Is it terrible that I am still recovering from the Fourth of July. I guess that birthday finally caught up with me….extra years be dragging me down.
This week I finally get to show you all of those outdoor projects that we have slaved over for the last four rainy weekends. I may or may not be doing the cabbage patch behind my screen here.
Before we take this fiesta outside, I want to talk about all the creepers just waiting to pounce on your financials. We all spend a lot of time behind the screen, but there are tons of people making their living off of your computer time.
Almost eight and a half million adults a year are victims of identity fraud losing over $50 billion dollars. We probably all know someone who has been affected, in fact Tim and I have both taken a ride on the crazy train that is getting your identity back. It is a heck of a ride let me tell you.
Did you know that the easiest way to prevent identity theft is just to be aware of your accounts. It’s that easy…just check your statements for strange activity. An easy step that so many people don’t take.
You can shred documents, secure your personal information, and use an antivirus but using common sense when providing information is one of the best ways to protect yourself. Make sure you have initiated contact and you know who you are dealing with when you give out data. Shop on trusted sites, and people please don’t give out your social security number.
Take a minute today to check your bank account. Then do it for the next 66 days and you officially have a very safe habit. You’re welcome.
Have you ever been affected by identity theft?
Do you check your bank accounts on the regular?
Ever used LifeLock, how did that go?
About a month ago someone got info on one of my credit cards, Capitol One was amazing about it and I didn’t have to pay a thing. Lucky for me they caught it right away!!
It’s so scary right! Glad they caught it quickly for ya 🙂
Wait. Did you write other words? Because I only got the OUTDOOR PROJECTS part!!! WOOOO freakin HOOOO!
Okay now I’ll read the rest…
Speaking of identity theft, did you see Identity Thief? Can’t remember. Hilarious. Travel agencies need to sell a cruise with Melissa McCarthy. I’d book that in a heartbeat. That woman is awesome. Or she should be the face of LifeLock for a bit.
RIGHT! I freaking LOVE her…I want to go see The Heat. Have you seen it yet?
No but my Dad did, who is notorious for falling asleep in movies, and he actually stayed awake. I think that says something!
That junk is scary! I’m an obsessive bank account checker already. Take that, thieves! 🙂
I honestly think that is the only way to really protect yourself and your accounts, but then you hear about the people who open new credit cards in your name. Yea, that scares the junk outta me 🙂
Identity theft is soooo stressful. I’ve been lucky(?) enough to have two instances of it just this year – had credit cards hacked from an online store, and then someone got a hold of my SSN, so I had a few credit cards opened in my name.
I get my checking balance emailed to me every day, best service a bank can offer. And if things really go south, start making phone calls right away – don’t sit on any letters or phone calls from CC companies – and be prepared to file police reports and with the FCC. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone!
What happened when they opened cards in your name? I have always wondered about that!!!!
Yikes, so sorry that happened to you…I know how insane it gets trying to correct it all and get your credit back 🙁
The one account they opened actually had purchases made on it, which can complicate things a bit (mostly more forms to fill out and return). But basically, just had to call the customer service numbers for the companies and push things through to the fraud departments. Luckily, the banks that handle cards are pretty on top of things and will work with you – once you start talking to them and exchanging info, they can tell you’re not at fault (and will apologize profusely at every chance). Then it’s police report time. I took notes on every phone exchange, so it made the police visit pretty easy and painless. You’re likely to need a copy of the police report for any fraud forms for the banks, plus it’s just good to have it on record in an official type-way.
The other big thing is to file a fraud claim on your credit report – it’ll stop any further attempts to open new cards (though, still more phone calls to CC companies, just to verify that you are who you say you are, or aren’t, I guess). After the initial claim, you get 90 days of protection, by which time most scammers will give up and move on.
Dang….it’s always such a mess and headache! Glad you got through it, and thanks for the tips 🙂