Hi Friends.
I recieved this in email today.
I never pass these on, however this seems reasonably good advice.
However, I assume no responsibility for the accuracy of the information contained.
But it sounds good, and may help someone here.
I appologise in advance if this has already been posted.
Quote:
LAWYER'S ADVICE (NSW) - NO CHARGE (for a change)
Quote:
A corporate LAWYER sent the following out to the employees in his company:
1. Next time you order cheques, have only your initials (instead of your first name) and surname put on them. If someone takes your cheque book, 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. Place 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. Run the contents of your wallet through 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 (not your wallet). 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 organisations immediately to place a fraud alert on your Tax File Number your passport number and driver’s licence 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 some numbers which you might need to contact if 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
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
others
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
SydneyVirgin 2000 1800 080 000
Westpac 1800 230 144
Woolworths Ezy Banking 137 288
I never answer emails from anyone that I don't know or unsolicited source
and be carefull when putting your trash out that bills and stuff with your details on to make them unreadable.
- don't use internet banking
- don't keep any personal or financial information on you computer (it's too easy to steal electronically).
- never let your credit card out of your sight.
- never ever answer phone or internet surveys
- never ever give any personal or financial details over the phone or to people who knock on the door (no matter what).
- never throw out rates, water bill, power, light, phone bill or anything else that can "collected" and used to steal your identity.
TRUST NO ONE.
Last edited by Ian Robinson; 10-11-2009 at 09:59 PM.
Even though the source appears to be from the USA, it's all good advice.
Not sure about the 'Photo ID' required bit on the credit card though. Do local CC companies permit this?
Yes they do. They wife workes at a large department store as a supervisor, and she has had a woman have that on the back of her card. All that happens is the person gets there drivers licence/passport out and shows the operator. And there you go. (the woman had MS and couldnt sign properly)
I figure you pretty much need at least one of these items to get, credit card. The person (stealer) would have to go to some great lengths to steal the credit card, realise that it has the 'photo id required' tag on the back, get a fake drivers license with the same name as the credit card, and THEN go use it.
I have a phone system set up on my accounts. Money cannot be transferred without my explicit approval. This is a good security measure even if you lose your cards or someone knocks off your identity. The moment a request is made to transfer money the bank calls you.
Yes I have (had) this, very good indeed. If someone stole my identity they would get a nasty shock !
Quote:
Originally Posted by marki
I have a phone system set up on my accounts. Money cannot be transferred without my explicit approval. This is a good security measure even if you lose your cards or someone knocks off your identity. The moment a request is made to transfer money the bank calls you.
Whenever we have to throw away old documents firstly we shred them and then put the shreddings in the worm farm. The worms do a fantastic job of totally destroying everything in a matter of days.
Our fruit trees also appreciated the end result from the worms as well.
Cheers
Last edited by Ric; 12-11-2009 at 12:50 PM.
Reason: typo's
I remember about ten years ago, when I bought a little electric document shredder, my wife rolled her eyes and asked "Why do we need that!?
But now, she uses it more often than ..... the dishwasher (which she bought).
But wait....
Then just to be sure there are no criminals out there with lots of sticky tape, its into the compost bin, and recycled into garden enhancer.
Additionally, she refuses to give her first name to anyone, only her surname and first initial. And if ever a letter turns up with her first name on it, she rings them and demands to know how they got it. And demands they change it.
Once she followed a trail of on-selling of her name and eventually it ended at the local council! Boy did she give it to them !!!
Actually it is no laughing matter. I've already had two attempts at identity theft and one was fairly disconcerting in several respects:
a) how little information he needed to defraud a major telco with whom I never have had any dealings (and never will);
b) that the attitude of the telco was to sue me first, don't even bother to ask;
c) that the telco also proceeded to assemble a pile of other data on me via land title and rental records in order to establish my identity, and then attempted to initiate fraud charges against me on the basis that I was using a false identity.
It wasn't until I said, OK, lets see you in court and I'll gladly go after them for costs and punitive damages that it began to dawn on them that I was not the person they were after.
The legal wrangling dragged on for 4 years before the telco finally gave up. They didn't have the common decency to apologise, however.
It wasn't until I said, OK, lets see you in court and I'll gladly go after them for costs and punitive damages that it began to dawn on them that I was not the person they were after.
The legal wrangling dragged on for 4 years before the telco finally gave up. They didn't have the common decency to apologise, however.
That tel-co needs naming , what a pathetic run organization
Good on you for sticking up for yourself !
I'm another one who uses a document shredder. Identity theft is still quite new in NZ, but when I lived in the UK it was rife. So that's when I first bought a cross-cut shredder.
