[alice_in_bubbaland]

I thought this info could help someone, so I'm passing it along.

[FarRightFanatic]

This is excellent advice. I’m going to send this to everyone in my address book. Thank you.

[pandoraou812]

Thanks & good advice!

[jimtorr]

Here is an important tip: If anyone asks you to write your SSN or your credit card number on a check, tell them NO!

If they insist, then you do not want to give them personal checks.

[CodeToad]

Hunt down and kill anyone anyone that tries to take your identity. Enough dead people might make a deterent.

[ScreamingFist]

BM

[50mm]

I suggest taking it a step further as I have. Go to the websites of each of the three credit agencies and place a credit freeze on your identity. It costs $5.00 each (when I did it years ago), but makes it impossible for somebody to open a new account in your name. As a bonus, all the credit card offers that stuff your mailbox every day will stop almost completely.

Thieves sometimes steal credit card offers out of your mailbox, apply and then check your mailbox for the new card when it comes. They then immediately change the account address. By the time you realize what has happened, the thief could have run up thousands of dollars in debt.

[21stCenturion]

...

[this_ol_patriot]

4. 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 would be careful with this, a lot of copiers save copied data to a network or hard drive for security reasons. They can also be hacked just like a computer to retrieve data.