Identity Fraud

Identity fraud is a serious crime! Because the crime is primarily faceless and nonviolent it may sometimes be confused as a lesser of all evils. But ask any victim and they will tell you that enduring fraud is a living nightmare. It is an insidious invasion of privacy. Nothing is sacred. There is no credit account, mortgage, bank account, mailing address, phone number or even gym membership that can't be affected.

Imagine having the address changed on all of your personal bills, multiple accounts being opened in your name and you no longer have the power to correct these problems. Why? Because a thief has your social security number, date of birth and mothers maiden name. It's a mess that knows no ends. In this months article we have included the link to the official government website for prevention and solution of identity theft.

This website is a one-stop national resource to learn about the crime of identity theft. It provides detailed information to help you Deter, Detect, and Defend against identity theft. While there are no guarantees about avoiding identity theft, there are steps you can take to minimize your risk and minimize the damage if a problem occurs. http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/.

If you think your identity has been stolen, here's what to do: Contact the fraud departments of any one of the three consumer reporting companies to place a fraud alert on your credit report. A fraud alert tells creditors to follow certain procedures before open any new accounts. Close the accounts that you know or believe have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. File your complaint with the FTC. You may print a copy of your complaint to provide important standardized information for your police report.

File a report with your local police or police in the community where the identity theft took place. Give the police a copy of your FTC ID Theft complaint form. Get a copy of the police report (or, at least, the police report number).

The Finishing Touch works to prevent identity fraud

We take great pains to shred any paper work with the customers personal information. We respect the fact that customers often give us private information such as cell phone numbers, email addresses and banking information. Any such information is handled with care.

Many companies make it a matter of practice to sell their customers information. We will not share information with outside sources.

You may have noticed that our correspondence is directed to P.O. Box 1723 Radford, VA 24143. This is a safety measure we have instituted for our customers. Stealing correspondence from mailboxes is one of the most common forms of identity theft. When you send your deposit check to The Finishing Touch II, Inc, it does not sit unattended in a mailbox on the street.

Our employees have clean back ground checks and driving records. All of our employees are drug free. We have a strict one strike you're out policy on stealing. Non-office personnel have limited access to the companies files. Any new employees are rigorously screened and any suspicion of wrong doing is taken very seriously.

As a reminder, we are still receiving checks with our customers social security number. Please immediately purchase new checks without your social security number. If you still have your social security number on your drivers license, please go to the DMV today and have this removed. The DMV will issue you a customer number. This customer number can be used on your checks instead of your social security number.

We are actively interested in keeping you, your family and your personal information safe! Yet another reason to hire The Finishing Touch.