Jennifer Aniston was victim of credit card fraud

August 1, 2011 Credit card fraud and identity theft can happen to anyone, including Jennifer Aniston, Liv Tyler, Anne Hathaway, Melanie Griffith, Halle Berry, Penelope Cruz, and Cher. Maria Gabriela Hashemipour was a salon shop owner in Beverly Hills and had many celebrity clients. She even used the celebrities' names on her website to advertise her salon. However, she also liked to save the credit card numbers of her celebrity clients. During 2010 she used those numbers to make nearly $1 million worth of fraudulent charges for herself.

IdentityTheftLabs.com wrote, "According to Javelin Strategies, a prominent research firm that often reports on identity theft, incidences of the crime increased by 11% from 2008 to 2009 altering the lives of 11 million Americans. If these numbers prove to be a pattern, one in every 20 Americans risks being a victim this year." Have you or someone you know been a victim of credit card fraud or identity theft?

Here are some ways to protect yourself from identity theft. The following excerpt is from the May / June 2011 edition of The Quarter Roll:

(From Jean Chatzky’s podcast “Money 911: Identify Theft and Scams”.)

Protect your kids against identity theft.
1. Ask the 3 major bureaus if your child has a report. If they do that means there was activity. They should add a fraud alert to that file, and you should request a copy of the file.
2.1/3 of all identity theft against kids is done by friends and family
3.File a police report as soon as you discover the fraud.
4.Ask the Social Security office if anyone has used the SS number for employment purposes.
5.Ask the Social Security office to issue a new number for your child.
6.Signs your child may be a victim of identity theft:
-Receives credit card offers
-Bills and credit card statements mailed to your child
-Calls or letters from debt collectors
-Denial of a driver’s license

Protect yourself against identity theft.
1.Paper shredders are a great investment for protecting your information security.
2.Make sure your computer has a firewall.
3.Don’t provide personal information to anyone that contacts you claiming to be a bank or other entity.
4.If you are a victim of identity theft you can put a fraud alert on your credit report.
5.An initial credit fraud alert lasts 90 days and can be used even if you just suspect fraud.
6.An extended fraud alert can last 7 years and is reserved for victims of identity theft.

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