I am not sure if these numbers work from Australia but the advice is
good in this day and age. I would never have thought to photocopy
what was in my purse.
Regards
Rhonda.
I don't know if a corporate attorney actually sent this
out, but it sounds like good advice. A corporate attorney sent
this out to the employees in his company...
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.
We've all heard horror stories about fraud that's
committed against us in stealing a name, address, Social Security,
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.
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 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 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 pass along jokes;
we pass along just about everything. Do think about passing this
information along. It could really help someone.
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