PIREP - A DISCUSSION & NEWS FORUM FOR PILOTS.

[Victor H]

1. LAWYER'S ADVICE (NSW) - NO CHARGE (for a change)

A corporate LAWYER sent the following out to the employees in his company:

1. Next time you order cheques, have only your initials (instead of your first name) and surname put on them. If someone takes your cheque book, they will not know if you sign your cheques with just your initials or your first name, but your bank will know how you sign your cheques.

2. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put "PHOTO ID REQUIRED".

3. When you are writing cheques 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 cheque as it passes through all the cheque processing channels won't have access to it.

4. Place your work phone number on your cheques 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 Centrelink Number printed on your cheques. You can add it if it is necessary, but if you have it printed, anyone can get it.

5. Run the contents of your wallet through a photocopy machine. Do both sides of each licence, 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 (not your wallet). I also carry a photocopy of my passport when travelling 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.

Unfortunately I, an attorney, have first-hand knowledge because my wallet was stolen last month. Within a week, the thieves ordered an expensive monthly mobile phone package, applied for a VISA credit card, had a credit line approved to buy a Dell computer, received a PIN number from DMV to change my driving record information on-line, and more.

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

1. 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.

2. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit cards, etc., were stolen. This proves to credit providers you were diligent, and this is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one).

3. But here's what is perhaps most important of all: (I never even thought to do this.)

Call the three national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your Tax File Number your passport number and driver’s licence 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 authorise 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 handed it in. It seems to have stopped them dead in their tracks.

Now, here are some numbers which you might need to contact if your wallet etc has been stolen:


1. Visa Card Australia - 1800 621 199
2. Visa Card International - 1800 450 346
3. Lost Travellers' Cheques - 1800 127 477
4. MasterCard Australia - (02) 9466 3700
5. MasterCard International - 1800 120 113
6. Bankcard Australia - (02) 9281 6633
7. Medicare - 132 011
8. Centrelink Fraud - 137 230
9. Seniors Card - 1300 364 758
10. Passport - 131 232
11. ANZ FREECALL - 1800 033 844
12. Bank West - 131 718
13. Citibank - 132 484
14. Tamworth Coles/Myer Source -2340 1300 306 397
15. Commonwealth - 132 221
16. CUSCAL- MyCard 1300 135 538
17. GE Capital - 1300 369 904
18. Members Equity - 1300 654 998
19. National - 132 265
20. St George - 1800 028 208
21. SydneyVirgin - 2000 1800 080 000
22. Westpac - 1800 230 144
23. Woolworths Ezy Banking - 137 288

[boocs]

Thanks for the info!!!

b.

[bafanguy]

Yep, this is a big issue here too. It's a thriving industry for the bad guys. There are a couple of problems with the suggested steps, at least here:

Banks don't scrutinize the details on checks and likely have no idea how YOU routinely sign your checks as they process millions of them. His idea is certainly worth doing but not likely to stop the bad guys.

Some merchants won't accept a P.O. box as an address. Work phone number ? What if you don't work ?

Requiring photo ID for credit card use ? Great. The answer would be requiring your picture on the front (and ideally the back too) of the card. Some merchants ask for a picture ID with the card but most don't. I hear that in Europe the cards have a chip and a PIN ? That's a step in the right direction.

The big recommendation here is putting a "freeze" on the credit reports at all three credit reporting agencies (those Big Brother companies that have a dossier on your every financial habit). This'll stop a crook from opening new credit cards or getting any credit approval because the merchant can't check your credit and will likely wonder why someone is trying to open a new credit line when he should know his reports are frozen. Big red flag...

The problem with the freeze is that if/when YOU decide to get a new credit card or buy anything on credit, like a car, house or some other big ticket item requiring a loan, you have to unfreeze your reports so the merchant can verify your credit history.

The peace of mind is worth the minor hassle.

All in all, his suggestions are worth doing even if there is little chance they'll stop the crooks.

He forgot to mention...SHRED EVERYTHING !! Many cases to ID theft result from someone getting their hands on a piece of paper with your personal info on it. This won't prevent your doc's office or some merchant from being careless with your personal data but you can only control what you can control.
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"Damn these human beings; if I had invented them I would go hide my head in a bag." Mark Twain

[Kaptin M]

We were looking at renting a week or so ago and along with the application, the real estate people took copies of our credit card, driver's licence, and passports - everything required to steal a person's identity.
And I bet it was easily accessible to just about anyone who wanted to take a look.
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A pilot is responsible for delivering the final product. The SAFE transportation of passengers to their destination.