How to Protect Your Mail from ThievesWritten by Identity Theft 911
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* Always deposit your mail in a blue Postal Service mail collection box or mail slot at your local post office, or hand it to your letter carrier. Don't place it for carrier pick-up in a mailbox or area where it can be easily stolen. * Consider starting a neighborhood watch program. By exchanging work and vacation schedules with trusted friends and neighbors, you can watch each other's mailboxes (as well as homes). If you observe a mail thief at work, call local police immediately, and then your nearest Postal Inspector. * If you believe your mail was stolen, report it immediately to your local postmaster or nearest Postal Inspector. You'll be asked to file a formal complaint using PS Form 2016, Mail Theft and Vandalism Complaint. By analyzing information collected from form, Postal Inspectors may determine whether your problem is isolated or part of a larger mail theft problem in your neighborhood--and it may help Inspectors locate and apprehend thieves.http://www.identitytheft911.com/education/article/idtheft_mail_protect.jsp
Identity Theft 911 provides one-on-one counseling, strategies, and resources to targets of identity theft. Combining an intense one-to-one focus with a comprehensive nationwide resource network, the company specializes in helping individual and enterprise clients resolve the financial, legal, and emotional fallout from identity theft and related crimes.
| | Cyber Fraud & Identity Theft PreventionWritten by Guy Hartmann
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Check your credit report at least once a year. Have a fraud alert put on your accounts. This is a flag that asks creditors to contact you before opening any new accounts. This may impede opening instant accounts. But, security seems well worth inconveinance. You can also order credit watch services from them that contact you when there is unusual activity. Here are links to big three: Equifax Credit Information Services,Inc. Experian Information Solutions, Inc. TransUnion You can also contact your financial institutions and ask about their information opt out programs. This takes you off any lists that they sell or trade. Especially do this with any accounts that you do online transactions with. Another good way to shield your privacy is to contact Direct Marketing Association in New York to opt out of their member's lists. Use links to find out how to opt out of each type: Email Telemarketing Regular Mail This was just a short plain primer on protecting yourself. There are other options out there as well. If you stop and think, time you spend on prevention will most likely be alot less than any spent on repairing damage. Your brain and your computer aren't all that different. The average person only uses about 10% of either. Tweak 10% you use.
Guy Hartmann has a degree in Community Education and has over 20 years experience in the fields of education and community development. He is a regular contributor at http://www.quantum-links.com
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