Some advice from our local Dripping Springs Constables office on how to lessen your chances of being a victim of identity theft in the case that your wallet is either lost or stolen:
1. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put 'PHOTO ID REQUIRED'.
2. When you are writing checks (personal or business) to pay on your credit
card accounts, DO NOT put the complete account number on the 'For' line. Instead,
just put the last four (4) numbers of the account number. 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 P.O. Box use that instead of your home address. If you do not have a P.O. Box, use
your work address. NEVER have your SS# printed on your checks. 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. Also, this would be a good time to make a photocopy of your passport.
What to do if you wallet is lost or stolen:
1. You've been told you should cancel your credit cards immediately, and that's
true. 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 (see #4 above).
2. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit
cards, etc., were lost or stolen. This proves to credit providers you were diligent,
and this is a first step toward an investigation (if there is one).
3. Call the three (3) national credit reporting organizations immediately to
place a fraud alert on your name and also call the Social Security fraud line
number. 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.
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
A little preventive action NOW will save you 100's of hours of being on the phone
and writing letters to creditors and collectors trying to explain to them that you
are not the person who purchased that new 70" plasma TV or that new (and really
expensive) computer!
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