INDUSTRY: Privacy Protection
Quick Tips for Financial Security
By Robert J. Rebhan
Former LAPD Detective & Financial Crimes Expert
If you want to reduce your vulnerability to identity theft, stop depending upon others to protect you. It’s all about you and what you do. Credit monitoring services can be a tool incorporated into your overall defensive plan, but they are not the whole plan. The police cannot protect you. The courts cannot protect you. Your bank, your homeowner’s association, your local politician, and guardian angels cannot protect you. It is all about you and what you do.
Look At Your House. Sadly, identity thieves are often related to their victims, or they are individuals invited into our homes to perform services, so take a look around. Is your checkbook, wallet, handbag, or financial document sitting out in view of workers, visiting neighbors, nosy relations, or domestic help? If so, secure them! Why tempt a dear nephew who needs to pay off a Texas-hold-em poker debt?
Protect Your Mail. Identity thieves steal mail to get your check, credit card, banking, and/or other personal information. After delivery, promptly remove mail from your mailbox. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, place outgoing mail in your curbside mailbox, raising the red flag indicating “pick-up.” Deposit outgoing mail at the post office, not in any type of unsecured street mail receptacles.
Shred. Purchase a criss-cross shredder that makes confetti out of your unwanted documents and mail. Destroy anything with personal information on it.
Sign Checks, Credit Cards and Other Documents with a “Gel” Ink Pen. This ink is near impossible for crooks to chemically “wash” the ink off. Eighty-five household products like oven cleaner, bleach, and automobile brake fluid can be used by thieves to steal your money by altering checks.
Review Your Credit and Bank Statements as Soon as they Arrive. Match all credit card receipts against the statement and then destroy the slips if not needed for tax purposes. Do not delay reporting unauthorized charges or missing statements. You have a limited amount of time to dispute customer service issues and fraud.
Use Caution When Using the ATM. Thieves sometimes rig the ATM equipment to record account numbers or trap inserted cards. Then they use hidden cameras, or they shoulder surf (peeking over your body to capture PIN numbers). Later in the day, they can withdraw your money. Politely ask the encroaching person behind you to give you some privacy.
If your card ever gets stuck in the ATM and it is the weekend, immediately use your cell phone to cancel the account. Criminals sometimes insert a device to “trap” cards and steal them when you walk away.
Review Your Credit Reports. You will minimize the damage and shorten the life of a financial intrusion if you read the reports. Every 12 months, you can get the first reports free of charge. If you need more frequent reports to relieve stress and increase your level of awareness, feel free to buy more copies from each of the three major credit bureaus. You can access all three via the Web at www.annualcreditreport.com, or by phoning 877/322.8228.
Mr. Rebhan is an expert and speaker on the issue of financial crimes. He is a former Los Angeles Police Detective Sergeant and a special consultant to the American Express Company. His Web site is www.robertrebhan.com.
