Step #1:
The first step in protecting your credit and name from unauthorized use is to get a copy of your credit report. You should do this every year or so. Look for unauthorized inquiries, accounts that don't belong to you, and other suspicious activity. If you spot anything out of the ordinary, contact your credit bureau and the creditors involved. If the report lists accounts that do not belong to you, you may also wish to contact the police regarding possible fraud.
Step #2:
Contact the Social Security Administration to insure that no one is earning wages under your social security number. Call 800-2345772 for a Request For Earnings and Benefit Estimate Statement. This will give you information about your social security earnings and benefits, which you can then check for discrepancies. The Social Security Administration allows you three years, three months, and fifteen days to dispute a mistake after it has been made.
Step #3:
Contact your credit bureau and request that your name not be sold to outside marketers. This is a double-edged sword, in that erasing your name from these lists will mean you won't receive any more pre-approved credit cards. The value of privacy must be weighed against convenience. You can also opt out of most other private databases by contacting the Direct Marketing Association. Many of the members of this organization are list brokers and other direct mail marketers. They will remove your name from member organizations' lists, but you still may be on databases belonging to non-member organizations. The address is:
Telephone Preference Service Mail Preference Service Direct Marketing Association 6 East 43rd Street New York, NY 10017-4646 (212) 689-4977, ext.369
Many retail stores, banks, and other creditors also sell their lists to outside marketers. If you have credit cards, a mortgage, a checking account, or any other kind of bank account, your name, address, and telephone number may be used for other marketing activities, either by the company you are dealing with or by outside organizations. Contact these institutions and let them know you do not wish to have your information used for any purpose other than servicing the relationship you currently have with them.
Step #4:
Obtain a copy of your medical information file. This file is used by insurance companies to rate your insurability. They may send the information only to your doctor, so include his or her name and address. The information contained in your medical information file is reported by physicians you may have seen in the past as well as your current doctor. Be sure the information is correct. The report can be obtained from:
Step #5:
Check your motor vehicle records. This information may be available to employers. Ask how your state regulates access to these records. The obsessed fan who killed actress Rebecca Schaeffer in Los Angeles in 1989 obtained her home address from California's Department of Motor Vehicles. This prompted legislation allowing residents of that state to use addresses other than their home address in DMV records. Find out how your state regulates this information and consider giving an address other than your home, if permitted.
Step #6:
Finally, don't give out personal information to anyone unless you know what it will be used for. Don't let merchants record your credit card number on your check. Use a post office box or other address when checking into a hotel. Don't give personal information such as address, social security number, or driver's license number to telephone solicitors. Beware of coupons and warranty cards. Once again, it may be wise to have a Post Office box or private box address to use on these kinds of responses. And get an unlisted phone number. It is worth the extra $30 to $50, because it will keep your name off many lists. Take reverse directories, for example, used by marketers to pinpoint specific areas where potential customers may live. A reverse directory is simply a telephone book sorted by street address instead of last name. If you want to look up telephone numbers on a certain street, you would turn to that street name for a list of the phone numbers, names, and addresses of everyone living on that street-everyone, that is, who is listed in the phone book. If you are not listed in the phone book, your name will not appear. The reverse directory is a favorite of stock brokers, insurance agents, and collection agencies.
Privacy is something that doesn't seem very important until it's taken away. In an age where everything is available at the push of a button, it is wise to manage the way the world sees you. Many of these databases, especially credit files, are the sum of your reputation. In today's tightening credit climate and in an increasing competitive job environment, your reputation could help augment your personal success or doom you failure.
