Measures to prevent identify fraud, identity theft

We provide this free financial resource to visitors of the Community Room of SeniorSSuperStoreS in an effort to keep baby boomers, seniors and the elderly informed of matters that can affect their lifestyle.

A corporate attorney sent the following out to the employees in his company. It was sent to us, and we are pleased to pass it along, for your information and financial security.

We�ve all heard horror stories about fraud that�s committed on us in stealing a name, address, Social Security number, credit cards, etc. 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.

While this occurred only a month ago, I have spent countless hours already, and I know many more to come in the future, to get all of this straightened out. I face numerous letters and phone calls to prove my innocence. It's strange how the victims of this sort of thing are left with all of the burden. If only I had known some of these precautions beforehand!

But here�s some critical information to limit the damage in case this happens to you or someone you know. We have been told we should cancel our credit cards immediately, but the key is having the toll free numbers and our card numbers handy so we 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 it is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one).

But here�s what is perhaps most important: (I never even thought to do this). Call the three national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and Social Security 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 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 conclude with some additional measures to take to prevent identify fraud:

The next time you order checks have only your initials (instead of first name) and last name put on them. If someone takes your check book they will not know if you sign your checks with just your initials or your first name but your bank will know how you sign your checks.

Put your work phone numbers on your checks instead of your home phone.

If you have a P.0. Box use that instead of your home address; if you do not have a P.0. Box, use your work address.

Never have your Social Security number printed on your checks -- you can add it if it is necessary. But if you have it printed, anyone can get it.

Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine. Copy both sides of each license, credit card, etc. You will then know what you had in your wallet to cancel. Keep the photocopy in a safe place.

Finally, keep the list of credit card numbers and their related toll-free numbers to call in the event of a theft emergency, along with the photocopy of your wallet contents, in a secure, but handy location. But what if you're away from home or office? What if you are traveling? Give a copy of this information to a trusted family member whom you can call to retrieve everything, if you need to do so in a rush.