This was sent to me via e-mail and I thought it worthwhile to pass on further. Photocopies being made the next time I'm in town.

Subject: Good Advice

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.

A corporate attorney sent this out to the employees in his company. I pass it along, for your information.

We have all heard horror stories about fraud that's committed in your name, address, SS#, credit, etc. Unfortunately I (the author of this piece who happens to be an attorney) have firsthand knowledge, because my wallet was stolen last month and within a week the thieve(s) 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. As everyone always advises, cancel your 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 easily. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where it was stolen, this proves to credit providers you were diligent, and is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one). But here's what is perhaps most important: (I never ever thought to do this) Call the three national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and SS#. 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 2 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 in their tracks.

The numbers are:

Equifax: 1-800-525-6285

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

Trans Union: 1-800-680-7289

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

(Note: Also, a copy of the police report may help you if you get pulled over for a traffic violation between theft and the next opportunity to get a replacement license.)

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), January 24, 2002

Answers

Don'r forget to call your bank if your bank ID was in there. We had them attach a password to any transaction. A quick and effective way to stop them immediately, even at branch banks.

-- Anne (Healthytouch101@wildmail.com), January 24, 2002.

Good advice. I had my purse stolen last year, and went through the rigamarole of getting all my ID replaced--and this can be a real pain in the butt. Fortunately, I HAD photocopies of my ID at home, this made it MUCH easier to get things like my driver's license replaced. The clerks I dealt with were VERY happy to just look at the copy and pull up the numbers, and not have to do a search and make me justify my existance on the planet.

I found out within 5 minutes that my purse was gone (stolen out of my vehicle--won't get into why it was there, one of the VERY RARE times I ever left it in the car). This was close to home, so the first thing I did was phone the police and file the report. Then I immediately phoned to cancel all credit cards. This was Saturday afternoon and the bank had just closed, and I didn't realize there was a 1-800# to call to cancel my bank card. THIS is where they got me. If you don't think crooks can figure out your passwords, think again. I've been told of 3 different ways they can do it...in 10 minutes or less. Our bank had set up a system of these swipe cards you use at the teller's window, and they DID get into my accounts at the bank machines. First thing Monday morning I was the first customer into the bank with my statements and asked them to shut down my accounts. THAT's when we found out what was up, and managed to shut them down before they got into the savings!! (And that's when the BANK phoned the police, and I finally got to talk to an officer!) Fortunately by acting quickly I was able to limit the damage. One of my credit cards was found by the side of the road and turned in to the police, they would have nabbed some cash by using that if I hadn't shut it down right away. The records showed that whoever did this was on a bank machine WITHIN AN HOUR and withdrawing money.

Some things I've been told since then: DON'T keep your Social Security/Social Insurance card in your wallet. The only people who should be asking for it are the banks and an employer for tax records. Things like your birth certificate and any other ID that you're not commonly using should be stored at home in a safe place.

DO keep the numbers readily available to call and cancel. I had all these organized, but only then did I notice that one of them was "1- 800-the-bank". Write out the number, because when you're so upset, it is difficult to figure out the freaking number by the letters on the phone!

So yes...please DO make time soon to follow the advice above! It's been over a year since this happened to me, and I still get angry and upset thinking about it.

-Chelsea

-- Chelsea (rmbehr@istar.ca), January 24, 2002.

I realize all the monetary damage that can be done, but I think making and keeping a copy of the police report is vital. I'm an attorney, too. I handle mostly criminal cases and you'd be amazed at how often people use other people's identification when they get pulled over or arrested. I would save the copy of the police report in a safe place. You never know, it could be years later that you get pulled over and find out that your license has been suspended and there's a mess on your driving record.

-- Sheryl in NJ (all295@aol.com), January 24, 2002.