ATTORNEY’S ADVICE – NO CHARGE! Part 2 of 2
December 10, 2012
In our last entry, ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd. injury lawyer Doug Landau posted important tips on keeping your information private. In today’s post, Doug details the steps to take if your wallet, passport or other information is ever stolen. Your quick action as soon as you realize there is a problem can be the key to preventing fraudulent access to your credit. During this busy travel time, make sure you know what to do if this ever happens to you.
We all know that we should cancel our credit cards immediately. But the key is having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so you are prepared to make that important call. Keep those where you can find them.
File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit cards, etc., were stolen. This proves to credit providers that you were diligent, and is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one).
But here is what is perhaps most important of all:
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. This is important in case a thief attempts to apply for credit over the internet in your name.
Alerting the appropriate agencies means that any merchant that checks your credit knows your information was stolen. Furthermore, they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit. Thieves will be stopped dead in their tracks because any attempts to make purchases or use your information will be denied.
Here are the agencies and phone numbers:
Equifax 1-800-525-6285
Experian (formerly TRW) 1-888-397-3742
Trans Union 1-800-680-7289
Social Security Administration Fraud line 1-800-269-0271
If you or someone you know has been the victim of theft and there are questions about what laws apply, e-mail or call us at ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd. (703-796-9555).