The Independent, April 15, 2004
Sheriff’s Office will offer training
to volunteers to keep elderly safe
Elder abuse has made the
headlines recently, from an eld-
erly Marine Colonel swindled
out of money by his bookkeep-
er, to the older woman sexually
assaulted at a nursing home.
The Sheriff’s Office Elder
Safe Program is seeking volun-
teers to work with the elderly
and people with disabilities af-
ter they have filed a police re-
port. The program is a partner-
ship with Disabilities, Aging and
Veterans Services and the Dis-
trict Attorney’s Office.
“In addition to receiving ex-
cellent training by Washington
County officials, volunteers
have the satisfaction of know-
ing the work they do is impor-
tant to seniors and the commu-
nity,” said program coordinator
Joyce DeMonnin.
Volunteers with an under-
standing of banking and fi-
nance are always in particular
demand. Because financial ex-
ploitation is the number one
crime committed against sen-
iors, Elder Safe has a financial
specialist team that works with
seniors and banks in elder
crime prevention.
“For this group, loss due to
scams, frauds and identity theft
can be devastating, because
the elder probably won’t be
able to continue earning more
money. Once the funds are
gone, they’re gone,” she said.
Elder Safe volunteers must
complete an intensive state-
ment of personal history and
undergo a complete criminal
background check. They must
also be available for the train-
ing program.
To apply for Elder Safe sum-
mer training, call Maxine Leag-
jeld, 503-846-6048.
Lower Columbia excursion trains
Passenger trains will return
to the lower Columbia River be-
tween Portland and Astoria as
part of the Lewis & Clark Bicen-
tennial Commemoration.
Beginning May 28, trains will
travel between Linnton and As-
toria every Friday, Saturday,
Sunday and Monday through
September 20.
Tickets are $29 one way,
$58 round-trip per adult, Am-
trak discounts apply for 2-15
year-olds and seniors age 62
and over. Tickets are available
through Amtrak’s web site,
www.amtrak.com, or by calling
1-800-USA-RAIL.
Page 13
Help protect yourself from identity fraud
We’ve all heard horror sto-
ries about fraud committed on
innocent people when some-
one has stolen a name, ad-
dress, Social Security number,
credit cards, etc. Here are
some practical methods to help
keep you safe from some kinds
of identity theft.
The next time you order
checks have only your initials
(instead of first name) and last
name put on them. If someone
takes your checkbook they will
not know whether you sign your
checks with just your initials or
your first name, but your bank
will know how you sign your
checks.
When you are writing checks
to pay your credit card ac-
counts, do not put the complete
account number on the “For”
line, put just the last four num-
bers. The credit card company
knows the rest of the number
and anyone who might be han-
dling your check as it passes
through all the check process-
ing channels won’t have ac-
cess to it.
If you must have a phone
number on your checks, use
your work phone instead of
your home phone. If you have a
P.O. Box use that instead of
your home address. If you do
not have a P.O. Box, use your
work address. Never have your
Social Security number printed
on your checks. (DUH!) You
can add it if it is necessary, but
if you have it printed, anyone
can get it.
Photocopy the contents of
your wallet. Do both sides of
each license, credit card, etc.
That way you will know exactly
what you had in your wallet and
all of the account numbers and
phone numbers to call and can-
cel. Keep the photocopy in a
safe place. Also keep a photo-
copy of your passport.
Nevertheless, anyone can
lose a wallet or have it stolen.
Here is some critical informa-
tion to limit the damage in case
it should happen to you.
1. We know we should can-
cel our credit cards immediate-
ly. But the key is to have the toll
free numbers and your card
numbers handy, so you know
where to call. Keep those
where you can find them.
2. File a police report imme-
diately, in the jurisdiction where
it was lost or stolen. This shows
credit providers you were dili-
gent, and is a first step toward
an investigation (if there should
be one).
3. Call the three national
credit reporting organizations
immediately to place a fraud
alert on your name and Social
Security number; also call the
Social Security Administration.
The alert means that any com-
pany that checks your credit
will know the information was
stolen and they have to contact
you by phone to authorize new
credit.
The numbers to call are:
• Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
• Experian (formerly TRW): 1-
888-397-3742
• Trans Union: 1-800-680-7289
• Social Security Administration
(fraud line): 1-800-269-0271
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