How to avoid Mystery Shopping Drawbacks and Scams |
10 Ways To Protect Your Financial Identity Being Used For Someone Else’s Shopping Spree Someone impersonating you could be spending your hard-earned money. Impossible! Not really, check, loan, and identity fraud
are a real problem. In 2002, the federal trade commission estimated
that identity fraud affected and estimated 3.3 million Americans;
costing consumers $3.8 billion and business $32.9 billion. Here are 10 ways to protect yourself from having your financial identity used for someone else’s shopping spree: 1. Order your credit report once a year from each of the
three credit bureaus to make sure that you are familiar with all of the
reported transactions and that there isn't any unusual activity. Call
(888) 5OPT-OUT to request to have your name removed from their
marketing lists. 2. Cancel all unused credit card accounts, and make sure
to keep a copy of your credit cards and the toll free contact numbers
so you can report the card number immediately if it is lost or stolen. 3. Don't carry extra credit cards, your social security card or passports in the same wallet except when completely unavoidable. 4. Install a locked mailbox at your office or home to
keep people from snatching your mail. Don't drop paid bills in the
mailbox; take them to the post office to be mailed. 5. Ask your bank about its privacy policies and
information practices. Find out the circumstances under which your bank
would provide your account information to a third party. 6. Always save your credit card receipts to match against
your monthly statement. Keep track of when your cards expire to make
sure your new card arrives in the mail. 7. Never have your social Security number printed on your
checks. Never put your account information on the outside of an
envelope or on a postcard. Give your Social Security number only when
absolutely necessary. Ask if you can use another type of identifying
number whenever possible. 8. Review your phone bills and cellular phone bills each
moth for any unauthorized use. And compare your ATM receipts and cashed
checks with your periodic bank statements to check for unauthorized
transfers or charges. 9. When filling out a loan or credit application, ask how
the company disposes of them. When you receive one of those pre
approved credit card offers in the mail make sure to cut it in small
pieces before throwing it away. 10. When creating passwords or Personal Identification
Numbers (PIN) choose something different from your address, telephone
number, middle name, the last four digits of your Social Security
number, your birth date or any other information that could be easily
discovered by thieves. Bonus- Always write checks using a fine point permanent
marker and put a line before the written amount so that no one can add
something in once you’ve written the check. Resources: Credit reporting bureaus:
Experian- P.O. Box 2104 Allen TX 75013-2104
Trans Union- P.O. Box 390 Springfield PA 19064-0390.
Check verification companies: To verify if there are any
activities on your account from fraud contact these verification
companies. CheckRite- 800-766-2748
Social Security Administration-
To order your earnings and benefits statement |