My Wallet’s Been Stolen. What Do I Do?

1. DO NOT sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put 'PHOTO ID REQUIRED.'
 
2. When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts, DO NOT put the complete account number on the 'For' line. Instead, just put the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the numbers, 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 phone # on your checks instead of your home 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 SS# printed on your checks. You can add it, if necessary. But if you have it printed, anyone can get it.

4. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine. Copy both sides of each license, credit card, etc. You will know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel.  Keep the photocopy in a safe place.  It is also a good idea to photocopy your passport when traveling either here or abroad.

5. We have been told we should cancel our credit cards immediately. 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. The numbers are on the back of the credit cards.

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

But here's what is perhaps most important of all: (Have you thought to do this?)

7. 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. 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’ll need to contact if your wallet has been stolen:

Equifax: 1-800-525-6285 or 1-888-766-0008
Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742
Trans Union: 1-800-680 7289 4.)
Social Security Administration (fraud line): 1-800-269-0271

FBI Warns of Internet Vehicle Sale Scams

The FBI is warning people about buying a vehicle online. The latest twist has scammers posing as US military members who say they've been deployed overseas and have to sell a vehicle quickly and cheaply. Typically scammers will post a cheap vehicle price in a classified ad. The FBI says most of the scams include some type of third-party vehicle protection program to ensure a safe transaction. After receiving convincing e-mails from a phony vehicle protection program, the victims are directed to send either the full payment, or a percentage of the payment, to the third-party agent via a wire payment service. No vehicles are delivered to the victims. The FBI advises consumers to do "as much due diligence as possible before engaging in transactions to purchase vehicles advertised online. Consumers are also cautioned to be aware of the rules of or warnings posted by the Internet sites they visit. If someone is asking you as a consumer to break or avoid the rules of the website, it is possible that person is trying to scam you."

Source: MSNBC

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Security Infiltrates College Classrooms

There has been huge growth in the popularity of security-related programs since 2002, when the Department of Homeland Security was created, says David Silverberg, editor of the trade magazine Homeland Security Today. The programs began popping up at community colleges and online-only institutions five or six years ago, and now they are being offered at some of the nation's most prestigious universities. "Homeland security has developed as a discipline, and it took time for people to realize that it was a discipline," Silverberg says. "People think of homeland security as just screeners at the airport, and it is way more than that." In the spring of 2007, Homeland Security Today published its first educational directory, with a list of 81 institutions with homeland security programs. The most recent directory, published last fall, had nearly twice that number. Silverberg says the growth in academic programs mirrors the job market. The Department of Homeland Security, a labyrinthine federal department made up of 22 agencies with more than 200,000 employees, is just the beginning, he adds. Every state has its own homeland security framework, and job seekers in the private sector, even in seemingly unrelated fields such as nursing and law, find the courses are a résumé builder, he says. Offerings range from vocational certificates earned in a few weeks to advanced degrees.

Source: USA Today

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Terrorism Threats to Mass Transit Require More Agents

While terrorism remains a threat to the United States, according to a report by the Homeland Security Department's inspector general more agents are needed to protect the mass transportation system from attacks. At this time, there are only 175 transportation security inspectors spread across 54 offices nationally. This compares with the Transportation Department's 1,350 safety inspectors. The Coast Guard has about 1,000 inspectors assigned to the maritime industry. The Transportation Security Administration was established after the 9/11 terrorists attacks and mostly focuses on aviation security rather than rail or transit. Meanwhile, Intelligence officials have said that mass transit systems, such as rail or transit, are more easily accessible and their schedules are advertised which could make them more liable attack by terrorists. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has ordered a review of transportation security but meanwhile the public remains at risk from a terrorism attack if mass transit does not have enough agents to protect them.

Source: The Examiner

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