If your like so many other different people, your world is paper controlled; with magazines, advertisements, bills, credit card offers, statements, yeah yeah you get the point! Not only can all of this paper be a huge stress but it can also be a big risk. With paper comes the good ol' paper trace.
The tragic result of identity theft and/or fraud on a victim can range from a loss of ability to obtain credit to extremes of losing a job, home, vehicle, business, and personal relationships such as a marriage. So take the necessary steps to help protect yourself, your family, and your belongings."Identity Theft is a crime in which an impostor obtains key pieces of personal identifying information (PII) such as Social Security numbers and driver's license numbers and uses them for their own personal gain. This is called ID Theft. It can start with lost or stolen wallets, pilfered mail, a data breach, computer virus, phishing, a scam, or paper documents thrown out by you or a business (dumpster diving). This crime varies widely, and can include check fraud, credit card fraud, financial identity theft, criminal identity theft, governmental identity theft, and identity fraud." - idtheftcenter.org
STEP ONE:
Purchase a document shredder & most importantly use it. Shred:
STEP TWO:
Contact the entities who are responsible for sending this crap to your house.
- Direct Marketing Association
Mail Preference Service
PO Box 643
Carmel, NY 10512-0643
http://www.dmachoice.org/ - Three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, TransUnion can all be reached at the same toll-free phone number at 1-888-567-8688
- Publishers Clearinghouse: toll-free @ 1-800-645-9242
- Val-pak coupons: call toll-free @ 1-800-237-6266
- National Demographics and Lifestyles
List Order Department
1621 18th Street Suite 300
Denver, CO 80202 - Got junk faxes? There should be an opt-out phone number on the bottom of the faxes, if not, or it doesn't seem to be working you can file a complain with the Federal Communications Commission at www.support or by e-mail at fccinfo@fcc.gov another way to get a hold of these guys is to do it the old fashion way by writing or calling:
Federal Communications Commission
Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau
Consumer Inquires and Complaints Division
445 12th Street SW
Washington, DC 20554
1-888-225-5322.fcc.gov/complaints.htm
STEP THREE:
Once you have completed step on and two, deal with the stacks you have going on in your house right now. Sort your paper mess into five catagories:
- Respond to (this can be unpaid bills and/or notices, things you need to read, ect.)
- File (things you need to keep for long periods of time)
- Pass on (things that do not belong to you and need to be passed on the the rightful owner)
- Shred (see "what to shred" above)
- Recycle (newspapers, advertisements with no personal addresses or information, ect.)
STEP FOUR:
File the things in the file pile, some ideas on catagories are:
- Auto
- Bank History
- Birth, Death, & Marriage Records (also any other important records might go here)
- Budget
- Charitable Donation Records
- Home Records
- Income Tax Records
- Insurance (all types of insurance records go here, also keep in mind you might want to keep a record of inventory along with supporting photos, videos and reciepts)
- Investments (such as savings, mutual funds, stocks, bonds, pension, ect.)
- Medical Records
- Legal
- Pet Information (including medical records and registration)
- School (transripts, registration, report cards, ect.)
- Social Security
If you have any questions or comments you can comment below or send me an e-mail at HannahKozlowski@yahoo.com .I love this green filing cabinet!
