Identity theft
Most of you know I've been "gotten" by identity thieves twice now, and I'm always looking for more information on it. I went to a seminar yesterday on Fraud and Identity Theft (unfortuately I've got to be well informed about this stuff for work) and brought back some info I think folks might be interested in.
It is part of a long email I wrote to our company, so it is behind a cut tag,
Yesterday's seminar on Identity Theft and Business Fraud was very eye-opening
and I decided to bring the following information back to help you protect
yourselves as well as Summerville. Sure this email is long, but it is well
worth your time to read it. I've been caught by identity theft twice, and I
can assure you, it takes MUCH longer to fix your problems after the fact then
it does to read this email.
I. Identity Theft - How to protect yourself.
Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the world today. Ten years
ago, it was relatively rare, but today any crook with a computer and five minutes can take your identity. Identity theft not only fouls up your credit record, but it can also get you arrested. Yes, you the victim can be arrested by the police for crimes the thief committed with your name.
A woman in Tacoma had her purse stolen August 29th 2002. She filed a police
report, contacted everyone you are supposed to, and canceled all her cards.
The next day she went in and got a new driver's license. Three days later,
the thief went into the DMV and also got a new license, with the victim's
information and thief's picture on it. The thief went on to commit several
acts of forgery under the victim's name. Because all the information showed
the victim's information, the police didn't know that it wasn't actually her,
and put out a couple felony arrest warrants for forgery. A couple of weeks
ago, the victim was stopped for speeding, and because of the outstanding
warrants against her name, was arrested. She was booked into jail, spent the
night there, and the next day was brought before the judge for arraignment.
Fortunately, the judge quickly realized that the woman before him was an
innocent victim and released her, but not before the victim had to suffer
great emotional trauma. The police are now searching for the woman who stole her identity.
You can help prevent this from happening to you, follow these rules to protect
yourself:
-Don't carry extra credit cards, your SSN card, your birth certificate, or
your passport in your wallet or purse.
-Reduce the amount of your information that is "out there" by closing unused
credit cards and accounts. Tell the company to mark it "Closed at account
holder's request" (this is really important because those notes show up on
your credit report and if it doesn't say that, it can negatively impact your credit score).
-Install a locked mailbox at your home. If that isn't feasible, consider
getting a PO Box instead, it's less expensive that trying to repair your name
and credit.
-If you order new checks, have them sent to your bank branch instead of your
home. If the bank doesn't want to do it, tell them you are concerned about
having your mail stolen and they should do it for you at no charge.
-Do NOT leave outgoing mail in your mailbox. Mail thieves are known as "red
flag bandits because they look for the red flag on your box to go up and then
they steal your mail as soon as you leave. Instead take your mail to the post
office, or drop it in one of the postal service's blue mail boxes.
-Photocopy all of your credit card and bank info (including the cards front
and back) and keep it in a secure location (not with the cards).
-NEVER give personal information or credit card info over the phone unless it
is to a trusted company and YOU have called them. Phishing is getting more
and more prevalent and while elders are the most often hit, just because you're
young, doesn't mean the crooks won't try it on you.
-Order all your credit reports once a year. The detective who spoke
recommended annualcreditreport.com, make sure you mark the box to get all
three reports. You can do this once a year for FREE!
-Always take your credit card receipts with you. Did you know, that the
receipt you sign will often have your complete credit card number on it? Did
you also know that they only need the last four digits on the receipt because
as soon as your card is swiped through the machine your account has already
been debited and the receipt is only for their records?
-Make sure your card is signed. You can write "See ID" on the card, but under
your signed application with the credit card company, you MUST sign your card.
-Make sure to watch your mail when you are expecting new or reissued credit
cards. (Also from personal experience, watch the mail for your credit card
statements as the thieves can use that to buy stuff as well.)
-When using a PIN pad or ATM, shield your hand as you enter your PIN. If
someone is standing close to you, ask them to step back. Beware of "shoulder
surfers", people who will watch for your PIN number to try and steal it along
with your card (there are devices people attach to ATMS that will capture your
card without you knowing any different, and if they get your PIN number, they
can replicate your card and go to town with it.)
-Carefully review your bills for unusual charges. This includes the phone
bill as it is perfectly possible to attach devices to someone's phone line to use their number to make expensive calls (we learned that one recently down in our Oakland warehouse).
-Do NOT keep an "extra" bunch of checks or a credit card in your car "for
emergencies".
-Shred or burn all pre-approved credit card offers or other documents with
personal identifying information.
-When getting a loan, ask how the application form will be stored and handled.
(An escrow company had been just throwing theirs away and a crook would sit in
their dumpster and go through all the mail. The cops caught the guy for
something else, and he readily told them about the escrow company. The cops
then had to go to the escrow company and tell them about the problem. Now
they shred their documentation.)
I did get some useful resources including how to get off spam and junk mail
III. Some Resources for you
You probably know there is the Federal Do-Not-Call list (www.donotcall.gov)
you can put your phone number on to keep telemarketers from calling you, but did you know there is also a way to keep from getting junk mail?
-The national credit bureaus offer a toll free number that enables you to opt-
out of all pre-approved credit offers. Call 1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-8688)
-The Direct Marketing Association allows you to opt-out of direct mail
marketing from many national companies. You can register for removal by
either:
-Put your name(s), home address, and signature on a letter or postcard to:
Mail Preference Service
Direct Marketing Association
PO Box 9008
Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008
-Use the online form at: www.the-dma.org/consumers/offmailinglist.html
Registering at either of these will put your name on a "delete" list and will
be made available to direct-mail marketers. This will be effective for five
years.
-To reduce the number of spam emails you get, use the online form at:
www.dmaconsumers.org/offemaillist.html. Your online request will be good for
one year.
IV. What to do if you ARE a victim of ID theft
If you are a victim of identity theft, the FIRST thing you should do is call
you bank, and your credit card companies to tell them. Then contact your
local police department and INSIST (politely of course, you don't want to tick off the cops) that they take a report. If they tell you that they can't take a
report, tell them you need to have the information for your credit card
company and the bank (because trust me, they ask for it, and without the police
report, it is harder to get your money back). Get the name of the officer you talk to and the report number. Document everything and all your conversations, who you talked to, when you talked to them, what you talked about, with the police, the credit card companies, the bank, and anyone else.
For more information, go to www.consumer.gov/idtheft they have a really good
booklet on what to do, and how to document everything.
WARNING... New Credit Card Scam
Thanks to an NACM member for forwarding this information after a personal
experience.
By understanding how the VISA & MasterCard Telephone Credit Card Scam works,
you'll be better prepared to protect yourself.
The scam works like this: The person calling says, "This is (name), and I'm
calling from the Security and Fraud Department at VISA. My Badge number is
12460: your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and I'm
calling to verify. This would be on your VISA card which was issued by (name
of bank). Did you purchase an anti-telemarketing device for $497.99 from a
marketing company based in Arizona?"
Note, the callers do not ask for your card number.
When you say "No", the caller continues with, "Then we will be issuing a
credit to your account. This is a company we have been watching, and the charges range from $297 to $497; just under the $500 purchase pattern that flags most cards. Before your next statement, the credit will be sent to (gives you your address): Is that correct?"
You say "yes". The caller continues: "I will be starting a fraud
investigation. If you have any questions, you should call the 1-800 number listed on the back of your card (1-800-VISA) and ask for Security. You will need to refer to this control number. The caller then gives you a 6 digit number, and asks: "Do you need me to read it again?"
Here's the IMPORTANT part: The caller then says, "I need to verify you are in
possession of your card". You will be asked to "turn your card over and look
for some numbers". (There are 7 numbers; the first 4 are part of your card
number, the next 3 are the security numbers that verify you are the possessor
of the card. These are the numbers you sometimes use to make Internet
purchases to prove you have the card.)
The caller will ask you to read the 3 numbers to him. After you tell the
caller the 3 numbers, they'll say: "That is correct, I just needed to verify that the card has not been lost or stolen, and that you still have your card. Do you have any other questions?" After you say "No", the caller then thanks you, and states: "Don't hesitate to call back if you do", and hangs up.
You actually say very little, and they never ask for or tell you the Card
number.
The member who submitted this information says: "After we were called, we
called back within 20 minutes to ask a question. Are we glad we did! The REAL
VISA Security Department told us it was a scamand in the last 15 minutes, a
new purchase of $497.99 had been charged to our card."
What the scammers want is the 3-digit PIN number on the back of the card.
Don't give it to them!
Instead, tell them you'll call VISA or MasterCard directly for verification.
While you think you're receiving a credit, they are actually charging your
card for a purchase they are making. When you get your statement, you'll see
charges for purchases you didn't make, and by then it's too late and/or more difficult to actually file a fraud report. VISA will never ask for anything on the card, as they already know the informationsince they issued the card.
Law Enforcement has said that they are taking several reports daily on this
scam. Make you're your friends, family and coworkers don't become victimspass
this information on.
It is part of a long email I wrote to our company, so it is behind a cut tag,
Yesterday's seminar on Identity Theft and Business Fraud was very eye-opening
and I decided to bring the following information back to help you protect
yourselves as well as Summerville. Sure this email is long, but it is well
worth your time to read it. I've been caught by identity theft twice, and I
can assure you, it takes MUCH longer to fix your problems after the fact then
it does to read this email.
I. Identity Theft - How to protect yourself.
Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the world today. Ten years
ago, it was relatively rare, but today any crook with a computer and five minutes can take your identity. Identity theft not only fouls up your credit record, but it can also get you arrested. Yes, you the victim can be arrested by the police for crimes the thief committed with your name.
A woman in Tacoma had her purse stolen August 29th 2002. She filed a police
report, contacted everyone you are supposed to, and canceled all her cards.
The next day she went in and got a new driver's license. Three days later,
the thief went into the DMV and also got a new license, with the victim's
information and thief's picture on it. The thief went on to commit several
acts of forgery under the victim's name. Because all the information showed
the victim's information, the police didn't know that it wasn't actually her,
and put out a couple felony arrest warrants for forgery. A couple of weeks
ago, the victim was stopped for speeding, and because of the outstanding
warrants against her name, was arrested. She was booked into jail, spent the
night there, and the next day was brought before the judge for arraignment.
Fortunately, the judge quickly realized that the woman before him was an
innocent victim and released her, but not before the victim had to suffer
great emotional trauma. The police are now searching for the woman who stole her identity.
You can help prevent this from happening to you, follow these rules to protect
yourself:
-Don't carry extra credit cards, your SSN card, your birth certificate, or
your passport in your wallet or purse.
-Reduce the amount of your information that is "out there" by closing unused
credit cards and accounts. Tell the company to mark it "Closed at account
holder's request" (this is really important because those notes show up on
your credit report and if it doesn't say that, it can negatively impact your credit score).
-Install a locked mailbox at your home. If that isn't feasible, consider
getting a PO Box instead, it's less expensive that trying to repair your name
and credit.
-If you order new checks, have them sent to your bank branch instead of your
home. If the bank doesn't want to do it, tell them you are concerned about
having your mail stolen and they should do it for you at no charge.
-Do NOT leave outgoing mail in your mailbox. Mail thieves are known as "red
flag bandits because they look for the red flag on your box to go up and then
they steal your mail as soon as you leave. Instead take your mail to the post
office, or drop it in one of the postal service's blue mail boxes.
-Photocopy all of your credit card and bank info (including the cards front
and back) and keep it in a secure location (not with the cards).
-NEVER give personal information or credit card info over the phone unless it
is to a trusted company and YOU have called them. Phishing is getting more
and more prevalent and while elders are the most often hit, just because you're
young, doesn't mean the crooks won't try it on you.
-Order all your credit reports once a year. The detective who spoke
recommended annualcreditreport.com, make sure you mark the box to get all
three reports. You can do this once a year for FREE!
-Always take your credit card receipts with you. Did you know, that the
receipt you sign will often have your complete credit card number on it? Did
you also know that they only need the last four digits on the receipt because
as soon as your card is swiped through the machine your account has already
been debited and the receipt is only for their records?
-Make sure your card is signed. You can write "See ID" on the card, but under
your signed application with the credit card company, you MUST sign your card.
-Make sure to watch your mail when you are expecting new or reissued credit
cards. (Also from personal experience, watch the mail for your credit card
statements as the thieves can use that to buy stuff as well.)
-When using a PIN pad or ATM, shield your hand as you enter your PIN. If
someone is standing close to you, ask them to step back. Beware of "shoulder
surfers", people who will watch for your PIN number to try and steal it along
with your card (there are devices people attach to ATMS that will capture your
card without you knowing any different, and if they get your PIN number, they
can replicate your card and go to town with it.)
-Carefully review your bills for unusual charges. This includes the phone
bill as it is perfectly possible to attach devices to someone's phone line to use their number to make expensive calls (we learned that one recently down in our Oakland warehouse).
-Do NOT keep an "extra" bunch of checks or a credit card in your car "for
emergencies".
-Shred or burn all pre-approved credit card offers or other documents with
personal identifying information.
-When getting a loan, ask how the application form will be stored and handled.
(An escrow company had been just throwing theirs away and a crook would sit in
their dumpster and go through all the mail. The cops caught the guy for
something else, and he readily told them about the escrow company. The cops
then had to go to the escrow company and tell them about the problem. Now
they shred their documentation.)
I did get some useful resources including how to get off spam and junk mail
III. Some Resources for you
You probably know there is the Federal Do-Not-Call list (www.donotcall.gov)
you can put your phone number on to keep telemarketers from calling you, but did you know there is also a way to keep from getting junk mail?
-The national credit bureaus offer a toll free number that enables you to opt-
out of all pre-approved credit offers. Call 1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-8688)
-The Direct Marketing Association allows you to opt-out of direct mail
marketing from many national companies. You can register for removal by
either:
-Put your name(s), home address, and signature on a letter or postcard to:
Mail Preference Service
Direct Marketing Association
PO Box 9008
Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008
-Use the online form at: www.the-dma.org/consumers/offmailinglist.html
Registering at either of these will put your name on a "delete" list and will
be made available to direct-mail marketers. This will be effective for five
years.
-To reduce the number of spam emails you get, use the online form at:
www.dmaconsumers.org/offemaillist.html. Your online request will be good for
one year.
IV. What to do if you ARE a victim of ID theft
If you are a victim of identity theft, the FIRST thing you should do is call
you bank, and your credit card companies to tell them. Then contact your
local police department and INSIST (politely of course, you don't want to tick off the cops) that they take a report. If they tell you that they can't take a
report, tell them you need to have the information for your credit card
company and the bank (because trust me, they ask for it, and without the police
report, it is harder to get your money back). Get the name of the officer you talk to and the report number. Document everything and all your conversations, who you talked to, when you talked to them, what you talked about, with the police, the credit card companies, the bank, and anyone else.
For more information, go to www.consumer.gov/idtheft they have a really good
booklet on what to do, and how to document everything.
WARNING... New Credit Card Scam
Thanks to an NACM member for forwarding this information after a personal
experience.
By understanding how the VISA & MasterCard Telephone Credit Card Scam works,
you'll be better prepared to protect yourself.
The scam works like this: The person calling says, "This is (name), and I'm
calling from the Security and Fraud Department at VISA. My Badge number is
12460: your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and I'm
calling to verify. This would be on your VISA card which was issued by (name
of bank). Did you purchase an anti-telemarketing device for $497.99 from a
marketing company based in Arizona?"
Note, the callers do not ask for your card number.
When you say "No", the caller continues with, "Then we will be issuing a
credit to your account. This is a company we have been watching, and the charges range from $297 to $497; just under the $500 purchase pattern that flags most cards. Before your next statement, the credit will be sent to (gives you your address): Is that correct?"
You say "yes". The caller continues: "I will be starting a fraud
investigation. If you have any questions, you should call the 1-800 number listed on the back of your card (1-800-VISA) and ask for Security. You will need to refer to this control number. The caller then gives you a 6 digit number, and asks: "Do you need me to read it again?"
Here's the IMPORTANT part: The caller then says, "I need to verify you are in
possession of your card". You will be asked to "turn your card over and look
for some numbers". (There are 7 numbers; the first 4 are part of your card
number, the next 3 are the security numbers that verify you are the possessor
of the card. These are the numbers you sometimes use to make Internet
purchases to prove you have the card.)
The caller will ask you to read the 3 numbers to him. After you tell the
caller the 3 numbers, they'll say: "That is correct, I just needed to verify that the card has not been lost or stolen, and that you still have your card. Do you have any other questions?" After you say "No", the caller then thanks you, and states: "Don't hesitate to call back if you do", and hangs up.
You actually say very little, and they never ask for or tell you the Card
number.
The member who submitted this information says: "After we were called, we
called back within 20 minutes to ask a question. Are we glad we did! The REAL
VISA Security Department told us it was a scamand in the last 15 minutes, a
new purchase of $497.99 had been charged to our card."
What the scammers want is the 3-digit PIN number on the back of the card.
Don't give it to them!
Instead, tell them you'll call VISA or MasterCard directly for verification.
While you think you're receiving a credit, they are actually charging your
card for a purchase they are making. When you get your statement, you'll see
charges for purchases you didn't make, and by then it's too late and/or more difficult to actually file a fraud report. VISA will never ask for anything on the card, as they already know the informationsince they issued the card.
Law Enforcement has said that they are taking several reports daily on this
scam. Make you're your friends, family and coworkers don't become victimspass
this information on.