Social Security Numbers for Sale?!
- Thread starter StormBringer
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It's not always the hi-tech stuff that'll get you. I'm currently dealing with a case of id theft for over a year now. My mistake, and I'm guessing on the cause of my troubles, was that I didn't shred those credit card solicitations. I just simply threw them away or made a few half hearted hand rips. Someone could dumpster dived for your (or mine) trash, pieced together those applications, contact the bank, tell them that you've been promoted, moved to a better part of town, and could they kindly send another application. And so my nightmare begins. I've "applied" for credit to merchants I never dealt with or didn't even know existed. I've "applied" for apartments in another city.
I've basically shut down my credit life. No credit cards at all, and I demand a receipt for practically everything possible. My problems is virtually nothing compared to other victims of id theft I've met. They've false liens on their homes, vehicles, and businesses. One semi-retired gent nearly cried and said it was a hundred time worse than being burglarized. If you're famous and wealthy, you're actually better protected than most. They can't claim to be you, only as your long lost or bastard child kind of relative. Ashcroft and Tenet has the power of the government behind them, what do we have ? ID theft of average joes are the fastest growing crime in the US. If they steal a couple Gs out of your bank account, are you going to spend ten times that to investigate and prosecute ? The police are overwhelmed as it is. And that's what they're counting on - the odds that you and your bank will just swallow as the cost of doing business.
Protect yourselves and get a good shredder that will turn whatever into confetti. Shred a few pages of text heavy paper from a magazine along with your documents. Of course, burning is the best. If possible, watch whoever is handling your credit/debit cards. If you have to write a check, use permanent ink. Just for the hell of it, I've managed to washed my own written check of my own writing.
I've basically shut down my credit life. No credit cards at all, and I demand a receipt for practically everything possible. My problems is virtually nothing compared to other victims of id theft I've met. They've false liens on their homes, vehicles, and businesses. One semi-retired gent nearly cried and said it was a hundred time worse than being burglarized. If you're famous and wealthy, you're actually better protected than most. They can't claim to be you, only as your long lost or bastard child kind of relative. Ashcroft and Tenet has the power of the government behind them, what do we have ? ID theft of average joes are the fastest growing crime in the US. If they steal a couple Gs out of your bank account, are you going to spend ten times that to investigate and prosecute ? The police are overwhelmed as it is. And that's what they're counting on - the odds that you and your bank will just swallow as the cost of doing business.
Protect yourselves and get a good shredder that will turn whatever into confetti. Shred a few pages of text heavy paper from a magazine along with your documents. Of course, burning is the best. If possible, watch whoever is handling your credit/debit cards. If you have to write a check, use permanent ink. Just for the hell of it, I've managed to washed my own written check of my own writing.
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