FYI

Here is some free advice from an attorney, I hope none of find ourselves in this position:

ATTORNEY'S ADVICE - NO CHARGE

Read this and make a copy for your files in case you need to refer to it someday. Maybe we should all take some of his advice! A corporate attorney sent the following out to the employees in his company:

1. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put 'PHOTO ID REQUIRED.'

2. When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts, DO NOT put the complete account number on the 'For' line. Instead, just put the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the number, and anyone who might be handling your check as it passes through all the check processing channels won't have access to it.

3. Put your work phone # on your checks instead of your home phone. If you have a PO Box use that instead of your home address. If you do not have a PO Box, use your work address. Never have your SS# printed on your checks. (DUH!) You can add it if it is necessary. But if you have It printed, anyone can get it.

4. Place the contents of your wallet on 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 also carry a photocopy of my passport when I travel either here or abroad. We've all heard horror stories about fraud that's committed on us in stealing a Name, address, Social Security number, credit cards..

Unfortunately, I, an attorney, have firsthand knowledge because my wallet was stolen last month. Within a week, the thieves ordered an expensive monthly cell phone package, applied for a VISA credit card, had a credit line approved to buy a Gateway computer, received a PIN number from DMV to change my driving record information online, and more.

But here's some critical information to limit the damage in case this happens to you or someone you know:

5. We have been told we should cancel our credit cards immediately. But the key is having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so you know whom to call. Keep those where you can find them.

6.. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit cards, etc., were stolen. This proves to credit providers you were diligent, and this is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one).

But here's what is perhaps most important of all: (I never even thought to do this.)

7. Call the 3 national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and also call the Social Security fraud line number. I had never heard of doing that until advised by a bank that called to tell me an application for credit was made over the Internet in my name.

The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen, and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit.

by the time I was advised to do this, almost two weeks after the theft, all the damage had been done. There are records of all the credit checks initiated by the thieves' purchases, none of which I knew about before placing the alert. Since then, no additional damage has been done, and the thieves threw my wallet away this weekend (someone turned it in). It seems to have stopped them dead in their tracks.

Now, here are the numbers you always need to contact about your wallet, if it has been stolen:

1.) Equifax: 1-800-525-62851-800-525-6285

2.) Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742 1-888-397-3742

3.) Trans Union : 1-800-680 7289 1-800-680 7289

4.) Social Security Administration (fraud line):

1-800-269-0271 1-800-269-0271

We pass along jokes on the Internet; we pass along just about everything.

If you are willing to pass this information along, it could really help someone that you care about.
April 15

itsme wrote:Here is some free advice from an attorney, I hope none of find ourselves in this position:

ATTORNEY'S ADVICE - NO CHARGE

THANKS!!!

Most of us know that this is what we should do, but probably few, including me, actually do it! Having this info in one place will make it easier for me to 'hop right to it'.

Double thanks
One of the best "to do" lists I have seen on these boards in understandable English.  

Not signing your name on the back of credit cards can be a matter of some controversy. As a former merchant who accepted any number of credit cards, we received notifications from both VISA and MASTERCARD indicating that we should not accept cards that weren't signed with the exact name from the front of the card! Recommendations for writing "See ID" or "Photo ID Required" have been around for years.

That said, I once went to use a card with "See ID" in Puerto Vallarta for our dinner tab. I handed the waiter my card along with my Drivers License. A few minutes later, the jefe came to the table and said: "Senor, your name no Seeid!" He finally agreed that the name on my license matched that on the front of the card after some discussion.

You probably have a valid point CG in cases where foreign ID is used to correspond to foreign credit cards. In my case, and for most Mexicans, when I present my credit card, I also present my IFE card which has the exact same name (2 given names, plus apellidos paterno and materno) and hopefully the same signature on the charge ticket as is on the IFE card. Never have had a problem.
In foreign countries, I use a Capital One euro card, with Mexican DL,
no problem there either.
Most Mexican's signatures bear no resemblance to their names.

The credit card issuer allegedly needs your signature on the card to validate the card. Try the following:
C.I.D. your signature

It's a lot to cram into the space but how many people actually compare signatures?

Those of us who are familiar with the Terms and Conditions of various credit cards, say in the United States, are easily misled into believing it is the same the world over and that simply isn't the case! For example, in the case of American Express Premium Rental Car Insurance, any agency in the US that has agreed to accept AMEX has to accept this rental car insurance. In Mexico, there is no such requirement of any rental car agency who has agreed to accept AMEX.

The suggestion to have CID followed by signature makes some sense but I would project some potential for issues? During our last trip to Mexico in Feb, many restaurants brought a handheld reader to the table and your card never left your hands.

New technologies could make signatures obsolete!

lunateak:
"New technologies could make signatures obsolete!"

In theory a good concept but the crooks have been ahead of the curve with harvesting RFID info!

Never, Never, Permit a person to leave your presence with your credit
card, and/or your other ID
when they have your name & signature you are vulnerable!
Restuarants are the worst at this practice

lunateak wrote:The credit card issuer allegedly needs your signature on the card to validate the card.  Try the following:
    C.I.D.  your signature

It's a lot to cram into the space but how many people actually compare signatures?

I checked a site for abbreviations and acronyms. There were 118 for C.I.D. but none seemed to fit this context. What exactly do you mean by "C.I.D. your signature" ?

I should add that when we lived overseas, our bank imbedded your picture on your credit card. This seemed like a good idea. Of course, this doesn't help if a thief uses it for online purchases as all they need is your "secret" number from the back--and, in most cases, your home address, which is probably also your billing address.

Bob

I think it meant "See Identification".

Correct! Phonetic acronym.

Usually works in English speaking countries....

When in both Romania and Poland, they had hand held scanners and you had to put in a PIN number in order to use your credit card. Yes, a pin for a Visa. I didn't have a pin so had to go to an ATM and carry lots of cash. Felt like I was home in Mexico! It is a good idea though to use a pin with a credit card. Makes fraud more difficult. Who would have believed they would be so advanced in Romania?

joyfull:

The US banks have been fighting RFID technology and many other advances for years because of the investment they would have to make in equipment upgrades and software upgrades.