AP9 Privacy Matters 1-2-3 Advises Consumers to Take Inventory of Their Wallets
Norwalk, CT (PRWEB) November 3, 2006
If your wallet has been labeled the “George Costanza Wallet” from the hit series Seinfeld, you may just be an identity thief’s ideal target.
AP9 Privacy Matters 1-2-3 reports that according to the Federal Trade Commission, of the estimated 10 million Americans victimized by identity theft each year, the majority of the victims’ personal information was stolen not via the World Wide Web, but by non-computer related crimes such as purse and/or wallet snatching.
AP9 PrivacyMatters1-2-3, a leading security and privacy membership program offered by Adaptive Marketing LLC, assists consumers with staying on top of their personal information by providing instant access to their triple credit reports and scores as well as members-only access to weekly credit monitoring alerts. And for those consumers who have not checked their credit report in over a year, many top governmental agencies highly suggest obtaining a copy of your credit report once a year if not more. Knowledge is key when dealing with ID theft criminals.
Since many Americans have a misconceived notion that ID theft crimes only happen over the Internet, AP9 PrivacyMatters1-2-3 suggests that it is a good time to take inventory of what is in your wallet and to clean it out as much as possible — the less personal information you carry, the less chance ID thieves will have to damage your good name. AP9 Privacy Matters 123 offers a few helpful suggestions to get you started:
– Social Security Card. If you find your Social Security card in your wallet or purse, remove it promptly. If stolen, ID thieves will be able to apply for credit cards and bank loans easily, which will result in nothing but months of stress trying to clean up the mess. Only take your Social Security card with you when you need it – applying for a job, making financial transactions, or going to see your accountant during tax season.
– Extra Credit Cards. Remove all of your credit cards except for 1 or 2. We also suggest making photo copies of all your credit cards — front and back — but don’t carry them with you. Leave the copies at home or somewhere they are safe and secure. In case your wallet or purse is stolen, you will have copies of your credit card numbers and the toll-free telephone numbers where you can call to report your cards stolen.
– Receipts. It might be a good idea to clear out some of your receipts as they may contain your credit card number. If you need them for tax purposes, start a filing system at home. This way you won’t have to carry so much around with you.
In addition to receiving instant access to your credit report and score along with credit monitoring alerts, the security and privacy membership program also offers a discount on Internet security software and anti-virus software – all through AP9 PrivacyMatters1-2-3.
About AP9 Privacy Matters 1-2-3
AP9 PrivacyMatters1-2-3 is a leading security and privacy membership program offered by Adaptive Marketing LLC. Headquartered in Norwalk, Conn., Adaptive Marketing is a category leader in both membership and loyalty programs, bringing value direct to consumers through an array of benefits in healthcare, discounts, security, personal property and personals. Members may access their benefits at PrivacyMatters.com. With broad online and offline distribution capabilities, Adaptive Marketing offers its corporate client partners effective tools to enhance market presence, strengthen customer affinity and generate additional value through programs such as AP9 PrivacyMatters1-2-3.
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Categories: Social security card Tags: Advises, Consumers, Inventory, Matters, Privacy, Take, Their, Wallets
AP9 PrivacyMatters Advises Consumers to Take Inventory of Their Wallets
Stamford, CN (PRWEB) November 2, 2005
If your wallet has been labeled the “George Costanza Wallet” from the hit series Seinfeld, you may just be an identity thief’s ideal target. According to the Federal Trade Commission, of the estimated 3.2 million Americans victimized by identity theft each year, the majority of the victims’ personal information was stolen not via the World Wide Web, but by non-computer related crimes such as purse and/or wallet snatching.
AP9 Privacy Matters, a leading security and privacy membership program offered by Adaptive Marketing LLC, assists consumers with staying on top of their personal information by providing instant access to their credit reports and scores as well as members-only access to weekly credit monitoring alerts.* And for those consumers who have not checked their credit report in over a year, many top governmental agencies highly suggest obtaining a copy of your credit report once a year if not more. Knowledge is key when dealing with ID theft criminals.
Since many Americans have a misconceived notion that ID theft crimes only happen over the Internet, AP9 PrivacyMatters suggests that it is a good time to take inventory of what is in your wallet and to clean it out as much as possible — the less personal information you carry, the less chance ID thieves will have to damage your good name. AP9 PrivacyMatters offers a few helpful suggestions to get you started:
– Social Security Card. If you find your Social Security card in your wallet or purse, remove it promptly. If stolen, ID thieves will be able to apply for credit cards and bank loans easily, which will result in nothing but months of stress trying to clean up the mess. Only take your Social Security card with you when you need it — applying for a job, making financial transactions, or going to see your accountant during tax season.
– Extra Credit Cards. Remove all of your credit cards except for 1 or 2. We also suggest making photo copies of all your credit cards — front and back — but don’t carry them with you. Leave the copies at home or somewhere they are safe and secure. In case your wallet or purse is stolen, you will have copies of your credit card numbers and the toll-free telephone numbers where you can call to report your cards stolen.
– Receipts. It might be a good idea to clear out some of your receipts as they may contain your credit card number. If you need them for tax purposes, start a filing system at home. This way you won’t have to carry so much around with you.
In addition to receiving instant access to your credit report and score along with credit monitoring alerts, AP9 Privacy Matters offers a lost key return service as well as discounts on paper shredders — a nice thing to have during the upcoming tax season.
*AP9 PrivacyMatters provides you with the tools you need to access and monitor your financial/credit information through the program’s credit reporting and monitoring benefits. AP9 Privacy Matters and its benefit providers are not credit repair service providers and do not receive fees for such services, nor are they credit clinics, credit repair or credit services organizations or businesses, as defined by federal and state law.
About AP9 PrivacyMatters
AP9 PrivacyMatters is a leading security and privacy membership program offered by Adaptive Marketing LLC. Headquartered in Stamford, Conn., Adaptive Marketing LLC is a category leader in both membership and loyalty programs, bringing value direct to consumers through an array of benefits in healthcare, discounts, security, personal property and personals. Members may access their benefits at DealPass, an online portal for Adaptive Marketing LLC membership programs. With broad online and offline distribution capabilities, Adaptive Marketing LLC offers its corporate client partners effective tools to enhance market presence, strengthen customer affinity and generate additional value through programs, such as AP9 PrivacyMatters.
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Categories: Social security card Tags: Advises, Consumers, Inventory, PrivacyMatters, Take, Their, Wallets
A Prepaid Visa Debit Card: The Better Choice for Consumers
Outlined below are just a few (of the many) benefits of prepaid Visa debit cards that are often overlooked.
No Debt
This fast paced world filled with enticing credit card offers has millions of people in debt. With a prepaid card, the money on the card is your hard earned money. The routine of swiping a credit card carelessly can be extremely detrimental. When using a prepaid visa debit card, your mind set is different than with the credit card philosophy of “buy it now, pay for it later.”
Free Direct Deposit
As with traditional banking accounts, you can have part or all of your pay checks directly deposited into your debit card account. Additionally, you can set up direct deposit for social security payments and other government benefits. If you don’t have a bank account, paycheck cashing services can be expensive and a hassle to get to after work. With a prepaid visa debit card, the deposits are free and the money from your pay check is automatically placed onto your card.
More Secure than Cash
Whether you’re going on trip or simply don’t like the hassle of carrying cash, a prepaid visa debit card has proved safer time and time again. Your card, account, and pin numbers are unique so they can only be accessed by you. Carry a small and discrete card instead of a wade of money. If your card gets stolen or lost, you can cancel it and transfer funds easily, if your cash gets lost or stolen, you are simply out of luck.
Pay Bills Online
Why mail a check or go directly to a merchant to pay with cash? The internet has made paying for almost any bill online fast and reliable, as it should be. Take advantage of this and use your prepaid visa debit card to pay for your gas, telephone, or electric bills. Many times you can remove the hassle associated with bill paying, such as getting the payments in on time or budgeting for the bill cost, by using a prepaid visa debit card.
Convenient (use anywhere Visa debit cards are accepted)
Often, people think that not having a traditional bank account will take away some of their freedoms when it comes to the ease of spending money. Almost anything you can do with a standard banking account, you can do with a prepaid debit card. You can get cash from ATMs worldwide and add money to your card with most checking and savings accounts. With a prepaid debit card, you will never be inconvenienced. From bank transfers, to online shopping or renting a car, there a variety of prepaid Visa debit cards allow you to spend your funds, any place, and any time.
No Surprises
Banks change account plans and have stipulations buried within their contracts. With a prepaid visa debit card, there are no hidden fees and no interest charges. You’ll always know where you money is located without being charged a fee to keep it safe and secure. Unlike traditional debit cards, you won’t have to worry about overdraft fees; you can only spend the money loaded onto the card. You can check your balance 24/7 online, via text, or with a customer service representative, so there are never any surprises when it comes to your money.
Michael is currently a 4th year accounting student at the University of Texas at Austin. He is particularly interested in business finance and debt. Additionally, he is writing his thesis on prepaid debit cards prepaid credit cards for teens, distinguishing how young people learn the importance of handling their money only by hands on experience.
