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Today discussions: Identity theft

To protect yourself from becoming a victim of Identity Theft:

• Don't carry a checkbook. Pay by cash or credit card.
• Don't carry your Social Security card with you or use your Social Security number as your driver's license number.
• Buy a paper shredder. Shred any documents listing your social security number and other financial information such as your bank account numbers and credit card numbers. This is the number one way of preventing identity theft.

Personal Identification Number (PIN): Choose one you can remember without writing it down; don't use your birth date, address or another number a thief could figure out.

Never give your debit card or PIN to someone you don't know, even in restaurant, make sure no one watching when you enter your PIN.

Keep receipts, don't throw them on the ground or in the trash where someone can find them.

Be aware of your "disclosure profile".

Don't send or receive mail from your unprotected mailbox.

Check your credit records at least annually.

Never put your address, telephone, social security or driver's license numbers on your check.

If someone is using your identity and cashing your checks or credit cards, you should:

Report the situation immediately to your bank or credit card company. You may not have monetary liability because forgery and/or fraud is involved, but you will want the companies to be aware of the problem, as this is something that could affect your credit. In addition, follow these instructions to fully protect yourself:

a) Contact all three credit bureaus and issue a fraud alert. Check your credit report six months later and look for items you don't recognize.
b) Provide a copy of your driver's license to each agency's fraud unit in order to register an affidavit.
c) Contact the proper authorities in writing, via certified receipt request.
d) Inform your local police department, Social Security Administration and all creditors with whom you have accounts.

Credit bureaus:

Equifax: www.equifax.co 800-525-6285, 800-685-1111

Options, PO Box 740123, Atlanta, GA 30374-0123
Experian: www.creditexpert.com 888-397-3742, 800.311.4769

Consumer Opt-out, 901 West Bond, Lincoln, NE 68521
Transunion: www.transunion.com 800-680-7289, 800-916-8800, 800.888.4213

PO Box 97328 Jackson, MS 39288-7328

If a thief steals your identity and begins racking up debt:

A) Contact the fraud units of the three credit reporting agencies. Request that your account be flagged and add a victim's statement saying, "MY ID has been used to fraudulently apply for credit. Call me at this number to verify all applications." Find out how long the fraud alert will be posted and how to extend it if you need to. Check your credit report and look for items you don't recognize.

B) Contact your credit card companies and financial institutions to report the fraud. Get new cards, have old accounts colsed with a memo stating, "account closed at customer's request." Follow up in writing.

C) Call the police and get the crime on record, then get a copy of the police report. Keep a log of all conversations including date, name, phone number, and the information provided.

D) Notify the Federal Trade Commission, which keeps a database of identity thefts. Phone: (888) FTC-HELP; Address: FTC, CRC-40, Washington D.C. 20580.

E) Notify you bank and if necessary, cancel checking and savings accounts and get new account numbers. Request a password that may be used in every transaction. Get a new ATM card, account number and password. Don't use your SS # or birthdate as a password.

F) Don't pay any bill or part of a bill resulting from identity theft.

How many times a day does someone ask for your SSN? Or how often do you fill out an application or other form that asks for very personal advice? Too often. But even if have little or no control over what happens to information after you release it, you still can limit how it's disseminated. Here's how . . .

First, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act requires "financial institutions" (banks, brokerage firms, insurance companies, credit card companies, etc.) to notify customers about the personal information they collect and share with others. These entities have to give customers the opportunity to "opt out" of certain disclosures.

Important note: Opting out does not prevent companies from sharing your "transaction and experience" data with other companies. You can, however, make a legally binding request that information about your "creditworthiness" not be shared.

A sample opt out letter is posted at www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs24a-letter.htm. Note that it includes requests that go beyond what a financial company is obligated to provide. For a list of major companies affected by the law, and the contact addresses to opt out, see www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs24a-OptOutAddresses.htm.

Identity theft occurs when a criminal uses another person's personal information to take on that person's identity. Identity theft is much more than misuse of a Social Security number-it can also include credit card and mail fraud. To help victims, SSA provides:

hotline numbers,

SSA's Fraud Hotline-1-800-269-0271,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ID Theft Hotline-1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338) or www.consumer.gov/idtheft

up-to-date information about steps you can take to work with credit bureaus and law enforcement agencies to reclaim your identity;
a replacement card if your Social Security card was stolen;
help to correct your earnings records; and
a new Social Security number in certain circumstances.

SSA is taking steps to ensure that Social Security numbers are less accessible. We are strengthening our processes for issuing new Social Security numbers as well as replacement Social Security cards. Additionally, we are partnering with other federal agencies to find ways to detect and prevent identity theft.

Anyone who intentionally uses the Social Security number of another person to establish a new identity or defraud the government will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

To get more information about Social Security numbers and identity theft, you can download the following publications:

Social Security Information

When Someone Misuses Your Number Publication No. 05-10064
Social Security-Your Number and Card

FTC Information

ID Theft-When Bad Things Happen To Your Good Name

Identity theft is a very real and growing problem. Visit http://stolen-identity.com It will tell you how to stop the bad guys and to help victims recover fro the damage.

In addition to opting out of your financial institutions databases, there are also various databases that you should remove yourself from to reduce data mining. Again, however, you will only be removing "non-public" information. These databases include the following, and opt-out instructions are included for each:

LEXIS-NEXIS people tracking databases. These include P-TRAK, P-SEEK, and P-SRCH, all products marketed to lawyers and law-enforcement officials who use the information to track parties involved in litigation. Instructions to remove your name from these databases are posted at www.lexis-nexis.com/terms/privacy/remove.shtml

Acxiom Corp. databases. This firm develops and maintains databases containing information on most of the households in the United States. Request an opt-out form by calling toll-free (877) 774-2094 or +1 (501) 342 2722 or sending an e-mail to optout@acxiom.com.

Mailing Lists

To remove your name and address from mailing lists you need to register with the Direct Marketing Association's Mail Preference Service [MPS]. This allows you to opt-out of national mailing lists.

Once registered your name and address are placed on a "do-not-mail" file that is updated monthly and distributed four times a year in January, April, July and October. Your name will remain on the file for five years.

Basically once you're on their "do-not-mail" file, any DMA member must before sending out any mailing remove any names in their list that appear in the "do-not-mail" file.

If you register online there is a $5 processing fee. If you register by mail the fee is waived.

You won't see a decline in the amount of mail hitting your mailbox for about three months, but you will eventually see it slow down.

Bare in mind that if you have bought a product from a company that isn't a DMA member, you won't be removed from their list.

If this is the case you need to contact that company personally and get yourself removed.

To register for the MPS service, send a letter including your current name and address to:

Mail Preference Service
Attn: Preference Service Manager
Direct Marketing Association
PO Box 3079
Grand Central Station
NY 10163

You can register online at:
http://www.the-dma.org/cgi/offmailinglistdave

Harassment by collection agencies

If collection agency continue to pester you, contact the Federal Trade Commission at 877.382.4357

Sexually Oriented Advertising

If you receive sexually oriented advertising [SOA] you need to contact the U.S. Postal Service, which maintains a list of folk who don't want to receive SOA mail.

To stop receiving SOA mail you need to complete Form 1500, which can be downloaded as a PDF file at http://www.usps.com/forms/_pdf/ps1500.pdf. Full instructions about using this form are detailed on it.

In future whenever you place an order or make a donation to a charity ask that the company not pass on your details to any other companies or organizations.

Telemarketing Lists

Fed up with receiving annoying sales calls from telemarketers? Well then you need to register yourself with the Direct Marketing Association's Telephone Preference Service [TPS]. This operates exactly like the Mail Preference Service and the same fee for online registration applies.

To register for the TPS service, send a letter including your current name, address and up to 2 telephone numbers to:

Telephone Preference Service
Attn: Preference Service Manager
Direct Marketing Association
PO Box 3079
Grand Central Station
NY 10163

You can register online at:
http://www.the-dma.org/cgi/offtelephonedave

Mail Preference Service. Contact this service to reduce the amount of "junk mail" you receive. Use one letter for every address at which you receive mail. Direct Marketing Association, P.O. Box 9008, Farmingdale, N.Y. 11735.

Telephone Preference Service. Contact this service to reduce the number of unwanted telephone solicitations you receive. Direct Marketing Association, P.O. Box 9014, Farmingdale, N.Y. 11735.

Credit bureaus. The three national credit bureaus offer a toll-free number that enables you to opt-out of all pre-approved credit offers with just one phone call. Call 1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-8688) for more information.

A Moment of Privacy — Opting Out to Gain Relief
By Mark Nestmann, Oxford Club Wealth Advisory Panel
Today, technology makes it way too easy to collect information about you. All it takes is for one person to get a hold of your Social Security Number (or other unique identifying number), and then it's all bets are off as far as your privacy is concerned. With that number, a determined individual can learn where you live, where you work, what property you own; where you bank, what your account balances are, what stockbroker you use, and the value of your investments. Even worse, companies like ChoicePoint of Alpharetta, Georgia have made your private information their business. They compile it and sell it to anyone who'll buy. This process is called "data mining." It defines how an individual fits into an organization or group, and predicts behavior based on characteristics of that group. Direct marketers employ data marketing to pinpoint consumer tastes. Government agencies use it to analyze thousands of databases containing billions of records on every U.S. citizen or resident. But you don't have to sit idly by and watch your privacy erode. You can fight back to control what happens to your information and preserve your privacy. Opting Out-Do It Every Time to Preserve Your Privacy How many times a day does someone ask for your SSN? Or how often do you fill out an application or other form that asks for very personal advice? Too often. But even if have little or no control over what happens to information after you release it, you still can limit how it's disseminated. Here's how . . . First, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act requires "financial institutions" (banks, brokerage firms, insurance companies, credit card companies, etc.) to notify customers about the personal information they collect and share with others. These entities have to give customers the opportunity to "opt out" of certain disclosures. Important note: Opting out does not prevent companies from sharing your "transaction and experience" data with other companies. You can, however, make a legally binding request that information about your "creditworthiness" not be shared. A sample opt out letter is posted at www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs24a-letter.htm. Note that it includes requests that go beyond what a financial company is obligated to provide. For a list of major companies affected by the law, and the contact addresses to opt out, see www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs24a-OptOutAddresses.htm.	In addition to opting out of your financial institutions databases, there are also various databases that you should remove yourself from to reduce data mining. Again, however, you will only be removing "non-public" information. These databases include the following, and opt-out instructions are included for each: LEXIS-NEXIS people tracking databases. These include P-TRAK, P-SEEK, and P-SRCH, all products marketed to lawyers and law-enforcement officials who use the information to track parties involved in litigation. Instructions to remove your name from these databases are posted at www.lexis-nexis.com/terms/privacy/remove.shtml Acxiom Corp. databases. This firm develops and maintains databases containing information on most of the households in the United States. Request an opt-out form by calling toll-free (877) 774-2094 or +1 (501) 342 2722 or sending an e-mail to optout@acxiom.com. Mail Preference Service. Contact this service to reduce the amount of "junk mail" you receive. Use one letter for every address at which you receive mail. Direct Marketing Association, P.O. Box 9008, Farmingdale, N.Y. 11735. Telephone Preference Service. Contact this service to reduce the number of unwanted telephone solicitations you receive. Direct Marketing Association, P.O. Box 9014, Farmingdale, N.Y. 11735. Credit bureaus. The three national credit bureaus offer a toll-free number that enables you to opt-out of all pre-approved credit offers with just one phone call. Call 1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-8688) for more information. Act Today to Regain Your Privacy Data mining is a harsh reminder that we are often asked to pay a high price for the convenience of modern living. But this isn't a price we have to pay in full. You can fight back and regain your privacy by opting out of as many of these data mining agencies as possible. By helping to limit the amount of information available about you, you begin to restore a semblance of privacy. The information above was reprinted (in part) from Mark Nestmann's revision of Millennium Privacy Project. The revised edition, called 21st Century Privacy-How It's Lost and How to Find it.