[at-l] Great Advice

[Bror8588 at aol.com (Bror8588@aol.com)]

When hiking or even in civilization  when going to purchase hiking gear it is 
possible that wallets will be  lost.  What to do?  What to do?  Read on!
 
It would be wise to read this, pass  it along to all your friends.  Good 
advice!
 
 
ATTORNEY'S ADVICE -- NO CHARGE 
 
 
 
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  firsthand knowledge because my wallet 
was stolen last month. 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 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, 
etc., has been stolen:   
1.) Equifax: 1-800-525-6285   
2.) Experian (formerly TRW):  1-888-397-3742  
3.) Trans Union: 1-800-680-7289   
4.) Social Security Administration (fraud  line): 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.