While we are
making our holiday plans, criminals are hard at work making
their plans to entrap busy, unsuspecting seniors who are
more easily fooled at this "giving" time of year.
Did you know that one in four telemarketing fraud victims
is 60 or older?
Many charities take advantage
of holiday feelings to solicit funds. While we all want
to give to those less fortunate than ourselves, make it
a rule to never respond to telephone solicitations or to
give your credit card number or other personal information
over the phone.
Legitimate charities will
take a check. Find out about a charity through the National
Charities Information Bureau Web site, www. give.org, or
call (800) 501-6242. Be careful about charities that claim
you have already made a pledge or have been entered in a
contest. Politely but firmly end the conversation.
Keep a record at home of the
credit cards you regularly carry in your wallet so that
you may report a stolen or missing card immediately. You
are not liable for more than $50 if a thief uses a card
when you report the problem promptly.
If your wallet or purse is
stolen, call these national credit reporting organizations
and place a fraud alert on your name: Equifax, 1 (800) 525-6285;
Experian, 1 (888) 397-3742; and Trans Union, 1 (800) 680-7289.
Recent changes to the Fair
Credit Reporting Act will make it possible by the end of
the year for everyone to get one free credit report a year
from each of the credit bureaus. I would urge you to do
so.
Identity theft is a problem
that is increasing dramatically every year. It is especially
insidious because these thieves use information to impersonate
their victims, eventually ruining their good name and costing
them untold hours and thousands of dollars until they are
able to repair the situation.
ID thieves sometimes pose
as legitimate organizations and call or use e-mail to solicit
personal information, or they stand behind you at the ATM
machine or when you use your credit card, and using the
new cell phones with camera capability, pretend to be talking
on the phone — all the while photographing your pin
or credit card number.
It is impossible to completely
avoid all fraud, but you can greatly reduce your risk by
following these suggestions:
FRAUD FIGHTERS
- Don’t use
convenience store ATMs. They may not be as secure as the
bank’s.
- Don’t carry
your Social Security card. It is the No. 1 treasure for
an identity thief.
- Use a pin that is
very difficult to crack. Do not use birth date, phone
number or a pet’s name.
- Memorize your pin.
Do not keep it in your wallet.
- Check
credit card and phone bills carefully each month. Question
anything that does not seem correct.
- Call your credit
card company to obtain a virtual account number for online
shopping. With these substitute account numbers, you never
have to give out your real credit card number online.
- Use a secure mailbox.
Don’t leave bill payments in the box for the mailman.
Use direct deposit rather than having checks sent to your
mailbox.
- As you get rid of
statements and outdated bills or canceled checks, shred
them. Shredders for home use are now inexpensive. Thieves
rummage through trash to get your personal information.
- Reduce the number
of credit cards you have to a minimum. Cancel unused accounts.
Also, opt out of the sharing of your financial information
when your bank or financial institution gives you that
choice.
- Put credit card receipts
in your wallet, rather than the shopping bag.
- Before
disposing of your computer, remove data by using a strong
"wipe" utility program.
If
you ever become a victim of identity theft, contact the
Federal Trade Commission, (877) 438-4338,
for help. You can also request the booklet, "When Bad
Things Happen To Your Good Name." Taking precautions
beforehand will help you to have a happy, worry-free holiday.
Jean Cherni
is founder of Senior Living Solutions, a retirement advisory
service. Contact her at jeancherni@sbcglobal.net or
15 The Ponds, Branford 06405. H. Pearce Company REALTORS®
is a full-service real estate company with more than 100
agents and branch offices in greater New Haven and the Shoreline.
Corporate and & Commercial offices are located in North
Haven, where the company was founded in 1958. All listings
can be found in color on the web at: www.hpearce.com. |
