Safety tips we can all use

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. 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. Also carry a photocopy of you passport when traveling here or abroad.

4. 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.

5. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit cards 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:

6. 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. 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.Here are the numbers you always need to contact about your wallet, if it has been stolen:

1) Equifax: 1-800-525-62851-800-525-6285
2) Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742 1-888-397-3742
3) Trans Union : 1-800-680 7289 1-800-680 72894.)
4) Social Security Administration (fraud line):1-800-269-0271

Child Safety Tips.  Something we can all do.