Identity Theft:

A Guide for Consumers

-Thomas 'Birdy” McKee

Introduction

An identity thief is someone who steals your checks, your Social Security number, or other personal identification, then uses your information to obtain credit in your name or to commit a crime.

How Identity Thieves Steal Your Identity

Most identity thieves get your information by stealing a purse or wallet, or by stealing checks or credit card information out of your mail. The identity thief is almost always a stranger. Most victims never find out how the identity thief got his or her information.

Tips to Avoid Becoming a Victim

Do not give your Social Security number, mother’s maiden name or account numbers to strangers who contact you, especially by phone, Internet or mail.

• Identity thieves sometimes pose as business, bank or government representatives to get you to reveal personal information. Legitimate financial or government organizations that do business with you already have this information and will not ask for it over the telephone.

Pay attention to what time of month your bills arrive.

• If they don’t arrive on time, call the creditor to make sure an identity thief hasn’t changed your billing address to keep you from discovering phony charges.

Guard your mail from theft.

• Don’t leave outgoing mail in your mailbox. Take it to your local post office. Promptly remove mail after it has been delivered. If you are planning to be away from home, call the U.S. Postal Service at 1-800- 275-8777 to request a vacation hold.

Put passwords on your credit card, bank and phone accounts.

• Avoid using easily available information like your mother’s name, your birth-date, the last four digits of your Social Security number, your phone number or an easy series of numbers such as 1234.

Don’t carry your Social Security card.

• Leave it in a secure place. Give the number out only when necessary. Use other types of identification

when possible.

Don’t carry credit cards or ID cards you don’t need. Tear or shred personal information.

• This includes charge receipts, copies of credit applications, insurance forms, physician statements, bank checks and statements, expired charge cards and credit offers you get in the mail.

Request your free annual credit report.

• A recent amendment to the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act allows you to obtain a free copy of your credit report from each of the major nationwide credit reporting companies, at your request, once every 12 months.

Order your free credit report by calling toll-free 1-877-322-8228, or visiting www.annualcreditreport.com

What to do if You’re a Victim of Identity Theft

Washington’s new identity theft law is the toughest in the nation, but if you find you’ve become the victim of identity theft, you’ll still need to take several steps to protect yourself. Here’s what you should do:

Report the identity theft to the police or sheriff in the area where you live.

• As of July 2005, police are required to take a police report for identity theft. However, this does not mean that they are required to investigate your case. Ask the police to file a police report and give you a copy. You will need this to help correct your credit rating.

Contact one of the three credit bureaus.

• Request a security freeze. A security freeze means that your file cannot be shared with potential creditors. While Washington State law allows consumers to request a security freeze, be aware that consumers must also “unfreeze” their account to access credit.

• Place a Fraud Alert on your credit reports. Fraud alerts notify the credit reporting agencies to contact you when an application for new credit is submitted in your name.

• Send a copy of the police report to the three credit reporting agencies listed. The credit bureaus are required to block information victims identify as resulting from identify theft. Once these credit reporting agencies receive the police report and a request from you, they are required to block any adverse information resulting from the identity theft from your credit report.

Major Credit Bureaus

Equifax

P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374

1-800-685-1111 (Order Credit Report)

1-800-525-6285 (Report Fraud)

Experian

P.O. Box 2104, Allen, TX 75013

1-888-397-3742 (Order Credit Report)

1-888-397-3742 (Report Fraud)

Trans Union

P.O. Box 1000, Chester, PA 19022

1-800-888-4213 (Order Credit Report)

1-800-680-7289 (Report Fraud)

Report the identity theft to your financial institution and other creditors.

• They may advise you to close your accounts and start over with new ones. • Ask your financial institution what procedures they require of victims whose credit cards or checks have been stolen or forged.

Ask businesses to provide you with information about transactions made in your name.

• Businesses must give you this information but may require proof of your identification including a copy of the police report and a statement from the Washington State Patrol that your fingerprints are on file.

• If you need to obtain your fingerprints for this purpose, the Washington State Patrol provides this service. You will pay a fee and be given a document indicating that your fingerprints are on file. You may then forward this document to the business that requested them. Businesses refusing to provide information to you may be subject to actual damages, plus a $1,000 penalty for willful violations.

If the ID thief has stolen your checks or made counterfeit checks, and then used those checks to make purchases or pay bills, you will likely be contacted by collection agencies that want you to pay the debts.

• Explain to each collection agency in writing that you have been the victim of identity theft.

• You will need to provide the following information: a copy of a government-issued photo identification obtained prior to the alleged identity theft; a certified copy of a police report; a written statement describing the nature of the fraud or identity theft; information regarding the relevant financial institutions, account numbers, check numbers, etc; and a statement that the debt is being disputed because of an identity theft.

• Once a collection agency has been notified that the debt is a result of an identity theft, the collection agency may not continue to call you. This prevents victims from being inundated with calls for every misused check if they have had a box or book of checks stolen or forged.

• Although calls might stop, you may still be subject to legal action by collection agencies. However, there are limits on what a collection agency can do to try to collect a debt from you. For more information about debt collection, please see the Washington State Attorney General’s web site at: www.atg.wa.gov or call the AG’s consumer line at 1-800-551-4636.

Home Safe Home

Living arrangement to support your loved ones’ daily needs and activities.

As your family members or loved ones age, so do their homes. It is good practice to step back occasionally and examine the homes to see how well the living arrangement supports your loved ones’ daily needs and activities. There are many steps you can take to ensure that your family members stay safe and comfortable in their homes. Often these changes can be made with little or no cost, while they also make homes more user-friendly and welcoming. In this column, I note some safety tips to evaluate in your loved ones’ homes, so you can help them successfully age in place.

I've written articles before about the numbers: Nearly 90% of older Adults want to stay in their current home/residence as they age, and grow older.  Overwhelmingly, that's where people want to live if they need care through their Golden Years. But sometimes, features in your loved ones’ homes can be their biggest obstacles to remaining independent. As a caregiver, I know the safety of your loved one is your primary concern. By taking these small-but-practical steps - which includes the modifications I describe below—you can transform your loved ones’ "home sweet home" into "a better home safe home for them."

No-Cost Changes:

Remove all scatter and throw rugs, which can lead to falls.

Open blinds and curtains, and raise shades during daylight hours to increase natural light inside the home.

Place electrical, phone, and computer cords along walls where they will not trip anyone. To avoid the risk of fire, do not run the wires under carpeting.

Remove clutter from the staircases and hall ways to prevent trips and falls.

Set the hot-water heater to 120 degrees to prevent scalding and to reduce energy consumption.

While all of the above can be done without spending money, you might find some changes are hard for your loved one to accept. For instance, Mom may like her scatter and throw rugs because they add color to her rooms. It's important that you explain to her why you are suggesting removing these trip hazards. Tell her you want her to consider the change because you're worried about her falling and seriously hurting herself. Be creative in how you approach the conversation—perhaps suggest that she could move the rug from the floor to the wall or add throw pillows on a chair or sofa to add color without safety risk!

Low-Cost Changes:

As you make these no-cost changes, I suggest you look around your parents' house to see whether or not you could take additional steps to ensure the safest possible home. Here are some low-cost changes that run between $35 and $75 and will make a home even safer:

Increase lighting by using the highest-watt bulbs possible for fixtures or lamps.

Place double-sided tape or carpet mesh under area rugs to prevent slipping.

Install offset hinges on all doors to add 2 inches of width for easier access.

Replace traditional light switches with easy-to-use, rocker-style switches.

Install night-lights in hallways between bedrooms and bathrooms.

Replace knobs on cabinets and drawers with easy-to-grip, D-shaped handles.

Add anti-slip strips in the bathtubs and showers.

Mount grab-bars in the bathtubs,showers, and place a sturdy waterproof seat in the shower so your loved one can sit down while bathing or showering.

Install a hand held adjustable shower head for easier bathing.

Install hand rails on both sides of each stairway to support your loved ones' sure footing.

You can find low-cost tools and products at your local hardware or home improvement store. It's important that you or a contractor properly install all the updates, so find a reputable handyman to help you if you need assistance.

It might be hard for your loved one to consider certain features, such as the installation of grab-bars in the bathroom. "I don't want those things," Mom might say. "It'll look like a hospital room." This is the time to speak from your heart. Use "I" statements. Tell her you worry about her and you want her to be safe in her home. Add that grab-bars come in a range of colors and finishes that can match the decorating scheme of any bathroom. Tell her the days of "institutional-looking grab-bars" are long gone. Go with her to the store to look at what's now on the market.

In addition to the changes listed above, always remember to have a properly rated fire extinguisher in the kitchen area, and fire and carbon monoxide detectors on all floors of each house.

You can show the to your parents that you care enough to help them understand that they can easily improve their safety and your peace of mind.

Extensive Changes:

Since your loved ones likely want to live at home as long as possible, consider more extensive changes to the home so that it will be sure to meet loved ones’ daily living needs. Design features such as multi-level counter tops and pull-out drawers in the kitchen provide easy access to pots and pans. No-step entries to the home may cost more, but they can make homes safer and more comfortable for everyone.


The Growing Consumer Interest:

Realty's, interior designers, and architects have discovered that consumers are starting to show more interest in features and products that promote successful aging in place. People are also realizing that when homes are designed and constructed with these features, the homes’ value increases.
In Georgia, an "Easy Living Home" designation has been developed. It focuses on three key features of home design; All new homes constructed using the Easy Living Home approach have:

• Accommodations for first-floor living, with the master bedroom and full bath on the first floor
• At least one no-step entrance to the central living area of the home
• A maximum clearance (up to 36 inches across) in all doorways for easy movement throughout the home
  

The proponents of the livable approach contend that their homes are "easy to build, easy to visit, and easy to sell." Across the country, builders, developers, and realty's are replicating elements of what's called "universal design"—basically, design informed by features that provide comfort, safety, and the ability to age in place. There is also growing consumer interest in aging in place and the type of home required for it.

Home Safe Home:
No home can be "sweet" if it isn't "safe." The types of home features and fix-its described in this column make homes easier to use, which increases the independence of residents and makes care giving easier. As I've described, there are a range of changes that families can consider to keep loved ones safe and comfortable.

I hope that these ideas prompt you to evaluate your loved ones’ homes and to make the kinds of changes that you deem necessary and beneficial, for them to be independent, safe, and have happiness through their golden years.  Best of luck.

Take care,


-Birdy