Victim of identity fraud? Here’s how to rebuild your credit
Why do some people steal other people's identity? For money, of course. Your identity is valuable to many types of thieves. Your name and Social Security number can be used to falsify immigration papers for illegals. Other scam artists can open bank accounts using your ID. Some people have even had their homes sold by people pretending to be the rightful owners. Other thieves steal the mail from your mailbox and use identification information to request credit cards either in YOUR name or in false names.
How can you protect your identity so that it cannot be stolen? There are NO 100% sure protections, but here are some steps you need to take immediately if you have not yet done so:
1. Contact your credit card companies and ask them to provide you with the service which will NOTIFY YOU if there is any suspicious activity on your accounts. Yes, you will probably have to pay extra for this service, but you NEED it.
2. DO NOT REVEAL your Social Security number over the telephone or internet.
3. SAFELY SECURE your license tag so that a thief cannot remove it from your car. Remember, thieves carry tools to remove screws and bolts, so purchase a safety protection kit to be sure no one can remove your tag from your car.
4. Contact your County Property Appraiser Office and request PRIVACY as to the listings of real estate you own, which are appearing for all to see on the internet.
5. Get a LOCKED mailbox. If you cannot afford one, get a slot made in your door so your mail can be delivered INSIDE your door. This is of capital importance for all BUSINESSES as well as for private individuals.
6. About once every 3 months, you should check to see that Social Security has YOUR correct address and that no one has changed your address to theirs! Does this happen often? YES! It happened to me when my purse was stolen. I went to apply for a new Social Security card and in MY records was the ADDRESS OF THE THIEF!
7. KEEP RECEIPTS. Get a folder and use it only for your receipts. Each month when you get your credit card statement AND BANK STATEMENT, go through your receipts of your purchases and reconcile the bank statement and credit card statements. If you see a discrepancy, call the bank or credit card company, ASK TO SPEAK WITH A SUPERVISOR, and tell the supervisor the problem you found.
8. JUST BECAUSE YOU PUT A CHECK INTO THE MAIL OR AT THE POST OFFICE, DOES NOT MEAN THE CHECK ARRIVED AT ITS DESTINATION. Most Post Office workers are honest, but my husband prepared a money order for this father to receive in Argentina. My husband put the envelope into the mail box IN FRONT OF THE POST OFFICE. When my father-in-law never received the money, my husband asked the money order company to investigate. WHAT DID THEY FIND OUT? That a postal employee had forged my father-in-law's name and cashed the money order himself. Yes, the postal worker was fired and sent to jail, but I am telling you this story so you keep in mind that NOT EVEN THE US POST OFFICE is safe from people who would like to steal your identity.
9. PIN numbers: DO NOT use for example the last 4 digits of your social security number as your PIN. CHOOSE a PIN that someone else will NEVER be able to guess.
10. Computer protection: Set your cache to hold only ONE day of the sites you have visited, then each day CLEAR the cache. Delete the cookies and the files, including offline files. Keep your antivirus up to date. Get SPYWARE protection software. DO NOT TELL people your user name and passwords for your websites. BE SURE your hosting company gives you hacker protection. Cheap hosting is fine, so long as you get HACKER PROTECTION!
11. If you travel and/or own a business, or have employees in your home, you need a MINI CAM to review the activities of people who have the ability to tamper with your possessions and identity documents. On a vacation, while you are at the beach, who is in your hotel room maybe snooping through your belongings? If you have your mini cam operating, you will know and the video will provide evidence for the police, if necessary.
You must learn to be abrupt on the telephone when unknown people call you and they begin to ask for personal information such as your birth date and social security number. I know you have always been a polite person, but this fact is EXACTLY what the scam artist seeks to exploit when he or she gets you on the phone. NEVER, NEVER under any circumstance whatsoever, NEVER give your birth date, social security number or your mother's maiden name to anyone over the phone or in the mail or on the internet! STOP BEING SO NICE! Scam artists take advantage of you if you are nice. Learn to be ABRUPT on the telephone. Cut them off. STOP LISTENING to their spiel. HANG UP! SURE they offer you something free. Sure, their deal sounds good. IT IS ALL A LIE. ALL THEY WANT IS TO PUT YOU AT EASE SO THEY CAN GET YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION.
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