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From
TNPC issue #3.18...
Identity Theft: Online Resources Can Help Protect You - Part 2
by Lee Hudspeth
August 31, 2000
In TNPC #3.14 I started this article series. In this episode I
have compiled all the solutions, tips, and suggestions provided
by the many kind and thoughtful readers who wrote in. (For
privacy reasons I won't be listing even first names here, but
you'll know who you are. Thanks to all the TNPCers who
contributed.)
1. If the volume of your incoming postal mail suddenly drops,
immediately check with your local Postmaster. Someone may have
mailed a change of address card to your post office to start
intercepting your mail, thereby acquiring your personal data,
especially your social security number.
2. Make a list of all the dates on which your various credit card
accounts deliver a bill. If any one of them is more than 1-2
mail-delivery days late, call the institution to verify that they
still have your correct address. Identity thieves often monkey
with an account and switch the address to one of their own
choosing so you won't--they hope--notice what's happening to the
account.
3. If you're a senior citizen and fall victim to identity theft
follow this tip from a kind TNPCer, "If you are eligible for
senior services, file a financial abuse report with the
state/local agency. Many states are actively prosecuting elderly
fraud and you may get more help (and faster action) when you have
the criminal and civil agencies working together. Don't be
surprised if they don't talk to each other; be prepared to
provide the same information to all agencies."
4. Some readers swear by the "credit card insurance" services
offered by most providers. Although I personally don't feel the
need to pay for such a service (I maintain my own records about
what cards exist and who to call about loss/theft), your mileage
may vary. Remember that if you don't keep the service provider up
to date on new cards, they can't be expected to cancel them for
you.
5. A TNPCer's local police department provided a handout sheet
entitled "IDENTITY THEFT: What to Do If It Happens To You" (a
joint publication of CALPIRG and the Privacy Rights
Clearinghouse, June 1998 Revision). The publication was funded by
The San Francisco Foundation's Bank of America Consumer Education
Fund. Under other useful resources it lists:
* Federal Government Information Center
(800) 688-9889 for help in obtaining agency phone numbers.
* CALPIRG
11965 Venice Blvd., Suite 408
Los Angeles, CA 90066
Phone: 310-397-3404
Web address:
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/318/tr.cgi?id1
Find out about its support group, victims of Identity Theft.
Participate in online victims' discussion group, voit-
moderator@pirg.org, co-sponsored by the Privacy Rights
Clearinghouse.
* Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
1717 Kettner Ave., Suite 105
San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: 619-298-3396
Web address:
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/318/tr.cgi?id2
Obtain its book, "The Privacy Rights Handbook" (Avon, 1997).
We couldn't find this book on Amazon, but did find a close
approximation, "Your Right to Privacy: A Basic Guide to Legal
Rights in an Information Society (An American Civil Liberties
Union Handbook)":
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/318/tr.cgi?id3
6. Social security number tips: if someone asks you for it, ask them why they
need it; and never carry your SSN card with you unless it's needed, and then
only for that day.
7. Destroy sensitive documents. Read: get a shredder. My dad has
one that sits right on top of a standard office-sized waste
basket. Cool! (Note to my parents: now you know what to get me
for Christmas.)
8. Another direct quote regarding credit card transaction
security, "If the store still uses the old carbon-type receipts,
get the carbon copy of the receipt also. These could be pulled
out of the trash by anyone knowing that particular business still
uses the carbon-type receipts. This person will then have your
credit card number, expiration date, and your signature."
9. Use a locked mail box, a slot in your door, or a P.O. box to
secure incoming postal mail.
10. Mail credit card and similar bill payments directly at the
post office rather than from your home's outgoing post box.
Otherwise an identify thief has easy access to your credit card
and bank account information.
11. Encourage and thank merchants who automatically ask for--and
scrutinize--an ID for check and credit card purchases.
12. Keep a current list of bank account numbers, credit card
numbers, contact numbers, and so forth; one copy at home and one
in your safe deposit box.
13. If your wallet/purse is only misplaced temporarily, that
doesn't mean all is well. Many readers related stories about
identity theft that happened in a very short amount of time while
their wallet/purse was misplaced, say, at the vet's office, fast
food restaurant, library, airport ticket counter, etc. Sadly, you
should assume the worst and treat a lost-but-then-found
wallet/purse just like an outright theft.
14. Routinely photocopy the contents of your wallet, keeping one
copy at home and one in your safe deposit box.
15. The National Fraud Information Center:
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/318/tr.cgi?id4
There were plenty more reader tips and suggestions, but I'm out
of room so look for Part 3 in a future issue.
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 - Part 2
by Lee Hudspeth
(This article originally appeared in The Naked PC
newsletter #3.18, subscribe at http://www.TheNakedPC.com)
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