Best Results Organizing

Identity theft is not merely inconvenient, and identity thieves do not just steal the time it takes for you to get your finances back in order. While the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse reports that the average victim of identity theft spends 175+ hours recovering losses and restoring his or her good name, lost time is actually the least of your worries.

Millions of Americans are victimized by identity theft each year. Although the actual number of victims has decreased slightly in recent years (from 10.1 million in 2003 and 9.3 million in 2005 to 8.4 million in 2007), the average fraud per person rose from $5,249 in 2003 to $6,383 in 2006. In other words, while the chance of it being you has decreased, the impact if you are the victim has increased!

In most situations, thieves make a few purchases using a purloined credit card number and then move on to the next victim. Keeping organized records and quickly alerting the credit card company means you will suffer minimal financial loss. However, in the most dangerous cases, identity thieves CREATE AN ALTERNATE VERSION OF “YOU”—causing untold damage. If someone steals your identity and then uses it to procure services at a hospital (about which we’ll chat next week), depending on the thief’s diagnoses, it could prevent you from getting health or life insurance later on in life. These bad guys don’t merely ruin your credit rating and keep you from getting insurance, passports and jobs. You could even get arrested if someone commits a felony using your forged identity.

Almost worse than thinking about the potential pitfalls of becoming a victim of identity theft, because of the instances of major corporations being hacked or scammed, breaching our personal data is happening more often (226 million cases at recent count) regardless of our own preventative measures.

Organization is still your best shot at guarding against identity theft, but because upwards of 2.4 million Americans have been left open to identity theft through computer hackers of major companies and universities, defensive moves aren’t enough. Organization is also your key move after the criminals strike, so use these tips as a checklist to towards recovery of your good name.

1) CONTACT THE AUTHORITIES

• CALL one of the three CREDIT REPORTING AGENCIES to issue a 90-DAY FRAUD ALERT and get a free copy of your credit report to see how pervasive the problem is. After you receive your report, call the agencies back to request an fraud alert extension to 7 years.

  Equifax	800-525-6285
  Experian	800-397-3742
  TransUnion	800-680-7289

• CALL your CREDITORS. Close all tampered credit card accounts and have them marked as “closed at consumer’s request” and have your accounts replaced. Make sure you aren’t held responsible for fraudulent accounts opened in your name. If your checks are stolen, call your bank AND Telecheck:

• Telecheck

  800-366-2425

• CALL the POLICE. Filling out a detailed crime report allows you to extend your fraud alert from 90 days to 7 years and helps you officially correct records. This is your main insurance against arrest and prosecution if someone steals your identity and commits crimes.

2) PUT EVERYTHING IN WRITING

• Keep a LOG BOOK of every conversation. Every time you call a credit agency, creditor or the police, write down the date and time of the call, the name of the person you talked to, their badge or ID number and their contact information. Note what they promised to do.

• Follow up every call with a CERTIFIED LETTER confirming the details of your conversation. Fill out your lenders’ FRAUD FORMS and send copies of the police report.

• File a COMPLAINT with the Federal Trade Commission.

• Fill out an ID THEFT AFFIDAVIT, available online (and you can find the FTC’s instructions for filling it out here:

  http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/

• Write special needs letters (i.e., to report identity theft on behalf of a deceased relative), check the letter templates at the Identity Theft Resource Center.

3) MAINTAIN EXCELLENT RECORDS

Keep a special section in your filing system for logs of phone calls and copies of your letters, affidavits and fraud forms. Keep copies of anything the agencies, creditors or police send you.

OPEN YOUR MAIL as soon as it arrives and check every bill for accuracy; then organize files for each account, dating back at least a year, to track and verify transactions.

4) REMEMBER THAT THE BEST OFFENSE IS A GOOD DEFENSE

NEVER GIVE OUT YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION via phone or computer unless you initiate the contact and it is SECURE.

Use the free web site http://AnnualCreditReport.com to check all three of your credit reports every year. Investigate anything odd.

• DON’T CARRY your Social Security Card in your wallet. Protect your Social Security Number as if it’s worth a million dollars.

• SHRED convenience checks and anything containing personal account information before discarding.

• Call 888-5-OPTOUT to get off mailing lists for pre-approved credit cards so no one can steal the offers from your mailbox and apply for credit in your name.

Keeping organized helps prevent ID theft, alerts you to a crisis sooner and helps you recover your finances, your legal standing and your good name after the fact. Fight back, and be careful out there!

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For more information regarding financial identity theft recovery, check out these excellent resources:

• Federal Trade Commission
• Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
• Identity Theft Resource Center
• Call For Action (to get media help with your identity recover activities)
• Social Security Administration (if someone steals your SSN number)
• The FTC’s special report for military families dealing with ID theft
• The President’s Task Force on Identity Theft
• Fight Identity Theft blog
• AARP Preventing Identity Theft Seminar
• Internet Crime Complaint Center (in partnership with the FBI)
• U.S. Department of Justice Identity Theft and Fraud Division

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Next week, we’ll be talking about the scariest (in Paper Doll‘s opinion) type of fraud, medical identity theft.  See you then!

Dear Lord:
Lest I continue
My complacent way
Help me to remember that somewhere
Somehow out there
A man died for me today.
As long as there be war
I then must
Ask and answer
Am I worth dying for?

“It’s not a soap opera until somebody’s evil twin shows up.”

When Paper Doll was far too young, summers were spent watching soap operas. One particularly nifty option was One Life To Live, where the overarching premise (more so than on any other serial), was that almost every character had a secret life, dual personality or evil twin. Delicious as it was, I always feared the prospect of someone else pretending to be Paper Doll (I guess at that tender age, I was Paper Dolly) and turning in badly done homework. Never could my childish brain have imagined the horrors of someone intentionally taking on my persona to cheat me (or my creditors, or my insurance company) out of money! But identity theft is definitely more frightening than Viki/Niki or Marco/Mario.

Organizing is about saving time and money, increasing productivity and reducing stress, but skipping one small step in the organizing process can actually endanger your finances, your future and your good name. You probably know how important it is to eliminate unnecessary paper clutter, but with identity fraud one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States, it’s equally important to safeguard your personal data.

Each time you rifle through your daily mail or finish preparing your tax return, you may be tempted to discard unnecessary scraps of paper in the trash. Research indicates, however, that the number one source for identity thieves to get your private information is not the Internet or hacking corporate accounts, but old-fashioned dumpster-diving. In the war on identity theft, be sure you aren’t providing the bad guys with any ammunition.

Before tossing any paper into the trash, I strongly urge you to follow these guidelines to protect your hard-earned credit history.

SHRED any documents that can be used to help a thief set up a false version of your identity. These items include unused pre-approved credit card offers, bank and credit card convenience checks, balance transfer forms and anything bearing account or Social Security numbers, PINs or phone/Internet passwords.

CUT UP expired or canceled credit and debit cards into tiny pieces to ensure that no one could piece them back together. Do not be tempted to just cut the card in half. While a brick-and-mortar store would not accept a card cut in two, a thief can still use the numbers to make Internet and catalog purchases and would still have access to the super all-powerful three-digit access code on the signature line on the back of the card.

NEVER PROVIDE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION (including Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, account numbers or passwords) via standard email, nor over the phone if you did not initiate the call. If a store cashier asks you to provide your Social Security number on a check, refuse to do so. The momentary annoyance of explaining your reasoning to the store manager is far less than the frustrating loss of time and money spent repairing your damaged name.

On the Internet, credit card purchases are only considered secure transactions if the purchase is made on a page whose address starts with https:// instead of the usual http://. Also, look for a small lock-shaped icon in a corner of your browser window, indicating the merchant has made efforts to secure your personal data.

DON’T GET PHISHED. It’s much more likely that an identity thief would try to steal your personal information via a sneaky email than by phone. Thieves create a false email (and hide behind the mask of your financial institution) for the purpose of getting you to click on their link and enter personal data.

If you ever get an email stating that there is a problem with your bank or credit card account, directing you to click on a link to log in and check or change your information, STEP AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER! Then take a deep breath, delete the email and log in to your account through your computer browser’s “bookmark” or “favorite” listing or by manually typing the usual address into your browser. Some attempts at phishing are crude and laden with misspellings and awkward phrasings. However, identity thieves are becoming very adept at creating sophisticated emails and faux sites which appear identical to the form and style of a financial institution’s logo, font and infrastructure. (Brief sidebar: the IRS never sends you email about your return, refund or rebate!)

MEMORIZE your personal identification numbers (PINs) and passwords. Hide them in safe locations away from prying eyes and hackers. If you have a poor memory and must keep your passwords accessible, consider creating a cheat sheet with the clues instead of the actual passwords. For example, instead of writing down your password of ElvisVermontMaple, write down “1stConcertFavoriteSyrup”, or some equally obscure bit of information to hint at the information only you need to know.

Be sure to keep PINs away from the cards they protect, and never carry your PINs in your wallet. Again, the modern world is keeping your memory fuzzy, write clues. If your PIN is 0401, the clue might be “Don’t fool me” to stand for the date 04/01, April Fool’s Day. When you are given the opportunity to pick your own PIN numbers, NEVER use your birthday or part of your Social Security Number, as identity thieves can find such personal information easily. Aim for numbers representing obscure dates significant for sentimental reasons (like your first kiss) or the combined jersey numbers of your two favorite athletes.

STORE canceled checks, line-of-credit or convenience checks and account statements out of the sight and out of reach of delivery, sales or service workers, pollsters or fundraisers. You may think you’d never let these people past your doorstep, but it’s impossible to foresee what might distract your attention, such as the cries of an injured child from the back of the house.

SIGN new credit cards as soon as they arrive and store them in a safe place, away from your home’s high traffic areas. If it is necessary for you to carry the card with you, immediately put it in your wallet or card-holder, and guard plastic as diligently as you do your cash.

CHECK your credit history report with all three credit-reporting agencies annually. Request reports from:

• Equifax 800-685-1111
• Experian 888-397-3742
• Trans Union 800-680-7289

Due to Federal regulations, you can even get these reports for free, once per year, by going to AnnualCreditReport.com. This site is an official joint venture of the three reporting agencies. Do not be tempted by similarly-titled web sites which purport to provide you with free credit reports, but first require you to pay for membership or purchase other services.

Review the reports to ascertain that no accounts were fraudulently opened in your name. Also check to make sure that you are not listed as an authorized user for any card to which you do not have access. Report any suspicious or incorrect information to the credit reporting agencies immediately.

Also, if you suspect check fraud, contact the major check verification companies to request that retailers using their databases be notified not to accept stolen checks:

• Telecheck 800-710-9898
• Int’l Check Services 800-631-9656 (Note: International Check Services has been acquired by First Data/Telecheck)
• Equifax 800-437-5120

Your credit history is synonymous with your good name. Identity thieves don’t have a shred of decency, so don’t give them a shred of evidence to use against you!

---

In the coming weeks, we’ll be talking about how to organize to recover from financial identity theft, and also how to protect yourself against the growing crime of medical identity theft. Until then, to learn more about privacy and identity theft, I direct you to the impressive web site for the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, where you can find, among other things:

• A detailed Privacy Survival Guide
• Sample letters for protecting your privacy and identity
• Identity theft fact sheets, quizzes and case studies

and a cornucopia of essential information to make you paranoid, not only about thieves and evil twins, but about your employer, the government, and the person behind you in the checkout line.

Be alert, be cautious, but be sensible. Don’t let the bad guys turn your life into a soap opera!

“It’s not a soap opera until somebody’s evil twin shows up.”

When Paper Doll was far too young, summers were spent watching soap operas. One particularly nifty option was One Life To Live, where the overarching premise (more so than on any other serial), was that almost every character had a secret life, dual personality or evil twin. Delicious as it was, I always feared the prospect of someone else pretending to be Paper Doll (I guess at that tender age, I was Paper Dolly) and turning in badly done homework. Never could my childish brain have imagined the horrors of someone intentionally taking on my persona to cheat me (or my creditors, or my insurance company) out of money! But identity theft is definitely more frightening than Viki/Niki or Marco/Mario.

Organizing is about saving time and money, increasing productivity and reducing stress, but skipping one small step in the organizing process can actually endanger your finances, your future and your good name. You probably know how important it is to eliminate unnecessary paper clutter, but with identity fraud one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States, it’s equally important to safeguard your personal data.

Each time you rifle through your daily mail or finish preparing your tax return, you may be tempted to discard unnecessary scraps of paper in the trash. Research indicates, however, that the number one source for identity thieves to get your private information is not the Internet or hacking corporate accounts, but old-fashioned dumpster-diving. In the war on identity theft, be sure you aren’t providing the bad guys with any ammunition.

Before tossing any paper into the trash, I strongly urge you to follow these guidelines to protect your hard-earned credit history.

SHRED any documents that can be used to help a thief set up a false version of your identity. These items include unused pre-approved credit card offers, bank and credit card convenience checks, balance transfer forms and anything bearing account or Social Security numbers, PINs or phone/Internet passwords.

CUT UP expired or canceled credit and debit cards into tiny pieces to ensure that no one could piece them back together. Do not be tempted to just cut the card in half. While a brick-and-mortar store would not accept a card cut in two, a thief can still use the numbers to make Internet and catalog purchases and would still have access to the super all-powerful three-digit access code on the signature line on the back of the card.

NEVER PROVIDE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION (including Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, account numbers or passwords) via standard email, nor over the phone if you did not initiate the call. If a store cashier asks you to provide your Social Security number on a check, refuse to do so. The momentary annoyance of explaining your reasoning to the store manager is far less than the frustrating loss of time and money spent repairing your damaged name.

On the Internet, credit card purchases are only considered secure transactions if the purchase is made on a page whose address starts with https:// instead of the usual http://. Also, look for a small lock-shaped icon in a corner of your browser window, indicating the merchant has made efforts to secure your personal data.

DON’T GET PHISHED. It’s much more likely that an identity thief would try to steal your personal information via a sneaky email than by phone. Thieves create a false email (and hide behind the mask of your financial institution) for the purpose of getting you to click on their link and enter personal data.

If you ever get an email stating that there is a problem with your bank or credit card account, directing you to click on a link to log in and check or change your information, STEP AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER! Then take a deep breath, delete the email and log in to your account through your computer browser’s “bookmark” or “favorite” listing or by manually typing the usual address into your browser. Some attempts at phishing are crude and laden with misspellings and awkward phrasings. However, identity thieves are becoming very adept at creating sophisticated emails and faux sites which appear identical to the form and style of a financial institution’s logo, font and infrastructure. (Brief sidebar: the IRS never sends you email about your return, refund or rebate!)

MEMORIZE your personal identification numbers (PINs) and passwords. Hide them in safe locations away from prying eyes and hackers. If you have a poor memory and must keep your passwords accessible, consider creating a cheat sheet with the clues instead of the actual passwords. For example, instead of writing down your password of ElvisVermontMaple, write down “1stConcertFavoriteSyrup”, or some equally obscure bit of information to hint at the information only you need to know.

Be sure to keep PINs away from the cards they protect, and never carry your PINs in your wallet. Again, the modern world is keeping your memory fuzzy, write clues. If your PIN is 0401, the clue might be “Don’t fool me” to stand for the date 04/01, April Fool’s Day. When you are given the opportunity to pick your own PIN numbers, NEVER use your birthday or part of your Social Security Number, as identity thieves can find such personal information easily. Aim for numbers representing obscure dates significant for sentimental reasons (like your first kiss) or the combined jersey numbers of your two favorite athletes.

STORE canceled checks, line-of-credit or convenience checks and account statements out of the sight and out of reach of delivery, sales or service workers, pollsters or fundraisers. You may think you’d never let these people past your doorstep, but it’s impossible to foresee what might distract your attention, such as the cries of an injured child from the back of the house.

SIGN new credit cards as soon as they arrive and store them in a safe place, away from your home’s high traffic areas. If it is necessary for you to carry the card with you, immediately put it in your wallet or card-holder, and guard plastic as diligently as you do your cash.

CHECK your credit history report with all three credit-reporting agencies annually. Request reports from:

• Equifax 800-685-1111
• Experian 888-397-3742
• Trans Union 800-680-7289

Due to Federal regulations, you can even get these reports for free, once per year, by going to AnnualCreditReport.com. This site is an official joint venture of the three reporting agencies. Do not be tempted by similarly-titled web sites which purport to provide you with free credit reports, but first require you to pay for membership or purchase other services.

Review the reports to ascertain that no accounts were fraudulently opened in your name. Also check to make sure that you are not listed as an authorized user for any card to which you do not have access. Report any suspicious or incorrect information to the credit reporting agencies immediately.

Also, if you suspect check fraud, contact the major check verification companies to request that retailers using their databases be notified not to accept stolen checks:

• Telecheck 800-710-9898
• Int’l Check Services 800-631-9656 (Note: International Check Services has been acquired by First Data/Telecheck)
• Equifax 800-437-5120

Your credit history is synonymous with your good name. Identity thieves don’t have a shred of decency, so don’t give them a shred of evidence to use against you!

---

In the coming weeks, we’ll be talking about how to organize to recover from financial identity theft, and also how to protect yourself against the growing crime of medical identity theft. Until then, to learn more about privacy and identity theft, I direct you to the impressive web site for the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, where you can find, among other things:

• A detailed Privacy Survival Guide
• Sample letters for protecting your privacy and identity
• Identity theft fact sheets, quizzes and case studies

and a cornucopia of essential information to make you paranoid, not only about thieves and evil twins, but about your employer, the government, and the person behind you in the checkout line.

Be alert, be cautious, but be sensible. Don’t let the bad guys turn your life in to a soap opera!

Although this post appears two days after Mother’s Day, it’s actually being prepared in advance because Paper Doll is having an extended weekend.  This post is in tribute to the wise woman of paper, the great cartoonist and epistolary maven, Paper Doll‘s own dear, silly Paper Mommy.

Paper Mommy developed her own intriguing way to organize paper, long ago. Having never worked in an office, she “didn’t know from hanging folders”, but she immediately grasped the concepts of grouping like-with-like. I recall oversized kraft-paper envelopes stored in the cabinet above the oven, with her precise, still-as-she-learned-in-grammar-school handwriting noting whether the envelopes held appliance manuals (dated as to whether they were from “the old house” or “the new house”, though the new house is now 37 years old) or charming, funny letters and newspaper clippings.

Some of the envelopes still hold copies of her hysterically funny letters to friends, such as the one detailing her heroic stint as field trip mom at Beaver Hollow, a fifth grade “camping trip” rarely (and barely) survived by surburban moms–set to the melody of Allan Sherman’s Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh.  Long before home offices were de rigeuer, Paper Mommy had her paper categories broken down in no time flat.

Paper Mommy didn’t have a Blackberry, but her calendar has always been as certain as her love.  She was never late to pick up from school or after-school activities, never double-booked, and always remembered orthodontist appointments and special dates.  Without benefit of Microsoft Outlook alarms, she also kept a perfectly designed scheduling grid on a small bit of scrap paper so that a sick-bed Paper Doll got her cough medicine, antibiotics, St. Joseph’s Baby Aspirin (remember when kids were all given that?) all at the right times and in the right dosages, with strikethroughs to show the completed dosing. Dr. Paper Mommy was at the ready!

Whether fulfilling her role as political wife or as the coolest-mom-ever to two daughters 11 years apart, she has always had carefully written longhand lists on yellow legal pads, detailing every bit of planning for major events. Countdown schedules, grocery lists, catering or cooking menus, entertainment plans, guest lists, RSVPs–whether planning a birthday party for ten or a political fund-raiser for hundreds, a Bat Mitzvah or a bridal shower, Paper Mommy kept her information so well organized, I suspect that if professional organizers had existed in the 1950’s, she’d have been a founding member of NAPO.

But the paper for which Paper Mommy is best known are her notes and letters. Now, she’d be the first to admit that her spelling can be creative, but considering she was fluent in English first, then Yiddish before kindergarten, and given that she concurrently took Spanish and Hebrew language classes while in high school, is it any wonder that standard American-English spelling might be an impediment to yielding her amazing mix of storytelling, daily reportage, motivational pronouncements and advice?

Paper Doll may argue in favor of limiting memorabilia, but it’s just not possible to toss out the oft-folded notes from school lunches and college care packages and weekly emails of coupons and columns.  Perhaps someday there will be the pefect combination of scanning and tangible but space-saving memorabilia storage (something akin to Together Book, but for notes and drawings), to self-publish the crazy, loving, paper proof-positive of my amazingly wise, if wacky, maternal goofball.  (Of course, some, like the giant motivational poster-turned-cartoon with paper clothes glued onto paper grocery bag canvases, with a real dollar bill folded, sticking out of the cartoon’s trouser pocket, are deserving of display at art museums worldwide.)

No, Paper Mommy isn’t the only mommy out there with this kind of writing skill, as the fun web site Postcards From My Momma can attest. But Paper Mommy‘s notes, whether written on scratch paper or fine stationery, scrawled on the tops of newspaper and magazine clippings stuffed in with the week’s supply of coupons, or charted on that ever-available long yellow legal paper, have never failed to be endearing, entertaining and colorful. And with every note, there’s always one of her famously self-styled cartoons displaying ample bosom and clown-sized feet, with a relatively up-to-the-minute display of teh day’s (cartoonish, and yet somewhat realistic) hairstyle.

Today, and every day, this blog is dedicated to the woman who taught me the principles of organizing, who understood my need to go to three stores because no two classes could be stored in the same shade of blue, is an exemplary role model for creating a functioning world of paper, and who has always said “I’m proud of you before you even get out of bed in the morning.”

Paper Mommy—you rock!