My daughter saw the garbage men rip open our trash and pull out an envelope tear it open and pocket it, we accidentally put our burn bag (bills personal stuff) in the garbage. I'm pretty sure it was an un opened credit card app. Those are the only things we don't open. I called and reported them to their boss. What else can I do?
2006-12-29 09:15:28 · 14 answers · asked by jennie r 2 in Business & Finance ➔ Personal Finance
There's alot of free step by step tips at
http://www.identitytheftbenefits.com
2006-12-29 09:39:11 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The only thing that I would have to add is to make sure it's a cross-cut shredder. This type of shredder turns the paper into confetti instead of cutting it in strips which could possibly be put back together.
The garbage is the number one source for identity theives, not online like some people think. The vast majority of cases come from information gotten out of someone's garbage. Shred everything!
2006-12-29 09:28:05 · answer #2 · answered by hackey24599 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Buy a shredder for your personal information. Shred all envelopes with credit card information. Shred any identification cards you no longer use if you have had them replaced. Never trash your social security cards. Keep those hidden in a strong box which you can buy for as little as 9 dollars.
I also suggest you shred any other papers such as phone bills, electric bills and library cards and credit or debit cards that you no longer need or use because those carry a lot of information as well.
These shredders can be found at places such as Staples, Office Max, K-Mart, and Target or other local department stores may stock them
Look in your phonebook under governtment pages and find out who collects your garbage. When you get the correct number speak to the person in charge of the trucks and waste management and let them know that one of the people collecting the trash in your neighborhood is digging through the bags and picking out personal envelopes. This is unethical and tha man/woman digging in your trash if he works for the government or the city can lose his job.
2006-12-29 09:31:13 · answer #3 · answered by PSItsMe 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Buy a cross-cut shredder for all your mail. People get paid up to $50 or more for any personal information including: driver's license numbers, bank account numbers, credit card numbers, pin numbers, and ,especially Social Security numbers. Protect yourself. I automatically shred credit card applications because of the amazing amount of information they print on the applications to save you the trouble of getting a hand cramp.
My motto is shred, shred, shred.
2006-12-29 09:29:03 · answer #4 · answered by Caffeinated 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We don't shred our documents... We burn them. Monitor your credit card statements frequently. We check our several times a week online. Also, for around $10 you can sign up for credit monitoring. We have ours through Citibank. If a new account is opened in our name, they call us immediately to see if we did it. Another way to protect yourself is when using a debit card, tell the cashier to put it through as "credit." It will take longer to come out of your checking account and you will have the added protection of Visa or MasterCard's automatic credit protection.
2006-12-29 09:24:45 · answer #5 · answered by yeti_wife 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I would invest in one of those "Paper-Shredders", and what I do is rip up my papers with my numbers on them and place one part in my kitchen trash & the other in my bedroom trash bag, so that the same information should they tape it together are in complete seperate bags, you know...... Good-Luck to you, and I also am very "Protective, of mine & my families" numbers and important information.... Especially online!! Hey, on a brighter note: "Here's wishing You & Yours, a Wonderful, Happy , Safe New Year!!!" Smile, it will all be alright, just keep up being over protective, this day and age, we all have too!!!
2006-12-29 09:26:15 · answer #6 · answered by Hmg♥Brd 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There are a variety of identity theft protection services on the web. This is the one I use.
2006-12-29 09:28:12 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Call the three major credit companies. Let them know your concerns. Also follow up with thier boss to make sure it was taken care of.
Buy a shredder.
2006-12-29 09:21:22 · answer #8 · answered by Angel 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Get a paper shredder first off. Also call your trash company and report the criminal activities of their employees to them. They will know who worked that shift in your neighborhood. Maybe go to the police as well. I doubt you were the first trash bin they pocketed information from.
2006-12-29 11:43:21 · answer #9 · answered by Roman Soldier 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Shred, shred, shred... shred everything! You should never just throw away unopened mail. Take out the contents and run it through a shredder. Better safe than sorry.
2006-12-29 09:23:21 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋