RSS
Home
Identity theft holiday weekend—beware
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Identity thieves will be working overtime during the holiday weekend. Holidays means more inattentive shoppers and tourists are out in crowds and in unfamiliar places where thieves can take advantage of them.
Pickpockets and purse-snatchers are notorious in big cities like Chicago—most are not after the money, they are after your identification and credit cards.
Identity theft was up by 33% in Illinois in 2008 and certain types of identity theft involving use of government identification and government benefits fraud were up 85%. Nationally ID theft was up 21% and government fake ID/benefits frauds were up 65%.
The highest growing and the most serious identity theft frauds begin by the theft and misuse of your social security number. Protect it.
Here are a few things you can do this weekend to minimize your risk of having identity theft ruin your Memorial Day Weekend whether you are in Chicago or any other city.
- Carry one credit card. Keep the credit card customer service telephone number with you in a safe place and call immediately to report a lost or stolen credit card.
- Do not carry a debit card because if it is stolen, the funds come right out of your bank account.
- Don’t carry your checkbook with you unless you absolutely need to—checks contain your bank account number, and thieves can drain your bank account before you know your checks were stolen. If you need checks, take one or two and carry them in a separate pocket.
- Remove any identification from your wallet or purse that lists your social security number. Remove your social security card, Medicare card, and medical insurance cards. Keep them in a safe place at home. You don’t need any of them to get emergency medical treatment.
- Ladies, keep your purse attached to you at all times. Stolen purses and stolen wallets from unattended purses are one of the most common ways that women become victims of identity theft.
If your wallet or purse is stolen:
- Immediately report your credit card stolen to the credit card company. If you didn't follow my suggestions above call every other creditor, your bank, and all the regulatory and licensing agencies that use your social security number. I hope you had a photocopy of everything you had in your wallet or purse.
- Call any one of the credit bureaus and request a fraud alert. An initial fraud alert stays in your file for at least 90 days
- Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; www.equifax.com
- Experian: 1-888-397-3742; www.experian.com
- TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289; www.transunion.com.
- File a police report.
Pass this information onto your friends, neighbors, relatives and business associates who will be in Chicago or traveling anywhere this holiday weekend.
Subscribe to email alerts when the the Chicago Identity Theft Examiner publishes new articles by clicking Subscribe to Email below.
You might also enjoy these:
- What’s in your wallet—a social security number?
- Identity Theft: More than Account Fraud
- Identity theft education—what’s your objective?
- Business Owner's Toolkit Radio Interview with Joe Campana.
(Select Information Security is for Small Businesses Too, if not selected.
Drag slider to 18:00 to go directly to the interview segment on the Red Flags Rule.)
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
- Ask Dr. Privacy
- Consumer Red Flags
- FTC's Identity Theft Site
- Take Charge: Fighting Back Against Identity Theft (FTC Pub.)
- Victims--Follow These Steps: Fraud Alert, Close Accounts, Police Report, FTC Complaint
- File an Identity Theft Complaint with the FTC
- Pre-approved Credit Card Offer Opt Out (888-567-8688)
- Credit Reports--Official Free Annual Credit Report (877-322-8228)
- Medical Information Bureau--Free ANnual Report (866-692-6901)
- Social Security Administration--Annual Statement (800-772-1213)
