Stolen Identity

A corporate attorney sent this out to the employees in his company. I pass
it along, for your information.


We've all heard horror stories about fraud that's committed us in your name,
address, SS#, credit, etc. Unfortunately, I (the author of this piece who
happens to be an attorney) have first hand knowledge, because my wallet was
stolen last month and within a week, the thief (ves) 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. As everyone always advises, cancel your 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
easily. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where it was
stolen, this proves to credit providers you were diligent, and is a first
step toward an investigation (if there ever is one).

But here's what is perhaps most important: (I never ever thought to do this)
Call the three national credit reporting organizations immediately to place
a fraud alert on your name and SS#. I had never heard of doing that until
advised by a bank that called to tell me and 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
2 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 in their
tracks.

The numbers are:

Equifax: 1-800-525-6285,

Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742,

Trans Union: 1-800-680-7289,

Social Security Administration (fraud line): 1-800-269-0271