N
NickCC
Guest
============Print and Keep it Somewhere=============
ATTORNEY'S ADVICE - NO CHARGE (for a change)
A corporate attorney sent the following out to the employees in his
company.
1. The next time you order cheques have only your initials (instead of
first name) and last name put on them. If someone takes your
chequebook, they will not know if you sign your cheques with just your
initials or your first name, but your bank will know how you sign your
cheques.
2. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put "PHOTO ID
REQUIRED".
3. When you are writing cheques 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 cheque as it passes
through all the cheque processing channels won't have access to it.
4. Put your work phone number on your cheques instead of your home
phone. 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
Centrelink Number printed on your cheques. You can add it if it is
necessary, but if you have it printed, anyone can get it.
5. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine. Do both
sides of each licence, 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. I also carry a
photocopy of my passport when travelling either here or abroad. 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 first-hand knowledge because my
wallet was stolen last month. Within a week, the thieves ordered an
expensive monthly mobile phone package, applied for a VISA credit card,
had a credit line approved to buy a Dell computer, received a PIN number
from DMV to change my driving record information on-line, and more.
But here's some critical information to limit the damage in case this
happens to you or someone you know:
1. 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.
2. 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).
3. But here's what is perhaps most important of all: (I never even
thought to do this.)
Call the three national credit reporting organizations immediately to
place a fraud alert on your name and Social Security 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 authorise 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
handed it in. It seems to have stopped them dead in their tracks.
Now, here are the numbers you always need to contact when your wallet
etc has been stolen:
1. Visa Card Australia 1800 621 199
2. Visa Card International 1800 450 346
3. Lost Travellers' Cheques 1800 127 477
4. MasterCard Australia (02) 9466 3700
5. MasterCard International 1800 120 113
ANZ FREECALL 1800 033 844
BankWest 131 718
Citibank 132 484
Tamworth Coles/Myer Source 2340 1300 306 397
Commonwealth 132 221
CUSCAL- MyCard 1300 135 538
GE Capital 1300 369 904
Members Equity 1300 654 998
National 132 265
St George 1800 028 208
Sydney Virgin 2000 1800 080 000
Westpac 1800 230 144
Woolworths Ezy Banking 137 288
6. Bankcard Australia (02) 9281 6633
7. Medicare 132 011
8. Centrelink Fraud 137 230
9. Seniors Card 1300 364 758
10. Passport 131 232
We pass along jokes on the Internet; we pass along just about
everything, but if you are willing to pass this information along, it
could really help someone.
ATTORNEY'S ADVICE - NO CHARGE (for a change)
A corporate attorney sent the following out to the employees in his
company.
1. The next time you order cheques have only your initials (instead of
first name) and last name put on them. If someone takes your
chequebook, they will not know if you sign your cheques with just your
initials or your first name, but your bank will know how you sign your
cheques.
2. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put "PHOTO ID
REQUIRED".
3. When you are writing cheques 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 cheque as it passes
through all the cheque processing channels won't have access to it.
4. Put your work phone number on your cheques instead of your home
phone. 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
Centrelink Number printed on your cheques. You can add it if it is
necessary, but if you have it printed, anyone can get it.
5. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine. Do both
sides of each licence, 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. I also carry a
photocopy of my passport when travelling either here or abroad. 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 first-hand knowledge because my
wallet was stolen last month. Within a week, the thieves ordered an
expensive monthly mobile phone package, applied for a VISA credit card,
had a credit line approved to buy a Dell computer, received a PIN number
from DMV to change my driving record information on-line, and more.
But here's some critical information to limit the damage in case this
happens to you or someone you know:
1. 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.
2. 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).
3. But here's what is perhaps most important of all: (I never even
thought to do this.)
Call the three national credit reporting organizations immediately to
place a fraud alert on your name and Social Security 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 authorise 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
handed it in. It seems to have stopped them dead in their tracks.
Now, here are the numbers you always need to contact when your wallet
etc has been stolen:
1. Visa Card Australia 1800 621 199
2. Visa Card International 1800 450 346
3. Lost Travellers' Cheques 1800 127 477
4. MasterCard Australia (02) 9466 3700
5. MasterCard International 1800 120 113
ANZ FREECALL 1800 033 844
BankWest 131 718
Citibank 132 484
Tamworth Coles/Myer Source 2340 1300 306 397
Commonwealth 132 221
CUSCAL- MyCard 1300 135 538
GE Capital 1300 369 904
Members Equity 1300 654 998
National 132 265
St George 1800 028 208
Sydney Virgin 2000 1800 080 000
Westpac 1800 230 144
Woolworths Ezy Banking 137 288
6. Bankcard Australia (02) 9281 6633
7. Medicare 132 011
8. Centrelink Fraud 137 230
9. Seniors Card 1300 364 758
10. Passport 131 232
We pass along jokes on the Internet; we pass along just about
everything, but if you are willing to pass this information along, it
could really help someone.
