Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine. Do both sides of
each license, credit card, etc., so you will know what you had in your
wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call to cancel.
Keep the photocopy in a safe place.
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 using 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 thieves 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. 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
each license, credit card, etc., so you will know what you had in your
wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call to cancel.
Keep the photocopy in a safe place.
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 using 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 thieves 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. 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