Tags |
|
|
Links |
|
|
Casual Articles - Save Your Identity
As you know by now, if you have been a long time subscriber to our weekly E-zine, I'm a very big proponent of activity, labor and discipline. In fact I devoted one of the five major pieces to the life puzzle (in my book under the same name) to the subject of activity and labor. But now let me add another key word to the labor equation - skillful. Yes, skillful labor.We need the skills to help build our family's dreams, the skills to stir up an enterprise and make it successful. We need skills to build equities for the future. We need skills of all kinds.How about this - skillful language. If you just talk to your family you can hold them all together, but if you skillfully talk to your children you can help them build dreams for the future. That is why I spend so much time at the Weekend Seminar on communication - how to affect others with words. You can't be lazy in language - it costs too much.What if you meant to say "what's troubling you?" and instead you said "what's wrong with you?". Wow, that's too big a mistake. And sure you could have made that mistake 10 years ago, but not
Step 2: Understand that Reality Bites.
After you receive the second notice of someone seeking credit in your name, or see any unusual activity on your report you need to:
A. Re-contact the police about this theft
B. Call the CRAs again to renew your fraud alerts which can expire in 90 days.
C. Request copies of your report from each of the CRAs. A fraud alert is supposed to notify all three to send you a report without cost, but make three separate requests to make sure you quickly receive each CRA report. If need be, hound them until they hand over what by law they are required to provide you because of your fraud alert.
Step
If you want a truly successful business, you need to take a close look at how Psychology can set you apart from the rest of your competition.Secrets of negotiatingRemember this: no matter how great your product or service, unless you can negotiate innovatively you'll never achieve the success that can be yours.When you follow-up with a prospects, ask them: "Do you have any situations that we can work out together using our mutual expertise?”Psychologically, by substituting the word "situations" for problems, you are more likely to get a positive response. Also, by using the term "combined or mutual expertise" you are telling them you respect their valuable knowledge.Remember this advice - Seek first to understand, then to be understood.How to make people respond more quicklyRemember: "People respond more to what they are going to lose than to what they are going to gain."It's very powerful when you explain to prospects they will probably lose market share to their main competitors if they don't adopt your ideas. Ask yourself: What will my customers
As soon as these things start occurring, recognize them for what they might very well be telling you. You have been the victim of identity theft and the thief is attempting to purchase goods and services, running up large bills and debts only to leave you to pay the cost of the party.
Identity theft is unfortunately all too common, being listed as the # 1 consumer complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. Nearly seven million people were victimized in 2003, representing an 80% increase over the previous year. Even worse, only a small portion of the thieves are ever prosecuted, even when the police are certain they know who the thief is. The reason for that is because most cases require that a witness see the suspect filling out a credit application or signing to receive goods in the victims' name.
What can you do when the first signs of identity theft start trickling into your mail box or answering machine? Here are 5 actions you can do in an attempt to minimize the impact the theft will leave on your own good name.
Step 1: Damage Control.
You have to start doing Damage Control at the very first sign that you might have been the victim of identity theft. As soon as you receive notice about credit applications you know you have not inquired about, notify the local police and file a report that you believe your identity has been stolen. If your purse was lost or stolen, you should have done this immediately. Get that report on file because it is important to have documentation if there is to be even a small chance your impersonator will be prosecuted.
After the police report, you need to contact the three major credit reporting agencies (CRAs) and the Federal Trade Commission. The box below gives you the necessary information.
Federal Trade Commission
(877) ID-THEFT
TransUnion - Fraud Victim Assistance
POB 6970
Fullerton, CA 92834
(800)-680-7289
www.transunion.com
Equifax - Consumer Fraud Division
POB 740256
Atlanta, GA 30374
(800) 525-6285
www.equifax.com
Experian - Consumer Assistance
POB 2002
Allen, TX 75013
(888) 397-3742
www.experian.com
By contacting them about the false credit applications being made in your name, you will activate fraud alerts on your credit file. This is supposed to prompt lenders to inform you of any new requests for credit, giving you a chance to explain it was an identity thief, not you. Sometimes this works. Sometimes it does not and the credit company goes ahead and gives the thief credit in your name.
You should check your credit reports from each of the three bureaus to look for items that are not of your doing. Even if there is no fraud evident, you will want to be watching your report at least every other month for the next six months. If you see signs of unusual activity, or the fraud alerts work and you begin to receive calls from lenders, contact the lenders and credit extenders and explain it wasn't you. If the impersonator visited them in person, ask them for a description. Then move onto:
Step 2: Understand that Reality Bites.
After you receive the second notice of someone seeking credit in your name, or see any unusual activity on your report you need to:
A. Re-contact the police about this theft
B. Call the CRAs again to renew your fraud alerts which can expire in 90 days.
C. Request copies of your report from each of the CRAs. A fraud alert is supposed to notify all three to send you a report without cost, but make three separate requests to make sure you quickly receive each CRA report. If need be, hound them until they hand over what by law they are required to provide you because of your fraud alert.
Step
One of our Australian clients sent out a campaign using a list which had been complied manually.The message contained information relevant for the specific job position that these recipients held. It had the sender's details, a functional (and automated) unsubscribe link, real "from" and "reply" addresses and manual unsubscribes were actioned and replied to immediately. It was personalised with name, Company and position.Did they have express consent from the recipient? No.Was it Spam? NoAccording to the Australian Spam Act 2003, our client was able to send these targeted recipients information relevant to their positions. This is what is referred as "Inferred Consent".However, even though the campaign was entirely in accordance with the legislation, many of the recipients responded with "This is Spam" replies.What went wrong? Nothing….other than readers expectations.Australian, American and European readers expect a simplified solution to the current Spam problem. Hence, when the relevant legislations came into being in each country, the readers immediat
What can you do when the first signs of identity theft start trickling into your mail box or answering machine? Here are 5 actions you can do in an attempt to minimize the impact the theft will leave on your own good name.
Step 1: Damage Control.
You have to start doing Damage Control at the very first sign that you might have been the victim of identity theft. As soon as you receive notice about credit applications you know you have not inquired about, notify the local police and file a report that you believe your identity has been stolen. If your purse was lost or stolen, you should have done this immediately. Get that report on file because it is important to have documentation if there is to be even a small chance your impersonator will be prosecuted.
After the police report, you need to contact the three major credit reporting agencies (CRAs) and the Federal Trade Commission. The box below gives you the necessary information.
Federal Trade Commission
(877) ID-THEFT
TransUnion - Fraud Victim Assistance
POB 6970
Fullerton, CA 92834
(800)-680-7289
www.transunion.com
Equifax - Consumer Fraud Division
POB 740256
Atlanta, GA 30374
(800) 525-6285
www.equifax.com
Experian - Consumer Assistance
POB 2002
Allen, TX 75013
(888) 397-3742
www.experian.com
By contacting them about the false credit applications being made in your name, you will activate fraud alerts on your credit file. This is supposed to prompt lenders to inform you of any new requests for credit, giving you a chance to explain it was an identity thief, not you. Sometimes this works. Sometimes it does not and the credit company goes ahead and gives the thief credit in your name.
You should check your credit reports from each of the three bureaus to look for items that are not of your doing. Even if there is no fraud evident, you will want to be watching your report at least every other month for the next six months. If you see signs of unusual activity, or the fraud alerts work and you begin to receive calls from lenders, contact the lenders and credit extenders and explain it wasn't you. If the impersonator visited them in person, ask them for a description. Then move onto:
Step 2: Understand that Reality Bites.
After you receive the second notice of someone seeking credit in your name, or see any unusual activity on your report you need to:
A. Re-contact the police about this theft
B. Call the CRAs again to renew your fraud alerts which can expire in 90 days.
C. Request copies of your report from each of the CRAs. A fraud alert is supposed to notify all three to send you a report without cost, but make three separate requests to make sure you quickly receive each CRA report. If need be, hound them until they hand over what by law they are required to provide you because of your fraud alert.
Step
Back when I was a grade school kid, a couple of times each semester the fire alarms, announcing a firedrill, would shriek. We would all jump up from our desks and march, single-file to our appointed spot outdoors. The goal of those fire drills was to teach students how to react if a disaster struck; instead of the chaos that would occur when hundreds of kids try to escape from a burning building. A safe, orderly evacuation would certainly reduce the number of casualties.In recent years sudden, unforeseen, disastrous events have devastated populations around the globe. Terrorist attacks in New York, London and Madrid, tsunami in Asia, and hurricanes along the gulf coast have all cost individuals, businesses, even whole geographic regions dearly.I’ve seen a number of recommendations to help people prepare for disasters in various media, but every business has to prepare for a disaster also. If a disaster never hits you, be thankful, but if one does occur the business should be able to reopen afterwards if you have spent just a little effort on contingency planning.Naturally your p
After the police report, you need to contact the three major credit reporting agencies (CRAs) and the Federal Trade Commission. The box below gives you the necessary information.
Federal Trade Commission
(877) ID-THEFT
TransUnion - Fraud Victim Assistance
POB 6970
Fullerton, CA 92834
(800)-680-7289
www.transunion.com
Equifax - Consumer Fraud Division
POB 740256
Atlanta, GA 30374
(800) 525-6285
www.equifax.com
Experian - Consumer Assistance
POB 2002
Allen, TX 75013
(888) 397-3742
www.experian.com
By contacting them about the false credit applications being made in your name, you will activate fraud alerts on your credit file. This is supposed to prompt lenders to inform you of any new requests for credit, giving you a chance to explain it was an identity thief, not you. Sometimes this works. Sometimes it does not and the credit company goes ahead and gives the thief credit in your name.
You should check your credit reports from each of the three bureaus to look for items that are not of your doing. Even if there is no fraud evident, you will want to be watching your report at least every other month for the next six months. If you see signs of unusual activity, or the fraud alerts work and you begin to receive calls from lenders, contact the lenders and credit extenders and explain it wasn't you. If the impersonator visited them in person, ask them for a description. Then move onto:
Step 2: Understand that Reality Bites.
After you receive the second notice of someone seeking credit in your name, or see any unusual activity on your report you need to:
A. Re-contact the police about this theft
B. Call the CRAs again to renew your fraud alerts which can expire in 90 days.
C. Request copies of your report from each of the CRAs. A fraud alert is supposed to notify all three to send you a report without cost, but make three separate requests to make sure you quickly receive each CRA report. If need be, hound them until they hand over what by law they are required to provide you because of your fraud alert.
Step
Because with a squeeze page you only have a few seconds to grab the reader attention you will want to make certain that you optimize the squeeze page. Your squeeze page, for those who aren’t aware, is a simple way to gather names and emails of each visitor. There are simple components that each page should have a header, bullet points, and a subscription form.Placing keywords throughout the squeeze page allows for easy access of search engines as well as attention getters of the readers. As they scan the squeeze page you will have highlighted and targeted certain keywords to bring thief focus to that point. Place keywords throughout your bullet points that are to provide a short brief of what you offer them.Highlight and bold the points that set you apart from the others that offer the same or similar products and information as you have. You have to convince them that you are the best! In the subscription form, provide a place for the reader to place their names and emails. This is important to know who visited. Optimization is a great tool for advertising and allowing search engines to
POB 2002
Allen, TX 75013
(888) 397-3742
www.experian.com
By contacting them about the false credit applications being made in your name, you will activate fraud alerts on your credit file. This is supposed to prompt lenders to inform you of any new requests for credit, giving you a chance to explain it was an identity thief, not you. Sometimes this works. Sometimes it does not and the credit company goes ahead and gives the thief credit in your name.
You should check your credit reports from each of the three bureaus to look for items that are not of your doing. Even if there is no fraud evident, you will want to be watching your report at least every other month for the next six months. If you see signs of unusual activity, or the fraud alerts work and you begin to receive calls from lenders, contact the lenders and credit extenders and explain it wasn't you. If the impersonator visited them in person, ask them for a description. Then move onto:
Step 2: Understand that Reality Bites.
After you receive the second notice of someone seeking credit in your name, or see any unusual activity on your report you need to:
A. Re-contact the police about this theft
B. Call the CRAs again to renew your fraud alerts which can expire in 90 days.
C. Request copies of your report from each of the CRAs. A fraud alert is supposed to notify all three to send you a report without cost, but make three separate requests to make sure you quickly receive each CRA report. If need be, hound them until they hand over what by law they are required to provide you because of your fraud alert.
Step
Before you set a date to have your car shipped to its new location, either domestic or foreign, you should consider buying auto shipping insurance from the company you plan to use. Shipping insurance will protect your car in case of damage during transport or theft. Having extra insurance can offer you peace of mind while your car is in transit.But not all auto shipping insurance policies are the same. Check with your shipping company to see if they offer a primary or excess insurance policy. A primary policy will cover damages to your car regardless of what your regular auto insurance will cover. An excess policy will only cover what your insurance company will not. Before purchasing either policy, be sure to call your auto insurance company to see what types of damages are covered under your current policy and then make a decision from there.If you are transporting an antique or classic car, you may want to purchase extra insurance so that the car is covered completely. Buy enough coverage to cover the blue book value of the car. If possible, find an auto shipping company that specialize
Step 2: Understand that Reality Bites.
After you receive the second notice of someone seeking credit in your name, or see any unusual activity on your report you need to:
A. Re-contact the police about this theft
B. Call the CRAs again to renew your fraud alerts which can expire in 90 days.
C. Request copies of your report from each of the CRAs. A fraud alert is supposed to notify all three to send you a report without cost, but make three separate requests to make sure you quickly receive each CRA report. If need be, hound them until they hand over what by law they are required to provide you because of your fraud alert.
Step 3: Get Busy.
Statistically, recovering from identity theft can take more than 600 hours of effort on your part to clear your name. Much of that time will likely be spent in that never-never land of a company's telephone-hold pattern listening to their music selection. Another big chunk of time will be spent explaining and correcting, re- explaining and re-correcting and maybe needing to go over for a third time matters you had though corrected or already explained. For every action you take, you must keep a precise log of action, the details are highly important. Just as it was important for you to notify the police immediately upon recognizing you were facing identity theft, you must deal with all the companies that think you owe them money as soon as you are aware of them.
Using a spreadsheet chart with headings like "Company", "Date", "Representative", "Time Spent", and "Response" will help you keep track of whom you talk to, about what and when you spoke. Good record keeping is vital. Whenever you write, send the letter certified mail, and staple the confirmation receipt with your other records. Another advantage of the certified letter is the time stamp. Credit reporting agencies are required to respond within 30 days - it's the law. That time stamp on the envelope, and the fact the CRA signed for the letter improves your chance of a quick response. You need to take as much control of the situation as possible.
One important part of this step is to take care of yourself, do a weekend getaway once in a while if you want. The thing is to recognize that a sense of helplessness and loss of control is common when going through an identity theft situation. Deal with the feelings when they occur, take a break from the ordinary routine as needed, try to relax on occasion and not let the situation run away with you.
Creditors are likely to start hounding you, demanding payment for goods you never bought. Your assertive actions, such as placing the fraud alerts with the CRAs, reporting to the police, and keeping track of all contacts with creditors will help you clear your name. It will also help you prove to the creditors that you do not owe them the money your impersonator stole from them.
Step 4: Fix what's broken.
Be diligent in your activity. Do not let the blockheadedness of credit company representatives get you down; the burden of proof is on you to show that you did not order those goods. Keep calling, emailing, and sending certified letters repeatedly until you get all the false information removed from your credit report.
If this happens to you, always identify yourself as a victim of identity theft and supply the company with a notarized ID Theft Affidavit available at www.ftc.gov. Becoming a criminal reporter will help as you piece together what the thief has done by asking as many questions as you can.
Step 5: Recovery.
Does anyone truly recover from an ID theft experience?
Looking at your credit report from the three bureaus at least once a year is important for everybody to do. For a victim of ID theft, it is imperative. Starting December 1, a nationwide system of fraud detection and alerts will create procedural standards CRAs must follow when a consumer reports an incident of identity theft. By September 2005 everyone will be able to request a free credit re
HTTP = HTML link (for blogs, profiles,phorums):
<a href="http://www.casualarticles.com/article/130015/casualarticles-Save-Your-Identity.html">Save Your Identity</a>
BB link (for phorums):
[url=http://www.casualarticles.com/article/130015/casualarticles-Save-Your-Identity.html]Save Your Identity[/url]
Related Articles:
3rd Party Merchant Accounts: Tips To Avoid Costly Chargebacks For Merchants And Buyers
Affordable Life Insurance Quotes
Bookmark it:
|