2008 Simplify Your LIfe Checklist
Eve Abbott
January 02, 2008
Were you one of the 10 million Americans who were a victim of identity theft last year? If not, you are really lucky, because the personal loss figure is estimated at a minimum of $5 billion dollars. Plus, California comes in at number two (after New York) among the highest risk states. Contra Costa County and the Los Angeles metropolis are the two highest risk areas inside California according to Analytics, Inc.
It turns out that personal identity theft costs more than previously reported. Secret Service case reviews find that the median actual loss for individual victims is $31,356.00. U.S. businesses and financial institutions lost at least 50 billion dollars last year to fraud and identity theft last year alone.
How Vulnerable Are You?
You can take a quick test at the Identity Theft Resource Center that let's you know your Identity Quotient, or just how badly you are at risk for ID Theft. Now that is motivation! http://www.idtheftcenter.org/artman2/publish/c_theft_test/index.shtml
Identity Restoration
You may have seen a recent TV advertisement about a brand new kind of insurance coverage for, "Identity Restoration". The most ironic aspect of this new profitable product for insurance companies is that the insurance industry is notable for the early and frequent selling of individual's information on a scale too large for mere mortals like me to comprehend.
41 Pounds
The typical adult in the U.S. gets 41 pounds of junk mail annually. Stop junk mail to reduce your risk profile for ID theft and save precious time. Plus, help keep the planet green by reducing the resources it takes to produce junk mail. By signing up at 41pounds.org, you are part of the solution to keeping millions of trees in the forest cooling our planet. Junk mail produces more C02 than 2.8 million cars!
You have to stop it!
You can stop the companies and Federal and State agencies that generate your productivity problems from profiting off of you and your business. I guarantee if you and your employees take advantage of the following "2008 Simplify Your Life Checklist" that you will not only be more productive, you will enjoy an improved quality of life as well.
Make 2008 the year you free yourself and your enterprise from wasted time and privacy piracy!
The 2008 Simplify Your Life Checklist
Get Rid of Junk Mail:
To opt out of several mailing lists at once, contact the Direct Marketing Association's Mail Preference Service at PO Box 643, Carmel NY 10512 or fill out their online form: http://www.dmaconsumers.org/consumerassistance.html
41 Pounds
For severe infestation contact http://www.41pounds.org/ and sign up for 5 years of protection for just $41.00. They donate more than 1/3 of your fee to environmental or community organizations of your choice.
Do Not Call Listing:
Register your phones at https://www.donotcall.gov or by calling (888) 382-1222.
Social Security:
Review your Earnings and Benefits Statement carefully for errors once a year. Order a free copy by calling (800) 772-1213. You will also spot if someone else is using your SS number: a favorite step by undocumented foreign nationals.
Credit Ratings and Credit Fraud:
Reduce the number of pre-approved credit offers you get by requesting these bureaus remove your name from their lists: Experian (800)353-0809 Equifax(800)219-1251 TransUnion (800)241-2858.
Every quarter carefully check your free credit report from one of the three credit bureaus by contacting the only authorized source at www.annualcreditreport.com OR by calling (877) 322-8228.
Opt Out of Prescreened Credit Offers:
Go to www.optoutprescreen.com or call (888) 567-8688) to protect yourself, elderly family members , college-aged kids and employees from solicitations of creditors. This improves your credit rating, too!
Government Agencies: Birth, Marriage, Home Purchase, & Death
Public records of all our major life events are sold to advertisers. Call the largest dealer, Acxiom, at their Consumer Advocate Hotline (877) 774-2094. OR go to www.acxiom.com and hit the "Contact Us" link to request an opt-out form.
Terminate Unwanted Catalogs:
Contact Abacus at optout@abacus-direct.com or write Abacus, PO Box 1478, Broomfield CO 80093. Supply your address and the full names of everyone in your household or at your company address.
Prevent Your Internet Browsing Data from being shared:
Register at www.networkadvertising.org to opt out of advertisers selling your browsing "cookies".
I hope you never have to use these resources. But, just in case!
Reporting ID Theft or Credit Fraud:
Equifax (800) 525-6285
Experian (formerly TRW) (800) 301-7195
Trans Union (800) 680-7289
Social Security Administration fraud line (800) 269-0271
Federal Trade Commission ID Theft Hotline (877) 438-4338
Report Id Theft to your local police department and
keep copies of the report for creditors, etc.
The FTC now has an ID Theft website which provides guidelines for victims of identity theft: http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/recovering_idt.html
If you would like more painless productivity resources check out the free ezine at: http://www.ABrainNewWaytoWork.com
Copyright 2008 Eve Abbott All Rights Reserved.
It turns out that personal identity theft costs more than previously reported. Secret Service case reviews find that the median actual loss for individual victims is $31,356.00. U.S. businesses and financial institutions lost at least 50 billion dollars last year to fraud and identity theft last year alone.
How Vulnerable Are You?
You can take a quick test at the Identity Theft Resource Center that let's you know your Identity Quotient, or just how badly you are at risk for ID Theft. Now that is motivation! http://www.idtheftcenter.org/artman2/publish/c_theft_test/index.shtml
Identity Restoration
You may have seen a recent TV advertisement about a brand new kind of insurance coverage for, "Identity Restoration". The most ironic aspect of this new profitable product for insurance companies is that the insurance industry is notable for the early and frequent selling of individual's information on a scale too large for mere mortals like me to comprehend.
41 Pounds
The typical adult in the U.S. gets 41 pounds of junk mail annually. Stop junk mail to reduce your risk profile for ID theft and save precious time. Plus, help keep the planet green by reducing the resources it takes to produce junk mail. By signing up at 41pounds.org, you are part of the solution to keeping millions of trees in the forest cooling our planet. Junk mail produces more C02 than 2.8 million cars!
You have to stop it!
You can stop the companies and Federal and State agencies that generate your productivity problems from profiting off of you and your business. I guarantee if you and your employees take advantage of the following "2008 Simplify Your Life Checklist" that you will not only be more productive, you will enjoy an improved quality of life as well.
Make 2008 the year you free yourself and your enterprise from wasted time and privacy piracy!
The 2008 Simplify Your Life Checklist
Get Rid of Junk Mail:
To opt out of several mailing lists at once, contact the Direct Marketing Association's Mail Preference Service at PO Box 643, Carmel NY 10512 or fill out their online form: http://www.dmaconsumers.org/consumerassistance.html
41 Pounds
For severe infestation contact http://www.41pounds.org/ and sign up for 5 years of protection for just $41.00. They donate more than 1/3 of your fee to environmental or community organizations of your choice.
Do Not Call Listing:
Register your phones at https://www.donotcall.gov or by calling (888) 382-1222.
Social Security:
Review your Earnings and Benefits Statement carefully for errors once a year. Order a free copy by calling (800) 772-1213. You will also spot if someone else is using your SS number: a favorite step by undocumented foreign nationals.
Credit Ratings and Credit Fraud:
Reduce the number of pre-approved credit offers you get by requesting these bureaus remove your name from their lists: Experian (800)353-0809 Equifax(800)219-1251 TransUnion (800)241-2858.
Every quarter carefully check your free credit report from one of the three credit bureaus by contacting the only authorized source at www.annualcreditreport.com OR by calling (877) 322-8228.
Opt Out of Prescreened Credit Offers:
Go to www.optoutprescreen.com or call (888) 567-8688) to protect yourself, elderly family members , college-aged kids and employees from solicitations of creditors. This improves your credit rating, too!
Government Agencies: Birth, Marriage, Home Purchase, & Death
Public records of all our major life events are sold to advertisers. Call the largest dealer, Acxiom, at their Consumer Advocate Hotline (877) 774-2094. OR go to www.acxiom.com and hit the "Contact Us" link to request an opt-out form.
Terminate Unwanted Catalogs:
Contact Abacus at optout@abacus-direct.com or write Abacus, PO Box 1478, Broomfield CO 80093. Supply your address and the full names of everyone in your household or at your company address.
Prevent Your Internet Browsing Data from being shared:
Register at www.networkadvertising.org to opt out of advertisers selling your browsing "cookies".
I hope you never have to use these resources. But, just in case!
Reporting ID Theft or Credit Fraud:
Equifax (800) 525-6285
Experian (formerly TRW) (800) 301-7195
Trans Union (800) 680-7289
Social Security Administration fraud line (800) 269-0271
Federal Trade Commission ID Theft Hotline (877) 438-4338
Report Id Theft to your local police department and
keep copies of the report for creditors, etc.
The FTC now has an ID Theft website which provides guidelines for victims of identity theft: http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/recovering_idt.html
If you would like more painless productivity resources check out the free ezine at: http://www.ABrainNewWaytoWork.com
Copyright 2008 Eve Abbott All Rights Reserved.
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