*This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of CHASE. The opinions and text are all mine. We are down to the wire here in New York City when it comes to back to school shopping and preparing for school to resume next week. I'm so grateful for online shopping because it allows me to purchase the majority of the kids' supplies from the convenience of home. I'll also be shopping in-store this week for some of the items that I was unable to buy online. Since I had my identity stolen a few years ago, I always worry about being a victim of fraud or having my financial information compromised. CHASE's Financial Education Partner, Brittney Castro, has some great tips for how you can protect yourself and avoid fraud during busy shopping times like back to school. Some of Brittney Castro's smart shopping tips are: Shop at well-respected and trusted retailers both online and in-store. When shopping online only shop … [Read more...]
Protect Yourself While Back To School Shopping! #FraudIQ @Chase @BrittneyCastro #Ad
What Should You Do If You Are The Victim Of Identity Theft?
The afternoon of New Year's Eve, I received a message from a bill collector on my cell phone. I immediately called them back because I have good credit and I take my financial obligations seriously. They went on to tell me that a cable television account that I opened in California was in collections because I had not paid the bill. Now, there was only one problem, I've never been to California so I knew that my identity had been compromised. After a long discussion with this collector, I found out that a woman used my maiden name and my social security number to open a cable account at least three times since 2010 in the state of California and eventually defaulted on the account. This was shocking because I've never shared my personal information with anyone without being cautious and I couldn't believe that this had been going on for so long without my knowledge. I really felt violated that someone had stolen my identity this way. Since this has never happened to … [Read more...]
