Tips to Protect Your Money 

1.         The next time you order checks, have only your initials instead of your first name and last name put on them.  A thief will not know if you sign your checks with just your initials or your first name.  However, your bank will know how you sign your checks.

2.         Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, write in the space “Photo ID Required.”

3.         Do not put your full account number on your check when you pay your credit card accounts.  Just include the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the number. 

4.         Put your work phone number on your checks instead of your home phone. 

5.         Never print your Social Security number on your checks.  

6.         Keep a record of the cards you carry in your wallet.  Photocopy both sides of your driver’s license and every credit card. This will give you a record of what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel if your wallet is lost or stolen. Keep the photocopy in a safe place.  Also, carry a photocopy of your passport when traveling either here or abroad.  

7.         Do not return your key cards to the hotel when you check out. Take them with you, and destroy them at home. Those little cards contain all of the information you gave the hotel, including address and credit card numbers and expiration dates.  

8.         Cancel your credit cards as soon as you know they are lost or stolen.

9.         File a police report immediately in the area where the theft took place.  This proves to credit card companies that you took steps to protect yourself from loss.  A police report is also the first step toward an investigation. 

10.       Call the three national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and your Social Security number.  

            The alert warns any store or business that receives a credit application or a charge that someone else might be applying in your name.  The businesses have to contact you by phone to approve the new credit. 

Call these numbers to report lost or stolen credit cards:

Equifax

1-800-525-6285

Experian

(formerly TRW):

1-888-397-3742

TransUnion

1-800-680-7289

Social Security Administration

(fraud line):

1-800-269-0271