Identity Theft Protection
Identity theft protection:It pays to be prepared in this litigious world
Who likes to live in a litigious world? Lawyers probably do, but for the rest of us anything having to do with legal stuff is business fraught with the anxiety of “I don’t know what’s going on!” Identity theft is one area nobody but the thieves likes to give even a moment’s thought to. And yet it is a reality of our times. Though burying one’s head in the sand might feel cozy and safe it surely is not! Identity theft is a reality and if it happens to you there’s quite a ride involved. That’s why you might want to consider having some identity theft protection in place, just to help you sleep better at night. Then you let the lawyers do what they do best – litigate!
Personally I am not planning to have my identity stolen. If it is stolen I hope then they are responsible for all my bills as well, but I don’t think it actually works that way. Because I know it doesn’t work that way I decided to take out a policy that, in the event someone actually doesn’t want all my bills and debts but just wants to add to my already loaded plate, I am more easily equipped to get them back for myself. In fact, I will have professionals dealing with all that. Listen, I’m happy if I find my car in the parking lot, I certainly am not going to set myself up for dealing with managing things so outside my ability to comprehend!
I learned all about this when I heard Peggy Goehringer give an informational talk on Identity theft.You can learn all about the different kinds of Identity Theft and steps you can take to minimize any potential threat by tuning into the Priestess Entrepreneur Kitchen Table Conversation with Peggy at http://vimeo.com/10866260
The interview can be seen this week on Comcast 22, Boulder Valley Media Alliance
Sunday at 11am, Monday at 6pm, Thursday at 6pm, and Saturday at 11am
True empowerment: Taking preventative action to protect yourself from Identity Theft
I just received this email from a lawyer who has had to deal wiht too many cases of Identity Theft.
There are actually things you can do that help you deter identity theft. Just like you don’t want to leave valuable items exposed in your car, even if you have locked the car!, there are preventative steps you can take to make identity theft just that much harder to happen to you.
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 # on your checks 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 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. Place 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.
I also carry a photocopy of my passport when I travel 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 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..
Here are the numbers you always need to contact about your wallet, if it has been stolen:
1.) Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
2.) Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742
3.) Trans Union : 1-800-680 7289
4.) Social Security Administration (fraud line):
1-800-269-0271
How appropriate that this email coincides with my Priestess Entrepreneur interview with Identity Theft expert, Peggy Goehringer.
Here’s a segment of this must-see interview:
To view Priestess Entrepreneur interview with Peggy Goehringer in its entirety
the show is being aired today, Thursday, April 15th at 6 p.m. and on Saturday, April 17th at 11 a.m.
on Channel 22, Boulder Valley Media Alliance.
True empowerment comes from knowing what’s going on and taking appropriate action in response to REALITY.
As an empowered Priestess Entrepreneur, you know it’s best to deal with reality.
Identity Theft: must I think about this?
This week on Priestess Entrepreneur I interview Identity Theft specialist Peggy Goehringer. Believe me this is not something I like to think about, at all. But it certainly doesn’t serve to stick my head in the sand and not deal with something that is to happen to one out of every three Americans this year. WOW! That’s staggering.
As a Priestess Entrepreneur part of your job is to educate yourself about the systems you have to interface with.
If you are online, looking for info, shopping, giving out your vital info (and who isn’t these days?) and even if you’re just a part of our society and not living in a cave somewhere, you are vulnerable to identity theft. As a Priestess Entrepreneur you gather info to allow you to make good decisions for yourself and your business based on what you learn. That’s the healthy Priestess at work, aligned and aware of reality, making appropriate choices to be in reality, not in fantasy.
Peggy Goehringer spells out Identity Theft and how to prepare for it in easy to grasp language.
Don’t miss out on educating yourself about Identity theft. This is not to frighten you, but to enlighten you.
Here’s a segment from my informative interview with Peggy:
The show will air on Comcast Channel 22 today, Sunday April11th at 11 a.m., Tuesday, April 13th at 6 p.m., Thursday, April 15th at 6 p.m. and Saturday April 17th at 11 a.m.
If you’re not in Boulder county you can watch the interview in its entirety on Channel 22′s website bv22.org
Click on Business section and look for Priestess show.
Comments and feedback welcome!
Have you had any Identity theft issues?