Seven Simple Steps To Protect Yourself From Fraud

Security is a big thing these days. When I was growing up, we didn't give it much thought. Our homes were seldom locked. Most people did not carry around a lot of credit cards. There was no internet. There was basically a lot more trust. Life was very different.

Today, though, safety is a big priority, especially when it comes to our finances and identity. There are so many people out there wanting to steal them from us and from the people we love. That's why it is so important to safeguard your identity and take some serious precautions!

I've gathered a few of the top tips on how you can protect yourself and your loved ones.

1. Do not sign the back of your credit card or debit card ~ instead, put where your signature should be "PHOTO ID REQUIRED." I can't begin to tell you the number of clerks or cashiers who have NOT looked to see if my signature was there or asked to see that I was the person whose name was on the card. You should also encourage them to ask for your ID.

2. When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts, DO NOT put the complete account number on the 'For' or 'Memo' line. Instead, just put the last four digits. 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 or cell phone number on your checks instead of your land line 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 Social Security number printed on your checks. There are few, if any, businesses who need your Social Security number, but if you have it printed, anyone can get it.

4. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine and copy them. Do both sides of each license, credit card, etc. If your wallet is stolen, you will know what you had in it and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel. Keep the photocopy in a safe place. Carry a photocopy of your passport when you travel either here or abroad and keep it separate from your other identification.

5. We have been told that we should cancel our credit cards immediately if they get stolen, 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. That's why you photocopy each of them and keep that in a safe place.

6. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit cards, etc., were stolen. This proves to credit providers that you were diligent, and this is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one).

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

Protecting your identity and those of your loved ones should be a top priority. It doesn't take a lot of time to do these simple steps, but you have to make the effort. Putting it off may just be one of the worst mistakes you could ever make.

Protect yourself today!

Caught In The Middle Of A Scam? How Did This Happen?

I've been scammed. Oh do I hate to admit that. It's embarrassing. It's humiliating. It's humbling. But I have been and I can't change that. Nope, not gonna go into the specific details. The details don't really matter, (it wasn't a huge scam, but no fun nonetheless!). What matters is that I didn't listen to that inner voice in me that kept saying "this just doesn't seem right". I ignored it and, well, I paid the price for ignoring.

How did I get caught up in a scam? The same way anyone else does, it seemed true and looked true, and sounded good and it met a need. It's not hard, in fact it is quite easy and millions of people have it happen every year. Yes, millions! According to some experts, one million people get or see some kind of scam each day in the US. One in 10 people falls victim to a scam each day. (Better Business Bureau) Those are really high numbers in my opinion and they grow every year!

Why do scams happen? Because people are greedy! Plain and simple, they want what you have, and it often involves your money. Please remember though, it does not only have to involve your money. People get scammed out of all kinds of things, identity, goods, services, and even love. Scams come in all kinds of sizes too. That may seem a little strange to refer to them in that way, but some of the most notorious scams are tiny little ones that people use on hundreds or thousands of unsuspecting people and it all adds up to a very large amount by the time they are done.

There are hundreds of scams out there, so may it would be hard to list them all, but here are a few very common ones to really look out for:

• Fraudulent Classified Ads or Auction Sales - selling something they really don't own. You pay upfront.
• Phishing and Social Networking Scam - getting your personal  information and using it as if they were you.
• Sweepstakes and Lottery Scam  - you've won big, usually form a  foreign country, but they are hidden here in the states too.
• Social Media/Online Dating Scam - Comes across as a friend online and when you click on their link you often open up a serious worm or virus that can infect your computer. They often ask you to update something like Flash Player to see a video they want to share.
• Home Improvement Scam (Storm Chasers) - Offer to fix your house or vehicles, then require money up front and repairs are either not done or started and never finished.
• Check Cashing Scam - They send you a check or money order and ask you to cash it and use Western Union or similar to transfer the money to them.
• Emergency Scam or Grandparents Scam - Someone pretends to be the grandchild or relative of an elderly person, claims they are in trouble (in jail, hospital, or the like) and need money to get out of trouble.
• Identity Theft - I am sure you are very familiar with this. People are having their identities stolen more and more each day.

The descriptions I gave are not in a lot of detail, but I think you can get the idea of what each of those scams is. If you want to learn more you can find it HERE or HERE or HERE.

From the FBI here are some tips you can use to avoid becoming a victim of cyber fraud:

• Do not respond to unsolicited (spam) e-mail.
• Do not click on links contained within an unsolicited e-mail.
• Be cautious of e-mails claiming to contain pictures in attached files, as the files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders. Always run a virus scan on attachment before opening.
• Avoid filling out forms contained in e-mail messages that ask for personal information.
• Always compare the link in the e-mail to the web address link you are directed to and determine if they match.
• Log on directly to the official website for the business identified in the e-mail, instead of "linking" to it from an unsolicited e-mail. If the e-mail appears to be from your bank, credit card issuer, or other company you deal with frequently, your statements or official correspondence from the business will provide the proper contact information.
• Contact the actual business that supposedly sent the e-mail to verify that the e-mail is genuine.
• If you are requested to act quickly or there is an emergency, it may be a scam. Fraudsters create a sense of urgency to get you to act impulsively.
• If you receive a request for personal information from a business or financial institution, always look up the main contact information for the requesting company on an independent source (phone book, trusted Internet directory, legitimate billing statement, etc.) and use that contact information to verify the legitimacy of the request. 
• Forward suspicious e-mails to the Federal Trade Commission at spam@uce.gov. They will follow up on it and help eliminate the source of the problem.
• Remember if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

The tips listed can also be used in helping you to avoid scams not on the internet. If someone offers a business proposal to you, search out information about that person or company. Ask your friends and family if they know anything about them. Ask for references and then follow up with those references.

That last point above is something that you should really take heed of;  if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. We all have that inner voice that warns us when things don't seem quite right. Listen to it! It can save you so much in the long run.

I plan on being more vigilant in my life to avoid any chance of getting caught in a scam, again! How will you protect yourself? Make sure you share this with a friend! The more we all know the better!