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From
TNPC issue #3.14...
Identity Theft: Online Resources Can Help Protect You
by Lee Hudspeth
July 6, 2000
A loved one's identity was recently stolen. In the interest of
privacy I'm being intentionally vague about the details, but
suffice it to say that someone stole the following items from the
victim: personal check register and checks; wallet (with Driver's
License and some credit cards); cash; grocery scrip; as well as
home, office, and car keys. Within minutes of the crime, the
victim filed a police report with the local Police Department and
contacted various banks and credit card agencies to inform them
of the theft, and all their locks were changed within 24 hours.
But what dismayed me was the police department's appalling lack
of any organized set of recommendations for victims of this type
of crime. When the victim asked the police sergeant if they had a
pamphlet or even a simple checklist of what to do, the reply was
a dismissive, "No." The banks and credit card vendors weren't
quite so terse, but for all practical purposes we were left on
our own. Identity theft is a particular problem for Internet
purchases because the Internet makes it easy for someone
pretending to be you to wreak so much havoc very quickly. Things
that will come back not to haunt the thief but to haunt you, the
victim of identity theft.
Coincidentally, about six weeks prior a friend of ours had her
identity stolen (same scenario as above but no keys were taken),
and her husband's identity was compromised as well. On her own
she managed to figure out some really essential steps on how to
handle the inevitable long-term hassle of bounced (forged)
checks, and although for privacy reasons I won't mention these
friends by name, I want to thank them very much for their help in
dealing with our own experience. The suggestions they made are
all incorporated into this article. There are also some excellent
online resources about identity theft.
There are a number of different ways that your identity can be
stolen. Someone can steal your wallet/purse; rifle through your
trash; pilfer your mail; impersonate you to get information about
you; and spy on your PIN activities at automated tellers and
similar devices. Each experience warrants slightly different
tactics; in this case it was a stolen wallet/purse.
Checklist of what to do when your wallet/purse is stolen.
1. Immediately file a police report in the city in which the
crime occurred.
2. Immediately call your bank's customer service line to report
the theft (they typically have a special number devoted to theft
incidents).
3. Call each credit card's customer service line to report the
theft (they typically have a special number devoted to theft
incidents). If you don't have a precise listing of the credit
cards that were stolen, it's best to cancel *all* of them,
pronto.
4. If the thief now has your home and/or work address, be
vigilant. Don't be lulled into a false sense of complacency by
the constable's off-handed comments like, "Oh don't worry, we see
this all the time. Wallet/purse thieves only want the cash and
never come around to your home." (Yeah, right.)
5. If your home and/or work keys were stolen, replace the locks
immediately. Tell your employer what happened; some employers may
have a protocol for dealing with stolen office keys.
6. If your car keys were stolen, you may want to buy a LoJack (if
you don't already have one) or similar device, since changing all
door locks and the ignition lock can be expensive depending on
your car's make/model.
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/314/tr.cgi?priv1
7. Consider getting a new Driver's License *number*. Not just a
re-issue of your old license, but an entirely new *number*. Your
state's department of motor vehicles probably has a procedure for
doing this (ours does), but you'll have to ask as they didn't
tell us about it, our friend did. If you keep your prior Driver's
License, you may continue to get bounced checks for months or
years, and it will harm your credit rating. This process may take
6-8 weeks. OTOH, recognize that this isn't a guarantee of no more
problems, just one of many possible courses of action that may
minimize your woes so use your own judgment.
8. Contact the three major credit reporting agencies' fraud
departments to alert them of possible impending fraudulent
activities related to your accounts.
Equifax @ 615-386-2200 or 800-556-4711
Experian @ 888-397-3742 or 800-353-0809
or 800-301-7195
TransUnion @ 800-916-8800 or 800-241-2858
or 800-680-7293 or 800-680-7289
(Pardon the multiple numbers, but we're still working through the
agency contacts so these are all the numbers we've gathered to
date.) Tell them to "lock you out" for any new lines of credit
(also called a "fraud lock"), which will help squelch
embezzlement schemes. Once you are confident the storm has passed
you can unlock your status with each credit reporting agency.
9. Gather the following documents, get them notarized (where
appropriate), then make at least 25 copies of each document. As
you receive bounced forged checks from check-clearing/processing
companies like SCAN or others, you can quickly assemble a packet
for replying to their notices. Also keep a copy of each document
with you at all times, should a vendor think you suspicious when
you're flagged in their bad check database while you're in their
store. File all of these documents with the three credit
reporting agencies, too.
10. Watch your credit reports like a hawk for the next year and
aggressively follow up on any activities that tie back to the
theft. Get an updated credit report from each of the three
agencies at least every two months for the next year.
11. Use your previous months' credit card, utility, and other
bills to figure out the typical date on which each one arrives as
precisely as possible. If any of them are so much as a day late
in arriving, call the vendor immediately to see if the thief has
changed your bill's mailing address (a common scam to prevent you
from seeing the mounting fraudulent charges).
Here are some of the online sources for help with identity theft:
* Federal Government's "ID Theft: When Bad Things Happen To Your
Good Name" booklet (the single best resource of the bunch!)
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/314/tr.cgi?priv2
* FDIC Consumer News "Your Wallet: A Loser's Manual"
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/314/tr.cgi?priv3
* Federal Government's Identity Theft Page
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/314/tr.cgi?priv4
* AARP's Identity Theft FAQ
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/314/tr.cgi?priv5
* CALPIRG's Privacy Rights Program FAQs
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/314/tr.cgi?priv6
If you have any identity theft prevention tips, I'd like to hear
from you.
You can reach Lee Hudspeth at:
mailto:leehudspeth@TheNakedPC.com
Copyright © 2000, PRIME Consulting Group, Inc. and Dan Butler.
All Rights Reserved.
The Naked PC is a trademark of PRIME Consulting Group, Inc.
ISSN: 1522-4422
You may reprint an article from TNPC as long as you show the
entire article and include the authors byline, excerpt and
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Identity Theft: Online Resources Can Help Protect You
by Lee Hudspeth
(This article originally appeared in The Naked PC
newsletter #3.14, subscribe at http://www.TheNakedPC.com)
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