Some Cool Advice.......

Something my good friend just emailed me. I know, this ain't about music or entertainment, but, it's some pretty cool advice that may come in useful one day.


Subject: free advice from an attorney

Not A Joke!! Even If you dislike attorneys..You will love them for
these tips.

Read this and make a copy for your files in case you need to refer to
it someday. Maybe we should all take some of his advice! A corporate
attorney sent the following out to the employees in his company:

1. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put
'PHOTO ID REQUIRED.'

2. When you are writing checks 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 check as it passes through all the check processing channels
won't have access to it.

3. Put your work phone # on your checks 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 SS# printed
on your checks. (DUH!) You can add it if it is necessary. But if you
have It printed, anyone can get it.

4. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine. Do
both sides of each license, 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.

I also carry a photocopy of my passport when I travel 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 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:

5. 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.

6. 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).

But here's what is perhaps most important of all: (I never even
thought to do this.)

7. Call the 3 national credit reporting organizations immediately
to place a fraud alert on your name and also call the Social Security
fraud line 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
authorize 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 turned it in). It seems to have stopped them dead in their
tracks.

Now, here are the numbers you always need to contact about your
wallet, if it has been stolen:

1.) Equifax: 1-800-525-6285

2.) Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742

3.) Trans Union : 1-800-680 7289

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

We pass along jokes on the Internet; we pass along just about
everything.

If you are willing to pass this information along, it could really
help someone that you care about.

-posted by Cool Tropical Jazz LLC @