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Identity Theft
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The Most Basic Way to Protect Against Identity Theft
Everyday folks aren't armed with the high-tech equipment to battle elaborate identity theft schemers, but we do have one thing going for us — our common sense. Setting up various, unpredictable passwords for your online accounts is one way to guard yourself, and we can thank Mrs. Federal Reserve Chairman for demonstrating another basic lesson.
Ben Bernanke's checking account was one of hundreds that was wrapped up in an identity theft ring after his wife Anna's purse was stolen at a Starbucks.
Money Tip: Invest in a Shredder
It takes up a little bit of room, but buying a shredder is a smart use of your money and space. You've heard the horror stories about identities stolen because of careless disposal of things like credit card offers and bank account statements. A shredder can help you avoid trouble, protect yourself, and keep your table junk-mail-free.
Airlines Will Require Your Birthdate When Booking Tickets
The TSA is making travel even more personal. While the whole-body imaging machines that virtually strips passengers are about as intimate as the airport gets, you'll soon be required to provide more details when booking your ticket for air travel.
The new Secure Travel program will be rolled out over the next 18 months, and beginning later this Summer passengers will be asked to supply a date-of-birth and gender when making a plane reservation.
Identity Scammers Targeting Online Job Seekers
An internal red flag should go up whenever you're asked to provide your social security number. Always ask yourself why the person would need your SSN for their purposes. Sure, it makes sense for a credit card carrier to ask for the number to verify your identity.
Your Two Cents: Have You Tried ID Theft Prevention Services?
A company called Lifelock has been getting a lot of attention for its generous and confident ID Theft Prevention plan.
Lifelock boasts a $1 million service guarantee that it will protect your identity and money. A membership costs about $110 a year and Lifelock works with credit bureaus to set free fraud alerts on your behalf, checks in with the bureaus every 90 days, requests that your name be removed from preapproved credit-card and junk-mail lists and offers a complicated identity monitoring package.
What Forever 21 Has to Do With Your Credit Report
Last week, in the biggest case of identity theft ever, 11 men in five countries were charged with stealing more than 40 million credit card numbers from US retailers. Unfortunately, 73 percent of you aren't strangers to having your credit card information compromised, but it seems that some of us might be in the dark about our card's safety.
According to The Wall Street Journal, most states require full disclosure to customers when credit-card data is stolen from a company's stores.
Has Your Card Information Ever Been Compromised?
Yesterday, my fiancé tried to use his debit card at the gas station and was told by the machine that it couldn't authorize his card. He discovered a strange purchase on his online account, and when he called the bank, a customer service representative told him a freeze had been placed on the account because of the mystery transaction. Seems someone in another country somehow got ahold of his details, so thank goodness they immediately caught it.
Ask Savvy: My Boyfriend's Parents Ruined His Credit
Dear Savvy,
My boyfriend's family has had a lot of money problems in the past few years that they kept hidden from him. Things all came out in the open when he was kicked out of school because his parents couldn't pay his tuition, which they had told him was already paid. Turns out they had almost lost their house and had to resort to opening credit cards in both his and his brother's names, which they couldn't afford to make payments on.
Have You Ever Had Something Stolen?
Arriving to a broken-in apartment after Thanksgiving break during college was an overwhelmingly violating feeling. Laptop? Gone.
Do You Sign the Back of Your Credit Card?
There's plenty of varied logic when it comes to signing the back of credit cards — some cardholders simply provide a signature, some sign but include a note to "See ID" and some write see ID in place of a signature. Your credit card agreement tells you that not singing the card is in violation of that agreement, and VISA's merchant guidelines say that a cardholder with see ID in place of a signature should be asked to sign her card on the spot.
Whatever signing (or not) practices we've adopted, we've made a reasoned choice based on what we believe to be most secure.
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