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Did you know that October is Fraud & Financial Abuse Awareness month? I'm sure
you will want to celebrate. Why wait for Halloween to experience horror. There
are ways to assure that your credit card numbers -- or even your identity --
will go to thieves who will download porn movies, and make 900 calls with your
credit card.
If you are really lucky, you might even have your identify stolen and credit
opened up with items charged that you have never heard of. Imagine getting a
bill for a flat screen TV or new computer that you didn't buy, or having your
bank account cleaned out via an ATM.
Want to know how you too can become a victim?
*Here are a few ways to guarantee that your information goes straight to
scammers, spoofers and phishing artists who will probably sell your credit card
number it before you know it's gone.
*When someone calls on the phone from an unidentified number and asks for a
charitable donation, go ahead and give them your credit card number and help out
them out. It's for a good cause, and they sound okay.
*Write your PIN number on the back of your ATM and debit card. How else can you
remember it? Besides you are not going to lose your card, are you?
*Don't worry about mail piling up in the box while you are traveling. It is too
inconvenient to go to the post office to have it stopped and then go again when
you get back to pick up the mail. No one will steal your mail out of the box.
*If unsolicited credit card offers come in the mail, just throw them away. No
one would bother with getting a new credit card in your name. Who has that kind
of time? You don't even have the time to opt out of receiving these offers.
*Shredding documents before you put them in the trash is another big time
waster. Who would go through garbage to look for your bank account number? It's
full of coffee grounds, and kitty litter! If that isn't insurance enough, what
is?
*Don't worry about keeping an eye on your bank and credit card accounts online.
As long as your charges go through and your checks don't bounce, everything is
fine. You can't obsess over every item and some of those charges are hard to
figure out anyhow.
*If you get email notices that there is suspicious activity on an account, just
click the link in the email and sign in with your password to check it out. It
takes you to the bank's website, doesn't it? If you call them, you will be on
hold for 30 minutes.
*Never call law enforcement or your bank unless you are absolutely certain
something is going on with an account. The police will think you are paranoid
and you will make a fool of yourself over nothing. Just watch and see if any
more suspicious charges come up.
*Don't worry about buying gas at the pump or using your card at a drive-through
restaurant. It is very unlikely that a reader has been attached undetected and
is collecting the numbers of everyone that uses the scanner. You are safe as
long as you don't see anything suspicious.
*Finally, if all of these suggestions are just too difficult and you simply
can't wait to become a victim of fraud, post your credit card numbers, social
security number and other personal information on Facebook or Twitter. That
should do it.
Remember, anyone can be the victim of financial fraud. You could be a victim
even if you are careful and don't make any of the obvious mistakes. Criminals
are thinking up new and creative ways to steal your money every day.
Of course, if you don't want to be a victim, and want to keep your money for
your own needs, don't do any of this stuff. Thieves know enough ways to steal
from you. Don't help them out.
Copyright Sheila Moss
* * * * *
 Sheila
Moss is a columnist and free-lance writer from Nashville,
Tennessee. Her column includes funny stuff about Southern life,
women's issues, family matters or whatever she finds amusing. She
has written a monthly humor column for the Atlanta Woman
Magazine, and a weekly column for Smyrna AM, a
community supplement of the Tennessean, and for a number of
other newspapers. She has been published by Voyageur Press, McGraw
Hill and Guideposts Books, as well as other publications, both
print and online. She is WebEditor for the National
Society of Newspaper Columnists and is an webmaster for HumorColumnist.com.
as well as Southern
Humorists.com. Contact
Sheila
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