Identity Theft...Sign That Damn Card !

Guarding Against Fraud (from the FTC)
Here are some tips to help protect yourself from credit and charge card fraud.


Do:

Sign your cards as soon as they arrive. Carry your cards separately from your wallet, in a zippered compartment, a business card holder, or another small pouch.
Keep a record of your account numbers, their expiration dates, and the phone number and address of each company in a secure place.
Keep an eye on your card during the transaction, and get it back as quickly as possible.
Void incorrect receipts.
Destroy carbons.
Save receipts to compare with billing statements.
Open bills promptly and reconcile accounts monthly, just as you would your checking account.
Report any questionable charges promptly and in writing to the card issuer.
Notify card companies in advance of a change in address.


Don't:

Lend your card(s) to anyone.
Leave cards or receipts lying around.
Sign a blank receipt. When you sign a receipt, draw a line through any blank spaces above the total.
Write your account number on a postcard or the outside of an envelope.
Give out your account number over the phone unless you're making the call to a company you know is reputable. If you have questions about a company, check it out with your local consumer protection office or Better Business Bureau.

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/cards.shtm

Drug Advertising & Made Up Diseases.......Oh My!

CBS Sunday Morning, revealed today, something, I've long suspected. The drug companies and their advertising honchos make up diseases to sell drugs!

RLS or Restless Leg Syndrome was a fine example. Just one of hundreds of diseases that did not exist when I was younger!

The other amazing revelation was that all drug advertising on TV is banned world wide, except in New Zealand, and of course the USA! And New Zealand is considering a ban!

I once worked for a pharmaceutical company in Ft Collins Colorado. It was the most corrupt, greedy, and immoral place I have ever worked. It should have been run by the Mafia instead of the Southern Baptists that actually ran it.........many who where graduates of Virginia Military Institute (VMI).

This company violated most SEC laws and rules, as well as FDA regulations...........OK, they lied, big time. It was all for money....big money. The biggest joke of all on investors was the drugs the company was built on didn't work........or in fact caused cancer........all are off the market. The company was sold and everyone who lied, became millionaires!

Maybe I should go see that new Michael Moore movie?

Identity Theft Part 3

http://www.amazon.com/Street-Journal-Complete-Identity-Guidebook/dp/0307338533



OK, finally I asked a customer in the store I work in where they learned the idiotic practice of not signing their credit/debit cards.or writing "see ID" instead of a signature. The Internet they tell me! Uh Huh.

The number one thing all credit card companies say to prevent fraud and identity theft is , "Sign your cards".........I feel this also needs to be a readable signature, not some flourish that is unreadable like a doctors writing!

Aside from shredding documents, stopping unwanted mail and card offers, how about limiting how many cards you carry?? No one needs 24-36 credit cards!

Oh, and how about stop writing checks? You have a check card, hello? The "float" is over...use a check card dummy! Also, since so many merchants have huge problems with check fraud, many, at least in Colorado Springs, have stopped accepting checks! I can think of no reason to use a check in a retail store.


Most major credit card issuers have "zero liability" for fraudulent purchases....MasterCard, American Express, and Visa! If your card doesn't do this, don't use it!

Cash Businesses are Losing Billions to Employee Theft

I have been in retail for over 20 years, and I'll never believe employees are the major cause of loss!

The bookstore I work for searches your back packs,lunch pails, etc. every day or every time you leave the store! You have to ask permission to go to the bathroom over a walkie-talkie! It is embarrassing, and despicable...and rude. If you think someone is a thief, fire them! Don't subject all the honest employees to ridicule


If you are a retail business owner or manager, be assured of one thing: employees are stealing from you. This article offers pragmatic tips you can put into action immediately to stem employee theft loses.

If you are a retail business owner or manager, be assured of one thing: employees are stealing from you. Employee theft is costing you and your fellow business owners billions of dollars annually.

The National Restaurant Association estimates that employees are responsible for 75% of inventory shortages--and that they steal what amounts to four percent of sales in restaurants. That alone amounts to over $20 billion in employee theft. The US Department of Commerce says 75 percent of employees steal from the workplace at least once--and half of those steal repeatedly. Why? Because no one catches them!

Many owners and managers already suspect they have a theft problem--but they don't really believe it could be their employees--especially if they themselves are honest people. Why would an employee steal?

But think like the employee. They often make minimum wage, and struggle financially. Maybe they're not taking cash--just walking out the door with food or liquor. They may even justify it by saying "everybody does it." This behavior is so widespread that--worst of all--they even may assume that management knows about it and is doing nothing.

Here's how to make a big dent in theft:

o Track Employee Sales
Dishonest employees count on owners and managers to not be paying attention. If the boss doesn't take the time to review the accounting and track individual employee sales, it makes it easier to skim cash.

Audit the cash to look for patterns. During a shift take a current reading, remove the register drawer and replace it with a fresh one. If one employee's cash register is always over or under by a large amount, or if the cash isn't adding up to what the register reading says, it should be a red flag. Share audit results with the staff. Just putting employees on notice that they could be audited at any time will discourage many of them from stealing, especially if the company is consistent about it. (And the boss could put a positive twist on it, by offering a reward to any employee who balances to the penny.)

o Work Side By Side With Employees

Pick one day a week to work behind the counter. Be sure to work with each employee. Is there a difference in sales for that day? Are the numbers always higher when the manager works? In a bar, restaurant or other cash retailer, this may mean an employee is pocketing some sales, or giving away food and drinks (or merchandise) to friends. (Don't reach any conclusions, however, until there's at least a month or so of results to analyze.)


o Trust But Verify

Review employees' schedules, their total sales, their "no sales" and their daily sales over several weeks and note which days they work. Then give the highest grossing employee an unexpected schedule change. What happens to the shift he or she left should provide interesting data. If sales increase for that shift, you may find that what looks like the best salesperson could also be the biggest source of employee theft. The busiest shifts are the easiest times to steal. Doing this with the lowest grossing sales person may provide more insight, too.

In the restaurant or bar business, this can be an eye-opener. A very busy bar may turn out to be the result of a bartender who is giving away drinks. Why not? He gets big tips--and frequently is rewarded by an owner who thinks the employee is generating big business!

These simple steps not only can minimize employee theft, but can provide a manager with useful insights. But if the company still appears to have a major problem, turn to an expert--someone who can identify what's happening when the manager isn't around. An undercover observer--whether a licensed investigator or a mystery shopper--can help catch the dishonest employee who's simply smart enough to keep his eye out for the boss.

Where there's one, there may be more

One final piece of advice: Never assume "the problem is solved"--or even that the worst offenders have been stopped. Nonetheless, by showing that you are serious about employee theft, you may discourage all but the most determined thieves--and reinforce the honest employees. The key is to be consistent and thorough.

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