[at-l] Sticky fingers revisited

[spiriteagle99@hotmail.com (Jim and/or Ginny Owen)]

Got this from a friend.  Those who will be thruhiking might especially want 
to think about it.
Walk softly,
Jim
**********************************************************************

A GOOD Idea to Pass Along.......
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. If you have a scanner on your
computer you can scan them and store in on a FLOPPY, not just on your
hard drive.

------------------------------------------------------------------------A 
corporate attorney sent this out to the employees in his
company.  I pass it along, for your information.

We've all heard horror stories about fraud that's committed
us in 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 thieve(s) 
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
on-line, 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

We pass along jokes; we pass along just about everything.  Think about 
passing this information along.  It could really help someone.

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