Know Your Rights Know Your Rights
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Before you bid
• Verify the seller’s identity. Some sellers may use a forged e-mail
header, making it impossible to contact them.
• Ask about return policies and who pays for shipping.
• Pay by credit card or through a third party payment service you trust.
If there is a problem, you can challenge the charges.
• Ask about using an escrow agent or paying c.o.d. for expensive items
if the seller does not take credit cards. Escrow agents (for a fee) hold
the buyer’s payment until the bid item is veried.
IDENTITY THEFT
Identity theft occurs when someone uses, without
your knowledge, your name and personal information
such as Social Security, credit card and bank account
numbers to commit fraud or theft.
Armed with this personal information, thieves can:
• Open new credit accounts using your personal
information. When bills are not paid, it goes on your
credit report.
• Charge money on your credit card or make
withdrawals from your bank account.
• Establish cellular phone service in your name.
• Open bank accounts and write bad checks.
Preventing Identity Theft
• Don’t give your Social Security or account numbers unless you initiate
the contact. In a “phishing” scam, a con artist e-mails you, posing as
an organization like a bank. You are instructed to conrm personal
information.
• Don’t put your Social Security number on checks and driver’s license.
• Shred trash with sensitive information. Include convenience checks and
credit card oers you get in the mail.
• Freeze your credit report. By placing a security freeze on your credit
report with all three credit bureaus, you make your personal information
useless to a thief. When lenders or creditors try to access your credit
report, they will not be able to see it. Thus, they won’t issue new credit in
your name. When you need to apply for credit, you can temporarily lift
the freeze. Each credit bureau charges $5 for this service.
• Send sensitive mail using a post oce drop box, rather than your mailbox
at home.
• Carry only the credit cards and documents you need on a daily basis.
Don’t carry your Social Security card.
Don’t get hooked by a phishing scam
You may see e-mails that appear to
be from a bank, government agency
or other important organization, ask
-
ing for personal information. These
are always scams — don’t bite.