Identity Theft

[Lilith]

We are all going to have to be on our toes now.

http://money.cnn.com/2005/02/15/technology/identity_theft.reut/index.htm?cnn=yes

[tgisober]

Yes , thank you Lilith. Coincidentally, the episode of CSI:Miami last night was about identity theft.The suspect in the story rooted through the victims trash and found an application for a pre-approved loan.She applied for the loan and received it at a P.O. box!! You can't be too careful these days!

[PantyFanatic]

Isn't the real criminal and enemy ChoicePoint! :mad:





When we met Lil, you can make me suck your panties so you know it’s really me. :lust:

[wyndhy]

...and they wonder why people start survivalist camps :rolleyes2

[cherrypie7788]

Identity theft is a horrible thing to deal with...My ex had his identity stolen shortly after he came back from the gulf war and it messed things up for him for a long time.

Companies like this should not be allowed to operate. It's bad enough that people can just "buy" info like this about you anyhow. That's MY opinion.

As an extra precaution, I shred all of my personal mail that might give anything about me away, that's one good quality the ex instilled in me! You just don't think about it until it happens to you and I don't want my credit screwed up because of someone else.

[maddy]

This has been a focus of a local tv channel and they are pointing out all sorts of things people don't think about ....

1) donating computers, REFORMAT the hard drive to ensure all data is fully removed, simply deleting all your files leaves bits and bytes behind. They tested several computers donated to Salvation Army and found TONS of info about the previous ownerS ..... yes, OWNERS... not just the most recent owner of the computer.

2) demand that retailers look at your signature when you sign a receipt and compare it to your receipt. It's a few moments of inconvenience, but it reminds them to do their job. And if you are like me and your signature strip is worn off the back of your debit card, hand them your photo ID with the receipt. (I actually get asked for ID about 60% of the time I use the card at a non pin-pad)

[Oldfart]

Keep an eye on your EFT credit vouchers.

Even if the vendor is as honest as the new day is long, if their voucher machine prints

the whole number and validity date, ditching the customer copy as you leave the premise

puts all the information in the hands of scroungers.

AND YOU GAVE IT TO THEM!

[wyndhy]

maddy,
a quick story about that signature deal...bigbad took my card to the hardware store, the clerk asked to see it to verify the signature, bigbad signed his own name and she never batted an eye while comparing what he signed to the signature on the back of my card. :rolleyes2

after digging a little deeper into these types of companies i am seriously considering paying in cash for anything i can and ditching those stupid grocery store member discount cards (i think i finally understand the *real* reason behind those things now. it has always bugged me that i needed a card to get their sale prices, now i know i don't need the card, they need my shopping profile so they can make the money back they lost on their sale stuff by selling my stuff...bastages!). i know it won't keep everything out of their slimy technical tenticles but some at least.

[PantyFanatic]

I have been thinking about this thread and have a lot to say. Now that I see there are some others that also have an opinion, I WILL be back later. ;)

[cherrypie7788]

I like to kill time on a site called zug (zug.com) and the owner of the site did a "credit card prank" which I think most of you should at least find interesting (if not scary)

http://www.zug.com/pranks/credit/

It really does make you not want to use your credit cards...

[LixyChick]

I burn every receipt that has our info on it (after a respectable amount of time)! I never use my ATM card as a debit card in store...I use it as a credit card and this way I don't have to put in my P.I.N number...but only sign it...in which case I can do what Oldfart said and check to make sure the entire number isn't revealed, but just the last four numbers!

When I get invites to open credit, I return the card with my info on it, shredded and then shredded again, in the "no postage necessary" envelope that the company sent it to me with...with a note to cease asking cause I ain't biting.

Just about ready to stop putting my outgoing mail in my personal mailbox (set at the street for pick-up and delivery), including my bills I am paying...cause the invoices include too much personal info. It's going to be a bit of an inconvience...but I'm going to take my bills to the post office and hand them to the postal worker personally.

Got some of my bills paid directly from my account online...and am rethinking that security as well since my older sister just had her identity stolen and lost over $6,500 from her account before notification!!

"Strange things are afoot at the Circle K" (Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure)

^^^^Just needed a place to say that...TYVM Lil...this was the perfect thread!

*giggle*

[Lilith]

I just read today that 2 of the head dudes of the company that was involved, slowly began selling their stock when they realized what had occured. Only then did they begin to inform the public.

[Belial]

Unfortunately reformatting won't necessarily get rid of much. A DoD wipe should be adequate to prevent information being recovered - but if you're really concerned, take a sledgehammer to the hard drive.

[Scarecrow]

My daughter had her SS sold by someone in student services while in college back in 1998. She is still trying to straighten things out. The school did not inform those affected after the person was caught, my daughter found out from the manager of an apartment complexe when she applied for an apartment.

[maddy]

One other little tip (if it hasn't been mentioned already, I'm too lazy today to go back and re-read) ... it is critical to pull your credit report at least once a year, and isn't a bad idea to pull it from all three agencies as they may have differing information. Of course you're going to pay for this, but if you can catch a fraud early on, the cost is well worth it... the site I use is www.myfico.com and I have no regrets about spending the money annually to keep my mind at ease.

[Scarecrow]

Maddy it soon will be free for ppl to pull it once a year.


https://www.annualcreditreport.com/

[maddy]

Excellent... that means I'll get mine twice this year, since I already paid for them. :)

[Lilith]

Great! Guess who just got her letter from ChoicePoint regarding the possibility that my information may have been stolen. It appears I am entitled to 1 year of credit report monitoring free through a special arrangement (no doubt to keep me from sueing their asses) due to the likelihood that I too may be a victim of this crime.

[IAKaraokeGirl]

Understands ^^^^. I got a copy of my credit report from one of the agencies today. I'm flipping through it...and notice that there are some accounts I *know* I didn't apply for/have. Checking the information at the beginning, I find out that another person with the *same* first name as me who lives in the city I grew up and spent most of my life in has information on my report. The agency didn't seem too concerned--they think the files were just combined--but I've disputed several things, just to be sure.