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Show C8 Thursday November 4, 1999 Davis County Clipper ; Comisumeirs warned Identity fraud is on the rise. Often the first notice consumers get that someone has fraudulently assumed their identity is either a call from a collection agency demanding payment on an overdue credit account which they never opened or when their own monthly billing statements do not arrive in the mail and they find out the address on their account has been changed by an identity thief. Most victims never learn how the identity thieves accessed their personal identifying information. Indeed, it may be impossible for a consumer to prevent access to all his or her personal information which is so readily available to thieves (and to junk marketers) from a variety of sources. While the following recommendations wont prevent fraud entirely, consumers can take these preventative steps to close some avenues of identity fraud. Always question the information gathering and handling practices of merchants, financial institutions, creditors, government agencies, employers, educational institutions and others...ask, do they really need this information for a valid purpose? Credit card account numbers: never provide any personal, bank account or credit card information to anyone who contacts you through a telephone solicitation. Instead, it is advisable to demand they mail you information so that you can further research the company and their products and services. Keep items with personal information in a safe place. Keep a list of all credit cards, account numbers, expiration dates, and the customer service phone numbers in a secure place so that you can quickly contact your creditors in case your cards are lost or stolen. Tear updestroy all ATM and bank receipts, old insurance forms, bank checks, expired credit cards, and any other papers that include personal information, identification, and account numbers about you. This includes credit card solicitations! Thieves often times search through your garbage to find these forms and information and use it to apply for credit in your name. Minimize the number of credit cards and other items with personal information printed on them that you carry. Cancel all inactive accounts. Even though you do not use them, those accounts appear on your credit report, which can be used residence. When creating passwords or PINs, do not use the last four digits of your Social Security Number, your birth date, middle name, mothers maiden name, address or anything else that could be discovered easily that Identity ffirawd is odd the irose checks where possible, keep tax records and other financial documents in a secure place and destroy or delete social security numbers from any documents before throwing them away Address and phone number do not give out or write your name and address down in conjunction with a credit card sale. Ybu may want to have your name, address, and phone number deleted from marketers lists by writing to direct marketing associations mail Preference Service (PO. by thieves. Social Security Numbers: ask to have an alternative number where social security numbers are used for identification by schools, employers, or other institutions; resist writing your social security number on copy of your credit report on a regular basis to monitor for changed addresses and fraudulent account information. Monitor billing statements. Check your billing statements each month for fraudulent charges and report immediately. If you do not receive your statement on time, it may be that a fraudulent change of address was sent to the creditor or the post office. Call the creditor first and then the post office to see if a change of address has been filed in your name. Box 9008, Farmingdale, NY 11735) and Telephone Preference Service (PO. Box 9015, Farmingdale, NY 11735). Other common identifying information: consider using other security passwords for financial accounts rather than common identifiers such as mothers maiden name and birth date; if you have your drivers license on your checks, always shred canceled checks before throwing away. Monitor credit reports. Obtain a pre-print- credit card offers. APR!! These brightly-colore- d gimmicks from banks are easily converted to fraudulent accounts. Always tear up credit card applications before throwing them away. Credit card solicitations are generated from lists of credit reports provided by credit bureaus. If you do not want to receive these offers, contact each of the big Three credit bureaus to remove your name from Credit card: 6 lists. HOME FURNISHINGS QSauQE GGQ OTEGPS A CAQI VJIC1 JIM M V M IHT L Mil MUNM f OnMaraduiif Ml18)iGncttoM( loUOOOO. SKU 38393S4 by thieves. Do not leave envelopes containing your checks in your home mailbox, unless its secured. Due to the increased risk of theft, it is best to mail bills and other sensitive items at the post office rather than from your Utahns honored with Red Wagon Awards Oct. 26 Retired General Colin Powell honored the volunteer efforts of six Utahns with the Red Wagon Award Oct. 26 at the Franklin Covey 6th Annual International Symposium at the Salt Palace Convention Center. General Powell also received a Principle-Centere- d Leadership Award from Franklin Covey. In 1997, General Powell, spokesman and chair of Americas Promise, issued Utahns a challenge to increase the amount of time they spend volunteering. Since that time, communities throughout Utah have bonded together to support Utahs Promise, the state's response to see that every child receive a caring adult, healthy start, safe place, marketable skills and opportunities to serve. General Powell presented the award to individuals whose examples of volunteering have made a difference in their communities. This year, winners included: Tim Welch, Utah's Promise community chair from American Fork; Roseanne Gunther and Lorraine Vance, from the American Fork Community Council; Literacy Doreese Severe, a volunteer from Cache Valley; Cathie Zimmerman, Action Layton Community Council; and Melanie Goates from the Utah Youth Summit Steering Committee. Cathie Zimmerman, a member of the Layton Community Action Council, works as a coordinator for the Safe Neighborhoods Committee, writing brochures and other literature, and advising the new Layton Youth Court. Cathie is also a mentor, and volunteers 20 to 30 hours a week to see that these programs succeed. This is the second year Utahs Promise awarded volunteers with the Red Wagon Award for the time and elloits they hae invested m making a difference in the lives of Utah's youth. V. M" CASUAL STYII SOFA WITH ATTRACTIVE ACCENT PILLOWS 90 MULTI COLORED TRANSITIONAL. 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