore, they can be used to distribute spam and phishing attacks, as well as spyware and adware. Between January 1and June 30, 2007, Symantec observed an average of 52,771 active bot-infected computers per day. P2P sites make it even easier to snoop through your computer.

Security breaches are another huge way thieves get information. Finding a spreadsheet with thousands of credit card numbers worth 50 cents or more is a big payday. Even though hard drives on stolen laptops are generally encrypted, hackers can usually break the code. Remember how fast the iPhone was hacked?

Identity theft continues to be the fasted growing crime in the world.

It’s now bringing in more money than drug trafficking. From a thief’s point of view, online identity theft is a safe and profitable business. Don’t look for it to slow down any time in the near future. 

Identity Theft - How Much The Worth Of Your Family?

Internet Cyber Crime Pays Well.

Not only that, but it’s a relatively safe crime to commit. Law enforcement estimates that only 1 in 7,000 hackers is convicted. And that’s a low estimate. It’s very difficult to gather all the evidence to put them behind bars. No wonder so many hackers succumb to the lure of easy money.

Identity thieves don’t just steal your personal information for only themselves to use. There’s a bunch of well funded international criminals willing to pay good money for your personal information. Hackers can make money by finding your numbers and selling them. Quite a nasty litte work at home job.

Bank account numbers along with authentication codes are the most valuable commodities. They can easily bring from $30 to a whopping $400. The more money you have available in your account, the higher the asking price. They are the second most advertised numbers for sale on the underground black market.

Credit card numbers are the most popular items for sale. Even though they bring considerably less money than bank numbers, they are the easiest to steal. Their value is anywhere from $.50 to $5.

According to Symantec’s Internet Security Threat Report for the first six months of 2007, banking information and credit cards amounted to 43% of the information available for sale in the criminal community.

The next most valuable piece of info is your email password. It can bring from $1 - $150 depending on whether your account has been used for spamming previously. Email passwords allow access to an email account and are typically used for sending spam. They can also be used to recover a user’s passwords from various Web sites that will email password-reset information to the user’s email account.  Here’s another kick - email accounts with usernames in standard English are generally higher priced. Kinda makes you want to change your name to "Qwerty".

Your full identity goes for $10 - $150. That includes name, DOB, address and social security number. Surprisingly, your social security number will fetch a paltry $5 - $7. They are more valuable when attached to the rest of your personal info.

How do the bad guys get your information to sell?

Bot infected computers are the most common way. They can be in your personal computer or in a company or organization. Bots can also be used by attackers to harvest confidential information from compromised computers, which can lead to identity theft. Furthermore, they can be used to distribute spam and phishing attacks, as well as spyware and adware. Between January 1and June 30, 2007, Symantec observed an average of 52,771 active bot-infected computers per day. P2P sites make it even easier to snoop through your computer.

Security breaches are another huge way thieves get information. Finding a spreadsheet with thousands of credit card numbers worth 50 cents or more is a big payday. Even though hard drives on stolen laptops are generally encrypted, hackers can usually break the code. Remember how fast the iPhone was hacked?

Identity theft continues to be the fasted growing crime in the world.

It’s now bringing in more money than drug trafficking. From a thief’s point of view, online identity theft is a safe and profitable business. Don’t look for it to slow down any time in the near future. 

How much the difference between a security freeze and a fraud alert?

Identity theft has finally started getting the attention it’s been begging for. As people become more aware of this crime, they’ve brought pressure on politicians and the credit reporting agencies to make changes. In the past, every state had their own laws regulating security freezes. On November 1, 2007, everyone can put a security freeze on their credit report.

What’s the difference between a security freeze and a fraud alert?

A security freeze completely shuts off anyone from opening new credit in your name - even you. The freeze makes it impossible for anyone to access your credit report. It stays in place until you remove it. You have to freeze your credit with all three credit reporting agencies at a cost of $10 each. To get the freeze temporarily removed, it’s another $10 each. If you’ve been a victim of identity theft, you can get a credit freeze for no charge. The fees vary by state, but $10 is the most common.

A fraud alert allows you to take out new credit or to let someone check your credit. The way it provides protection for you is this - you will receive a confirmation phone call at the number you gave before a new credit account can be opened. A fraud alert lasts for 90 days. To keep one in place, you’ll need to renew it quarterly. The cost for this is nothing - it’s free.

How to freeze  your credit report

• Send a letter to each credit reporting agency  requesting the freeze - preferrably a certified letter
  
  
  • 
    
    
    Equifax Security Freeze
    TransUnion Security Freeze
    Experian Security Freeze
    
    
• 
  
  
  Include your name, address, Social Security Number.
• 
  
  
  Include a check or provide a credit card number and expiration date to pay for the fees.
• 
  
  
  Provide proof of residence such as your driver’s license, student ID card, utility bill, etc.
• 
  
  
  You’ll receive a PIN number - keep that safe and somewhere where you can find it later
• 
  
  
  To remove or thaw the freeze,  write to all three credit reporting agencies requesting the freeze be removed. You’ll need your PIN for this.
• 
  
  
  It can take three business days or more after receipt of your letter for the freeze to be removed. If you lost your PIN, it can take even longer.

 Because it can take a while to freeze and unfreeze your credit, it’s best to use this if you know you won’t be applying for any new credit, getting a new job or moving in the near future.

How to place a fraud alert

Placing a fraud alert is considerably easier than a freeze. All you have to do is call one of the credit reporting agencies and request a fraud alert be placed on your file. Whichever credit agency you call will notify the other two agencies so that they can update you in their files.

• 
  
  
  Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
• 
  
  
  Experian: 1-888-397-3742
• 
  
  
  TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289

A fraud alert will prevent you from getting instant credit which is usually offered at stores. An offer for instant credit usually sounds like this, "If you sign up for our Visa card today, you’ll get 10% off your purchases." Instant credit is an identity thief’s favorite kind.

The method you choose to protect yourself depends on your circumstances at the moment. Either one works well. Neither of them will have any effect on your credit score.

How much the difference between a security freeze and a fraud alert?

Identity theft has finally started getting the attention it’s been begging for. As people become more aware of this crime, they’ve brought pressure on politicians and the credit reporting agencies to make changes. In the past, every state had their own laws regulating security freezes. On November 1, 2007, everyone can put a security freeze on their credit report.

What’s the difference between a security freeze and a fraud alert?

A security freeze completely shuts off anyone from opening new credit in your name - even you. The freeze makes it impossible for anyone to access your credit report. It stays in place until you remove it. You have to freeze your credit with all three credit reporting agencies at a cost of $10 each. To get the freeze temporarily removed, it’s another $10 each. If you’ve been a victim of identity theft, you can get a credit freeze for no charge. The fees vary by state, but $10 is the most common.

A fraud alert allows you to take out new credit or to let someone check your credit. The way it provides protection for you is this - you will receive a confirmation phone call at the number you gave before a new credit account can be opened. A fraud alert lasts for 90 days. To keep one in place, you’ll need to renew it quarterly. The cost for this is nothing - it’s free.

How to freeze  your credit report

• Send a letter to each credit reporting agency  requesting the freeze - preferrably a certified letter
  
  
  • 
    
    
    Equifax Security Freeze
    TransUnion Security Freeze
    Experian Security Freeze
    
    
• 
  
  
  Include your name, address, Social Security Number.
• 
  
  
  Include a check or provide a credit card number and expiration date to pay for the fees.
• 
  
  
  Provide proof of residence such as your driver’s license, student ID card, utility bill, etc.
• 
  
  
  You’ll receive a PIN number - keep that safe and somewhere where you can find it later
• 
  
  
  To remove or thaw the freeze,  write to all three credit reporting agencies requesting the freeze be removed. You’ll need your PIN for this.
• 
  
  
  It can take three business days or more after receipt of your letter for the freeze to be removed. If you lost your PIN, it can take even longer.

 Because it can take a while to freeze and unfreeze your credit, it’s best to use this if you know you won’t be applying for any new credit, getting a new job or moving in the near future.

How to place a fraud alert

Placing a fraud alert is considerably easier than a freeze. All you have to do is call one of the credit reporting agencies and request a fraud alert be placed on your file. Whichever credit agency you call will notify the other two agencies so that they can update you in their files.

• 
  
  
  Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
• 
  
  
  Experian: 1-888-397-3742
• 
  
  
  TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289

A fraud alert will prevent you from getting instant credit which is usually offered at stores. An offer for instant credit usually sounds like this, "If you sign up for our Visa card today, you’ll get 10% off your purchases." Instant credit is an identity thief’s favorite kind.

The method you choose to protect yourself depends on your circumstances at the moment. Either one works well. Neither of them will have any effect on your credit score.

Identity Theft and Stolen Wallets

I hope you’re reading this before your wallet or purse is stolen. If you are, follow the steps below to keep danger of identity theft to a minimum.

• Don’t carry your social security card
• Carry only one credit card - make a copy of both sides and keep in a safe place at home
• Make a list of membership cards you carry - include account numbers and contact info
• Make a copy of your insurance card - both sides - keep in a safe place at home
• Don’t write your PIN number on your ATM or debit card - don’t write it on anything else in your wallet either
• Get ‘WalletLock’ from LifeLock for stolen wallet recovery assistance.

If you’ve lost your wallet or purse, you need to immediately take steps to minimize the damage.

• File a Police Report - important. This proves the date, time and location of the theft or loss.
• Lost Driver’s License - contact the DMV of your state and report it.
• Contact your bank - report stolen ATM or debit card. If you had  your checkbook in your purse, get a stop payment on the range of check numbers you were carrying. There will probably be a fee for this but  you won’t be liable for any unauthorized checks that were written. Consider closing that account and opening a new one. Remember to change any payments that are on automatic withdrawals.
• Change PIN numbers
• Social Security Card - report stolen or lost card to the Social Security Administration fraud hotline at 1-800-772-1213
• Put a Fraud Alert on your credit report - contact any of the credit bureaus and request a fraud alert. It will need to be renewed every 90 days. TransUnion - 800-680-7289 - Equifax - 800-525-6285 - Experian -888-397-3742
• Contact your credit card companies - you can find your account numbers and Customer Service numbers on your credit card statements. Report loss or theft and request a new account number.
• Insurance Card - request a new card - report old one as lost or stolen
• Membership Cards - Contact any places you have a membership with like a library card, gym, country club, etc. Let them know of the loss/theft and get a new card.
• House keys - have your door locks rekeyed or install new ones
  
  
  
• Car Keys - get a locksmith or car dealership to rekey your car locks.
• Cell Phone - call your cell provider immediately. You’ll be responsible for calls until you report it lost or stolen.
• Credit Monitoring - sign up for credit monitoring or an identity theft protection service like ‘Identity Guard’ or ‘Trusted ID’ that will monitor your credit  daily for changes. Compare these services here.
• Order your credit report - if you don’t use a credit monitoring service, get your credit report for free at annualcreditreport.com. Wait a month after the theft to get one because it will take that long to show up on your report.

Identity Theft and Stolen Wallets

I hope you’re reading this before your wallet or purse is stolen. If you are, follow the steps below to keep danger of identity theft to a minimum.

• Don’t carry your social security card
• Carry only one credit card - make a copy of both sides and keep in a safe place at home
• Make a list of membership cards you carry - include account numbers and contact info
• Make a copy of your insurance card - both sides - keep in a safe place at home
• Don’t write your PIN number on your ATM or debit card - don’t write it on anything else in your wallet either
• Get ‘WalletLock’ from LifeLock for stolen wallet recovery assistance.

If you’ve lost your wallet or purse, you need to immediately take steps to minimize the damage.

• File a Police Report - important. This proves the date, time and location of the theft or loss.
• Lost Driver’s License - contact the DMV of your state and report it.
• Contact your bank - report stolen ATM or debit card. If you had  your checkbook in your purse, get a stop payment on the range of check numbers you were carrying. There will probably be a fee for this but  you won’t be liable for any unauthorized checks that were written. Consider closing that account and opening a new one. Remember to change any payments that are on automatic withdrawals.
• Change PIN numbers
• Social Security Card - report stolen or lost card to the Social Security Administration fraud hotline at 1-800-772-1213
• Put a Fraud Alert on your credit report - contact any of the credit bureaus and request a fraud alert. It will need to be renewed every 90 days. TransUnion - 800-680-7289 - Equifax - 800-525-6285 - Experian -888-397-3742
• Contact your credit card companies - you can find your account numbers and Customer Service numbers on your credit card statements. Report loss or theft and request a new account number.
• Insurance Card - request a new card - report old one as lost or stolen
• Membership Cards - Contact any places you have a membership with like a library card, gym, country club, etc. Let them know of the loss/theft and get a new card.
• House keys - have your door locks rekeyed or install new ones
  
  
  
• Car Keys - get a locksmith or car dealership to rekey your car locks.
• Cell Phone - call your cell provider immediately. You’ll be responsible for calls until you report it lost or stolen.
• Credit Monitoring - sign up for credit monitoring or an identity theft protection service like ‘Identity Guard’ or ‘Trusted ID’ that will monitor your credit  daily for changes. Compare these services here.
• Order your credit report - if you don’t use a credit monitoring service, get your credit report for free at annualcreditreport.com. Wait a month after the theft to get one because it will take that long to show up on your report.