North American Turbocoupe Organization



Off topic... info could save your ass one day!
Nate K Offline
Posting Freak
#1
Some Good Advice to save on your system as well as print out and keep handy.

A corporate attorney sent the following out to the employees in his company. I pass it along, for your information.

The next time you order checks have only your initials (instead of first name) 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.

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. If you do not have a PO Box use your work address. Never have your SS# printed on your checks -- you can add it if it is necessary. But if you have it printed, anyone can get it.

Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine, do both sides of each license, credit card, etc. You will know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel. Keep the photocopy in a safe place. I also carry a photocopy of my passport when I travel either here or abroad.

We've all heard horror stories about fraud that's committed on us in stealing a name, address, Social Security number, credit cards, etc. Unfortunately I, an attorney, have firsthand knowledge because my wallet was stolen last month. Within a week, the thieve(s) ordered an expensive monthly cell phone package, applied for a VISA credit card, had a credit line approved to buy a Gateway computer, received a PIN number from DMV to change my driving record information online, and more.

But here's some critical information to limit the damage in case this happens to you or someone you know:

- We have been told we should cancel our credit cards immediately. But the key is having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so you know whom to call. Keep those where you can find them easily.

- 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).

- But here's what is perhaps most important: (I never even thought to do this)... Call the three national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and Social Security number. I had never heard of doing that until advised by a bank that called to tell me an application for credit was made over the Internet in my name. 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.

By the time I was advised to do this, almost two weeks after the theft, all the damage had been done. There are records of all the credit checks initiated by the thieves' purchases, none of which I knew about before placing the alert. Since then, no additional damage has been done, and the thieves threw my wallet away this weekend (someone turned it in). It seems to have stopped them in their tracks.

The numbers are:

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

We pass along jokes; we pass along just about everything. Do think about passing this information along. It could really
help someone you care about.




[This message has been edited by Nate K (edited 12-09-2002).]
NATO Member
3 - 88 TURBOCOUPES www.turbotbird.com/showroom/nk_88tc.html
90 Mustang LX 5.0L Notch

Cars I wish I still owned:
69 Coronet 440
70 Torino 351C
79 Bronco 351M/400 on 35's
79 Trans Am 403 (6.6L)
88 Cougar XR7 5.0L
93 F150 Flareside Mark III Custom 5.0L
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BCA Offline
Senior Member
#2
Nate K,

All of this is excellent information especially the part about reporting it to the national credit reporting organizations.

The only advice that I personally wouldn't follow is using my work address and phone number on my printed checks.
As a person who works in the retail sales business, if a person came into the store where I work at and wanted to write a check, but the almost all of the information didn't match what was on their driver's license we wouldn't take their check as payment.

Brent
1985 Cougar XR-7 5-speed - 1 of 1,246 built
1971 Ranchero GT
Hi-Jumper SSIII w/2.3L Turbo power
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Nate K Offline
Posting Freak
#3
Yeah Brent, I thought that part was rather odd too. A PO Box sounds like the best option, if you have one. Most important part of it all is to provide as little info as possible.

Hope this info helps someone, too many people take their personal info for granted until it's too late.
NATO Member
3 - 88 TURBOCOUPES www.turbotbird.com/showroom/nk_88tc.html
90 Mustang LX 5.0L Notch

Cars I wish I still owned:
69 Coronet 440
70 Torino 351C
79 Bronco 351M/400 on 35's
79 Trans Am 403 (6.6L)
88 Cougar XR7 5.0L
93 F150 Flareside Mark III Custom 5.0L
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jeffg Offline
Senior Member
#4
Great info!!
86TC,85XR7,99 Mountaineer. Need for Speed
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2ManyRecklesses Offline
Member
#5
thanks nate! you saved my ass.. not that anyone would want my ass.. [Image: smile.gif]
"It takes two to lie, Marge. One to lie, and one to listen" - Homer Simpson.. my hero
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Pete D Offline
Administrator
#6
We forgot to note it above, but we want to thank Jim Portteus (Tylerport) for passing this on to us.

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NATO Member. it's not a vice, it's an obsession
"The nice thing about each new day is nobody ever used it before" Barnaby Jones
88 TC X 2, 86 SVO, mods list at
http://www.turbotbird.com/showroom/pd_88tc.htm
Pete Dunham


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turbot4 Offline
Member
#7
My wifes wallet was stolen from her purse at work! They came in her office, went behind her desk and pulled the wallet out and left. I was shocked at the boldness. Fortunately, someone had told us to contact the 3 credit companys and we saw a new request for a Wal Mart card in a different city AND state. They told us we could put the fraud alert on. In addition to the things he said, make sure you do not have your social security number with you at all, especially in your wallet. Once they have that, along with your birthdate and full name, the sky's the limit. P.S. They charged $800.00 in 3 days at Wal Mart and bought the strangest things, underwear, socks, shampoo, candy, electronics, etc.

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NATO Member
1984 Turbo Coupe
Rebuilt Engine
New T3/T4 Hybrid Turbo
Large Spearco Intercooler with Bypass valve.
Adjustable cam gear.
Kirban adjustable fuel pressure regulator
K&N fender mounted filter.
8.8 readend with Ford Motor Sport 4.10's
Replaced entire brake system
Replaced entire fuel system
Replaced entire suspension
87' or 88' TC hood
Completely redone leather interior.
Turbo boost adjuster from Tiny Avenger
3" Exhaust - DP, Cat and Ultra Flo Dyno Max.
and just about every thing else...
except the body looks like hell.
NATO Member
1984 Turbo Coupe
Rebuilt Engine
New T3/T4 Hybrid Turbo
Large Spearco Intercooler with Bypass valve.
Adjustable cam gear.
Kirban adjustable fuel pressure regulator
K&N fender mounted filter.
8.8 readend with Ford Motor Sport 4.10's
Replaced entire brake system
Replaced entire fuel system
Replaced entire suspension
87' or 88' TC hood
Completely redone leather interior.
Turbo boost adjuster from Tiny Avenger
3" Exhaust - DP, Cat and Ultra Flo Dyno Max.
and just about every thing else...
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Allan S Offline
Member
#8
Other items in the post are helpful, but the check name thing can cause you problems and actually does nothing to protect your check from being processed. All major banks use automated processing systems for checks. Merchants, especially larger stores and chain stores, etc. encode the amount of the check prior to depositing it at their bank to save money because their bank charges them a fee to magnetically encode the check. So typically the only bank employees to handle your check are the couriers delivering them for processing and the teller who takes the deposit. Your signature card for your account is kept at the branch you bank with and only the person(s) directly responsible for your account have access to it. Tellers and the personnel preparing the checks for their automated sytems have no clue how you signed your signature card for security reasons and logistics (manual check processing for one days worth of checks written by customers at even a small bank would take days to process and manually inspect). Checks processed with the wrong signature, or no signature are not uncommon. I have also seen checks deposited by one company that were written to another, and it was the check writer who first saw the problem when reconciling their bank account. Your best defense is to protect your checks and notify your bank immediately if they are stolen so they can freeze the account. Also, review your bank statement the day you get it and notify your bank of any potential problems immediately. Most banks have a time limit for how long you have to report problems with your account once the first bank statement showing the problem is issued.

By all means, do everything you can to protect yourself. But in this day of increased security having just initials or an address that does not match your id can result in hassles and a merchants refusal to take your check. Having your driver license number on your check makes it easier for merchants to verify they check writer is the correct person. DO NOT put your social security number on your check for any reason. Also, never let a merchant write your credit card number on your check, even if they "require" seeing it for identification purposes. This is an easy way for people to use your credit card without you knowing.

Quote:Originally posted by Nate K:
Some Good Advice to save on your system as well as print out and keep handy.

A corporate attorney sent the following out to the employees in his company. I pass it along, for your information.

The next time you order checks have only your initials (instead of first name) 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.

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. If you do not have a PO Box use your work address. Never have your SS# printed on your checks -- you can add it if it is necessary. But if you have it printed, anyone can get it.


[This message has been edited by Nate K (edited 12-09-2002).]
SCMC Marketing Director
www.svtcobraclub.com

2004 Redfire SVT Cobra
87 TC RIP 10/2003.
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