What (internet storm watch) to Do in Case of Identity Theft
No commentsBy Jake Saab
Filing a police report, checking your credit reports, notifying creditors, and disputing any unauthorized transactions are some of the steps you must take immediately to restore your good name.
Should you file a police report if your identity is stolen?
A police report that provides specific details of the identity theft is considered an Identity Theft Report, which entitles you to certain legal rights when it is provided to the three major credit reporting agencies or to companies where the thief misused your information. An Identity Theft Report can be used to permanently block fraudulent information that results from identity theft, such as accounts or addresses, from appearing on your credit report. It will also make sure these debts do not reappear on your credit reports. Identity Theft Reports can prevent a company from continuing to collect debts that result from identity theft, or selling them to others for collection. An Identity Theft Report is also needed to place an extended fraud alert on your credit report.
You may not need an Identity Theft Report if the thief made charges on an existing account and you have been able to work with the company to resolve the dispute. Where an identity thief has opened new accounts in your name, or where fraudulent charges have been reported to the consumer reporting agencies, you should obtain an Identity Theft Report so that you can take advantage of the protections you are entitled to.
In order for a police report to entitle you to the legal rights mentioned above, it must contain specific details about the identity theft. You should file an ID Theft Complaint with the FTC and bring your printed ID Theft Complaint with you to the police station when you file your police report. The printed ID Theft Complaint can be used to support your local police report to ensure that it includes the detail required.
A police report is also needed to get copies of the thief’s application, as well as transaction information from companies that dealt with the thief. To get this information, you must submit a request in writing, accompanied by the police report, to the address specified by the company for this purpose.
How long can the effects of identity theft last?
It’s difficult to predict how long the effects of identity theft may linger. That’s because it depends on many factors including the type of theft, whether the thief sold or passed your information on to other thieves, whether the thief is caught, and problems related to correcting your credit report.
Victims of identity theft should monitor financial records for several months after they discover the crime. Victims should review their credit reports once every three months in the first year of the theft, and once a year thereafter. Stay alert for other signs of identity theft.
Don’t delay in correcting your records and contacting all companies that opened fraudulent accounts. Make the initial contact by phone, even though you will normally need to follow up in writing. The longer the inaccurate information goes uncorrected, the longer it will take to resolve the problem.
What can you do to help fight identity theft?
A great deal.
Awareness is an effective weapon against many forms identity theft. Be aware of how information is stolen and what you can do to protect yours, monitor your personal information to uncover any problems quickly, and know what to do when you suspect your identity has been stolen.
Armed with the knowledge of how to protect yourself and take action, you can make identity thieves’ jobs much more difficult. You can also help fight identity theft by educating your friends, family, and members of your community. The FTC has prepared a collection of easy-to-use materials to enable anyone regardless of existing knowledge about identity theft to inform others about this serious crime.
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The Basics of Drop Shipping
By Jake Saab
What is Drop Shipping?
Drop shipping can be a very effective and simple way to get involved in ecommerce. Many established online merchants are now turning to drop shipping as a method for minimizing stock on hand, decreasing overall shipping costs.
Drop shipping allows web site owners to send single/low quantity unit orders gathered on their web sites to manufacturers, or major warehouses, who in turn “drop ship” the items directly to the customers..
What are the Advantages of Drop Shipping?
- Because a warehousing company can buy in huge volumes, they will also be able to offer you the best prices on products and shipping, which will return a greater profit to you.
- There’s no capital investment and no need to invest in inventory.
- Using drop shipping allows you great flexibility in terms of product range - promote a dozen items or promote a thousand!
- Instead of worrying about inventory and delivery, you get to focus on listening to the market and discovering the products your visitors you want.
What Do I Need to Know to Select a Drop Shipper?
Many companies will have an interest in teaming up with you in a drop shipping arrangement as it’s an easy way for them to generate extra revenue, but there’s a number of points to consider and things to look out for:
Pricing Points
Don’t accept that the first drop shipper you come across unless they are willing to provide you a “Best Price Guarantee.”
Drop Ship Fees and Charges
Some companies will have a handling fee over and above freight costs - it’s important to know all the costs involved so you can calculate your profit margins accurately.
Shipping
Are they using small private shipping companies or UPS? Will they ship internationally? You’ll want to be sure that their shipping methods will ensure your clients recieve their orders in one piece.
Also, keep in mind that you may need a specific type of shopping cart in order to handle drop shipping. Many shopping carts only allow for one “ship from” zip code in the configuration for freight calculations. If you are dealing with a number of drop-shippers you may have dozens of point-of-origin zip codes - and this can be a real headache if freight is based on distance.
Accounts
Will the drop shipping company automatically debit your credit card on each order you submit, or can you get monthly payment terms? When you are starting out with a company, they are unlikely to offer credit, but it’s good to check if this will be possible once you’ve established credibility.
Support, Returns, and Refunds
The last thing you’ll want is to be caught up in a nasty situation where you have a number of returns - and have to cover the bill. Ask the drop shipping company about their return policy, what kind of support they’ll offer you for their products and about any guarantees associated with their products - and get it in writing.
Credibility
How long has the company been around for? Do they respond to your requests for information rapidly and professionally? Young companies have the habit of going belly up quickly, or growing too rapidly and as a consequence basic good customer service suffers.
How Do I Get Started in Drop Shipping?
It’s fairly simple:
- Set up a web site that includes a Shopping Cart and credit card processing facilities, or setup an eBay or other auction account.
- Find suppliers of products you wish to sell that incorporate drop shipping as a business method.
- Open an account with them.
- Gather content and images relating to the products you’ve chosen, incorporate them on your site and shopping cart.
- Collect the order and payment from your site.
- Provide the supplier with the customer details.
- The supplier then bills you at the special price you have agreed upon; fulfills the order and sends it to your client - in most cases with labels referring to your business/web site instead of the company.
To Your Drop Shipping Success!
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Thursday, November 19th, 2009 at 10:34 pm and is filed under internet. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
