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Foil Mailbox MiscreantsThe Annoyance:My mailbox is bursting with offers for pre-approved credit cards and home equity loans. I'm worried somebody might get to my mail before I do and steal these offers. The Fix:You should be. Your mailbox is a prime target for identity thieves, and any mail containing sensitive information like credit card offers, bills, receipts could be used by a thief to create new accounts in your name. The first step is to tell the big credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, Innovis, and TransUnion) to stop selling your information for use in pre-approved credit card offers. Simply call (888) 567-8688 and provide your home phone number, full name, address, zip code, Social Security Number, and date of birth. You can choose to have information suppressed for five years or permanently. You can also fill out a form online at http://www.optoutprescreen.com (see Figure 2-7). annoyances 2-7. You can opt out permanently from pre-approved card offers at optoutprescreen.com, but do it quickly-if you don't fill out the form within 10 minutes it turns into a pumpkin.![]() But you might still get credit offers from banks that get your name from other sources, as well as other offers that contain information ID thieves would love to get their hands on. Worse, anyone going through your trash could easily find the stuff you thought you'd tossed. To foil dumpster divers, buy a good crosscut paper shredder. You can find one that will even chew up your old credit cards for around $70 at an office supply store. To limit strangers' access to your mail, get a locked mailbox that lets your mail carrier feed everything through a slot (prices start at around $150), or direct all your commercial mail to a Post Office box or private mailbox. Check Your ReportsThe Annoyance:Someone broke into my home and stole my wallet. They took all my credit cards, my driver's license, various shopping affinity cards, and club membership IDs. What could happen to me? Can someone steal my identity? The Fix:Absolutely. In fact, the loss (or borrowing) of your identity is a far greater problem than losing the cash and the cards. Identity thieves can run up bills, take out loans, and skip bail all in your name. Left unchecked, they can seriously impair your ability to obtain a loan, medical insurance, student aid, housing, or employment. You could also end up being arrested for crimes you didn't commit. According to the FTC, there were nearly 10 million victims of identity theft in 2003. In most cases, the theft wasn't committed electronically but the old fashioned way from stolen wallets, credit card receipts, unopened or misdirected mail, or eavesdropping. Obviously, if your wallet is gone you'll want to call and cancel all your cards (you did write your credit issuer's phone numbers down, didn't you?). The best way to find out if someone is running amok with your identity is to check your bank account online (once a week is probably sufficient) and order credit reports from the major credit reporting agencies (see Figure 2-8). Here's how to find them:
All but Innovis let you order instant reports online, though to get them you'll have to surrender your Social Security Number, date of birth, and mother's maiden name, as well as your credit card info. The web entry form is on an encrypted page, but if that makes you nervous you can order your report by phone or mail instead. In most cases, reports cost $10 for one or $30 to $35 for a consolidated report from all three agencies. All are also happy to sell you services that alert you to new activity on your credit report for a cost of $5 to $10 a month. A new law, the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act, lets all U.S. consumers order a free credit report each year, though this service won't be available in all regions of the country until Fall 2005. To find out if it's available where you live, visit the site at http://www.annualcreditreport.com. You can also get a free report if you've recently been turned down for credit, you're unemployed, or you live in states that require the agencies to provide a free report. Stop, ID Thief!The Annoyance:Yep, it's happened to me. I checked my credit reports and there's another person out there pretending to be me, opening new accounts, and ruining my credit rating. Help! The Fix:If you've been a victim of ID theft, you've got your work cut out. According to a survey conducted by the Identity Theft Resource Center (http://www.idtheftcenter.org), it takes 600 hours on average for victims to correct the damage brought on by the pilfering of their IDs, along with more than $1,400 in out-of-pocket expenses. Here are the most important things to do if you believe your identity has been nabbed, courtesy of the FTC, identitytheft.org, and the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse:
For more detailed instructions on the appropriate steps to take, see the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse's fact sheet on recovering from ID theft (http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs17a.htm). You'll also want to visit the Identity Theft site http://identitytheft.org created by ID theft victim and book author Mari Frank, which offers a wealth of information and comfort to those similarly afflicted.
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