In
this age of scams and identity thefts, there are some things you might do to
discourage such scammers and thieves. Granted, these first three suggestions
relate to writing checks, something most of us no longer do, but it may be
useful for some of us seniors who still pay with checks.
The
next time you order checks, omit your first name and have only your initials
and last name put on them. If someone takes your check book they will not know
if you sign your checks with just your initials or your first name but your
bank will know how you sign your checks.
When
you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts, DO NOT put the
complete account number on the "For" line. Instead, just put the last
four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the number and anyone
who might be handling your check as it passes through all the check processing channels
won't have access to it.
Put
your work phone # on your checks instead of your home phone. If you have a PO
Box use that instead of your home address. Never have your SS# printed on your
checks, you can add it if it is necessary.
In
case your wallet is ever lost or stolen, make copies (front and back) of your
driver’s license, credit cards, etc. You will know what you had in your wallet
and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel.
File
a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where it was stolen, this
proves to credit providers you were diligent, and is a first step toward an
investigation (if there ever is one).
Call
the three national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud
alert on your name and Social Security number. The alert means any company that
checks your credit knows your information was stolen and they have to contact
you by phone to authorize new credit.
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
The 2018 Mid-Terms will tell us a lot
about where we are as a nation and member of the United Nations and where we
may be going. Will we actually see a much greater voter turnout with young
activists and women who in the past didn’t vote because they felt overlooked?
Will all the young people voting for the first time realize the power of their
vote and go to the polls, or will they forget what they were so actively
protesting half a year ago? Will the MeToo Movement continue its fight for
sexual equality or will it retreat quietly in the face of all the added male
pressure from men like Donald Trump and his ilk? Will the Democrats regain the
majority in the House of Representatives, maybe even the Senate, or will it all
remain the same? Two more weeks and we’ll have the answers.
The
Mega Million lottery is now up to 1.6 billion, and if no one has the correct numbers
in the next day or two, it will probably soar over two billion. I guess I just
don’t understand why anyone except Trump and his fellow billionaires would want
or need that much money. Better question: Why would Trump and his fellow
billionaires want that much more money? The odds against selecting the winning numbers
is around one in 600 million. Those are really stupid odds. That’s like you
being mixed in with one tenth of all the humans on the planet and having your
name pulled out of that huge hat. Really stupid odds. But then, we seem to be living in a
really stupid time.
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