Epilepsy Talk

FREE — Attorney’s Advice On Personal Security — No Charge! | October 7, 2019

A corporate attorney sent the following out to the employees in his company.

Read this and make a copy for your files in case you need to refer to it someday.

Maybe we should all take some of his advice!

1. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put ‘PHOTO ID REQUIRED.’

2. When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts, DO NOT put the complete account number on the ‘For’ line.

Instead, just put the last four numbers.

The credit card company knows the rest of the number, and anyone who might be handling your check as it passes through all the check processing channels, won’t have access to it.

3. Put your work phone # and address on your checks.

If you have a PO Box, use that instead of your home address.

If you do not have a PO Box, use your work address.

Never have your SS# printed on your checks. (DUH!) You can add it if it is necessary. But if you have it printed, anyone can get it.

4. Copy 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 on us in stealing a Name, Address, Social Security Number, Credit Cards…

Unfortunately, I, an attorney, have firsthand knowledge because my wallet was stolen last month.

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:

5. We have been told we should cancel our 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.

6. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit cards, etc., were stolen.

This proves to credit providers you were diligent, and this is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one).

But here’s what is perhaps most important of all: (I never even thought to do this.)

7. Call the 3 national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and also call the Social Security fraud line 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 dead in their tracks.

Now, here are the numbers you always need to contact about your wallet, if it has been stolen:

1.) Equifax: 1-800-525-62851-800-525-6285
2.) Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742 1-888-397-3742
3.) Trans Union: 1-800-680 7289 1-800-680 7289
4.) Social Security Administration (Fraud Line): 1-800-269-0271
5.) Social Security Administration (Identity Theft Line): 1-8877-438-4338

We pass along jokes on the Internet; we pass along just about everything.

If you are willing to pass this information along, it could really help someone that you care about.

NOTE: I wish I knew who wrote this!

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11 Comments »

  1. Thanks for this vital information Phylis! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Comment by Daniel — October 7, 2019 @ 12:28 PM

  2. Thanks for this useful information.

    Liked by 1 person

    Comment by Flower Roberts — October 7, 2019 @ 4:43 PM

  3. You’re very welcome, Flower.

    Like

    Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — October 7, 2019 @ 4:51 PM

  4. All my credit cards I can report stolen/lost via online. Did that when i saw I left mine in a gas pump in a town 4 hours away. Thankfully my phone has internet access. Were 3 gas charges in Phoenix AZ and said I only did once for 67.00 she says great I will dispute these charges. Love the info here.

    Liked by 1 person

    Comment by dhaniboi1 — October 8, 2019 @ 4:01 PM

  5. Thank you! I have been fortunate that my credit card companies have been diligent about watching. They have locked my card when they thought the usage looked suspicious –not like my usual “M.O.”, you could say, until I called! I was beyond grateful, although everything was fine. Better safe than sorry! Thank you for the numbers, too. No one has those around…well, not me!

    Liked by 2 people

    Comment by catsissie — October 10, 2019 @ 2:54 AM

    • I have Amex which is diligent about purchase histories.

      They once called me at 8:00 AM to ask me if I had been to Haiti!

      Like

      Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — October 10, 2019 @ 9:55 AM

  6. Reblogged this on catsissie.

    Like

    Comment by catsissie — October 10, 2019 @ 2:55 AM

  7. Thank you SOOOO MUCH PHYLIS!!!!! 💗

    Liked by 1 person

    Comment by Kathy S.B — October 10, 2019 @ 3:04 AM

  8. Glad if it was of help!

    Like

    Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — October 10, 2019 @ 9:56 AM


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    About the author

    Phylis Feiner Johnson

    Phylis Feiner Johnson

    I've been a professional copywriter for over 35 years. I also had epilepsy for decades. My mission is advocacy; to increase education, awareness and funding for epilepsy research. Together, we can make a huge difference. If not changing the world, at least helping each other, with wisdom, compassion and sharing.

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