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Family First
Promoting family preparedness one issue at a time
Vol. 11 Issue
18 - Week of May 19, 2008
ISSN: 1527-6201
©2008 - Joyce Pierce --All Rights Reserved
Dear
Readers,
It's been one crazy week. First I survived a sales tax audit on our
business, and then I learned someone was writing checks off my
checking account! You can read more about that in today's article.
The highlight of the week was going to my granddaughter's premier
performance in her ballet recital! She's five years old but has the
attitude of someone who's at least 16. This little girl adores her
brother and wants to be just like him, even though he has times when
he wishes he'd remained an only child. She's more of a tomboy, and
even though she will wear blingy shirts, you'd never catch her in a
party dress or with her hair fixed up (like her cousins).
So it was a real treat to see our little tree-climber in a beautiful
costume with feathers in her hair and tights on her long, skinny
legs. She performed with no fear whatsoever and seemed to be loving
every minute of it. I'm surprised my face didn't crack from holding
the smile for so long.
I couldn't help but laugh when we went to pick up our tired little
dancer backstage. Her dad presented her with the traditional roses,
and when she stood up I could see that her tights were just torn to
shreds at the knees.
It was just the perfect ending to a wonderful evening!
Joyce
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Gas prices keeping you at home?
What would you do with an extra $500 a month?
Fill your tank to get to work?
Or, fire the babysitter and stay home with the kids?
It's your decision.
http://www.prepareandsucceed.com
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Don't Lose Your Mind Along With Your Identity
By: Joyce Moseley Pierce
While some people still think it's unsafe to bank online, experts say
that you have a better chance of having someone steal from you if you
rely on paper checks and statements! The reason for that is that a
whole month might go by before you notice unusual activity on your
account. If you bank online, and if you check your balances
frequently, you'll notice when something doesn't look right. I can
now vouch for this with personal experience!
The first thing I do every morning is check my bank account online.
One of the reasons I do this is because I only use a debit card and I
like to download any transactions right away so my register on MS
Money is always updated.
One day last week I logged in and discovered a check pending for $987.
It didn't look familiar to me, and in researching it, I learned that
this check had been written to Wal-Mart in Lafayette, Louisiana. I
live in Houston, Texas, and hadn't been to Wal-Mart or Louisiana! I
called the bank to report it, thinking that it was probably just a
bank error and someone else's check had been charged to my account.
The next day my banker called and told me I needed to come in and sign
a fraud affidavit. Apparently it was not a bank error. Someone had
my bank account information and she felt that if they'd written one
check, they might have had a whole pad of them printed and would keep
going until there was no money available in my account.
I couldn't close the account because I had a couple of checks
outstanding. I transferred most of my balance to another account, and
decided to watch my account over the weekend. I then proceeded to
switch my electronic payments from one account to the other. It
wasn't as time consuming as I expected it to be.
On Saturday morning, another check came through. A check for $1032
was written to Dillards. I could see the impression of the check, and
it looked just like my checks, including my husband's legal name with
mine, and our address. The scary thing was that I could see my
personal driver's license number scrawled across the top of the check!
I remembered an email I had gotten from a friend just recently about
what to do when your wallet is stolen. You're supposed to call the
credit bureaus to have a fraud alert added to your account. I called
Experian, and was told that they would contact the other two agencies
for me.
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
Since I'm not on Social Security yet, I didn't call this number, but
it's here for those of you who might need it.
At the end of the call, they offered a more secure fraud package for
$14.95 a month. Looking back, I don't think I need it, but I took it.
They know that you're scared of losing your identity and will pay
anything to keep your information secure. This package does allow me
to look at all of my credit bureau reports online to see if there's
anything suspicious. The agent who helped me told me it would be a
good idea to take the service for a month or two, and if there's no
activity, I could always cancel it.
Once the bank was open on Saturday, I went in again to report the
second charge. I had to fill out another affidavit. I also stopped
overdraft banking on that account and had them make a note on the
account stating that it had been compromised. Hopefully that will
stop any future unwanted approvals.
When I got home, I called the sheriff's department. Since it was
Saturday, they said they'd have to have someone come to my home to
take the report. I hated to take an officer away from something more
important, but didn't want to wait, either. A nice young man came out
and took my report and gave me a case number. He told me if I had any
more activity on my account to call and they could add it to this report.
The thing that puzzles me is that I rarely write a check. Most of the
checks I write are for tithing at my church. The others are usually
gifts to friends or family. I do everything else electronically, and
the checks I write are written at home.
So how did someone get my information? I have no clue. No one could
have photographed my check with a cell phone at the checkout lane
because I always use my debit card. I didn't lose my wallet and no
checks are missing from my drawer.
I did lose my wallet in Las Vegas about two years ago, and my driver's
license was inside. It seems crazy to think that license ended up in
the hands of someone who knew how to access my checking account, but
crazier things have happened. When that license had to be reissued, I
wish I would have had them give me a different number. My next call
will be to the Department of Transportation to check on doing that.
Now I have to wonder if they also have my social security number!
If, by chance, this information was obtained by someone who works in
the bank, they probably have it all.
I've been surprised at how many people I know have already been
through this! I have told quite a few people about it, and most of
them have said, "Oh, I had that happen to me one time." Good grief!
The nice officer told me that since the crooks only get a slap on the
hand, if they are ever caught, they just go back out and do it again
once they're released.
Here are some ideas:
1. Always be sure that your checks and debit cards are secure.
2. Be careful when writing checks in public places
3. Check your accounts online frequently
4. If you notice unusual activity, report it immediately
5. Talk to others and educate your friends
I think (and hope) that my case is a simple case of someone trying to
steal what they can from my checking account. At this point I've seen
no evidence of identity theft. Hopefully by filing all these reports
and freezing my credit bureau information, that's as far as the crooks
can go. However, I am including this link so you can learn more
about how to deal with identity theft – and how to prevent it.
Identity Theft Victim Guide
http://www.fraudguides.com/consumer-id-theft-guide.asp
The key here is to be aware!
Copyright 2008 by Joyce Moseley Pierce. Joyce is a published author
whose stories have been included in the Chicken Soup for the Soul
series. She's the owner of Emerson Publications and her specialty is
helping others be prepared. Visit http://www.emersonpublications.com or
http://www.prepareandsucceed.com if you still have month left at the end of
your paycheck.
Gas prices keeping you at home?
What would you do with an extra $500 a month?
Fill your tank to get to work?
Or, fire the babysitter and stay home with the kids?
It's your decision.
http://www.prepareandsucceed. com
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