Identity Theft

Protect Yourself From Identity Theft/Fraud

Partially reprinted from Certified Residential Specialist Magazine

An Attorney's Great Advice…

The following information was sent by a Dallas attorney, who was a recent victim of fraud, to his employees…

1. The next time you order checks have only your initials (instead of your first name) and your last name put on them. If someone takes your checks, they will not know if you sign your checks with your initials or your first name, but your bank will know how you sign your checks.
2. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put “PHOTO ID REQUIRED”.
3. When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card account, DO NOT put the complete account number on the “for” line, only the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the number.
4. Put your work phone # on your checks instead of your home phone. Use a P.O. Box or your work address instead of your home address. NEVER have your SS# or Drivers license number printed on your checks.
5. Place the contents of your wallet on a photo copy machine. Do both sides of each license, credit card, etc. Keep the photo copy in a safe place.

If your wallet/purse is stolen:

1. Cancel your credit cards immediately
2. File a police report
3. Call the credit reporting agencies immediately
4. Call Social Security fraud line:1-800-269-0271

I’ve taken the time to develop a form letter that will accomplish two of these goals.  Protect yourself…Please take a moment to complete the personal information on these three forms below and mail each to the credit bureaus indicated.  Note:  Each person must complete all three letters individually.

The following links will open and Adobe Acrobat file. You can print from the file online or save the file to your hard drive to print later.

Equifax              Experian          Transunion