I tore one up, then taped it back together again, filled it out with a DIFFERENT address and CELL number." The address was his parent's house.
He taped it on the back side so that he could fill out the front...and if you look closely at the photo, it was a lousy and obvious tape job.
I'm sure you've guessed the results...four weeks later he received a nice, shiny new card with a limit of $5,000.
Here then is JJ's public service tip, number thirteen:
Forget about shredding, tearing into minute little pieces, chewing, wadding, or gnawing your mail. A tried and true method I use is, I keep a plastic bag by the back door and when I get something such as a credit card application, or other private mail that I want to throw out, I put it in the plastic bag. (did I tell you that there is a disgusting part about this tip? There is.) We have three cats. They are indoor cats, and we have to change the litter every three days or so. At litter changing time, I dump the contents of the plastic bag into a sturdy garbage bag and on top of that...the cat shit. I gotta tell ya, if there's an identity thief out there that wants to go through my cat's crap bag, well...he/she damn well deserves my identity...and I'll give 'em the cats to boot.
You have to have at least one cat for this method to work. If not, borrow a neighbors cat. I suppose doggy do would...well...do, but you're going to have to follow a doggy around with the plastic bag, and I'm not sure one trip would do the job. If you are a farmer, think about all that pig dooky lying around, or maybe mountain oysters...that's pretty stinky. I can tell you from experience that the ideal substance is...baby diapers...especially the ones before they begin solid foods...you know...the blow-out ones.
Anyway, I think you get the idea. If you don't have a cat...be inventive.
We have nothing to fear but Chase Manhattan Bank.
23 comments:
I've often wondered if anyone could tape those back together. I cut mine into very small pieces.
Man that's dodgy.
Good public service post thanks. I will be more cafeful.
Fitz---they can use very small tape.
Moko---as in tricky? or not good? or disgusting? I'm thinking disgusting. But it works.
Lou---You are welcome.
....as in bureaucratically inept regarding personal security.
It shows they really don't give a flying shit. They screw up, you've gotta prove they DID. How much of a drama is identity fraud to fix?. BIG drama.
When I had chickens, I would compost shredded paper with old dead leaves and chicken poop. it made the most awesome fertilizer.
Moko---yeah, this happened to my brother. It took 2 years to get it straightened out...and he still has problems with one credit bureau...FIVE years later. This is why I go the litter route.
Mary---hmmmm good idea for ID thief...but...please don't send me any tomatoes :)
Mary---on reflection, I just realized we get our super market tomatoes here in Nebraska from Mexico and they use baby diapers for fertilizer. Send me some tomatoes...PLEASE.
Thanks for the tip. I always pile really messy food scraps in with the torn up mail.
Good tip, even though I hardly ever get credit card solicitations in the mail anymore. I wonder what they know that I don't know . . .
That said, intellikid started getting credit card offers when she was about 10 years old. She was really excited at first, until I explained to her exactly how credit cards work.
In France, it's illegal to send out cards in the mail. Even though I know that this exists in the US, I'm still shocked!
This really pisses me off, these guys just want us in debt, chained to banks for the rest of our lives, no change of any help with finances, its 'Gimmie yer money!'.
Have to say as I read your post I expected you to say after putting the cat poop etc into the bag, you then took out the torn up application an sent it back to them, yeah, thats the way my mind works, I'd nearly do it, just the thought of some guy opening the ap. on a Monday morning an it stinking of cat piss n poop would be worth it.
I'm not worried. My credit and $10 will get you a cab home. If you don't live more than three miles away :-)
fragile---good idea. I used to do that, until one day while doing the cat litter, it occurred to me that the litter was far more puke provoking than cabbage and fish.
Intell---well, this also works for Republican money solicitations in the mail.
I know, I also had to explain the free-enterprise usury system to my daughter who received a credit card application recently.
Dedene---Yep, U.S. Banks rule...how else are they going to pay their execs bonuses? Oh, I forgot...bailout money, that's another way.
Gavin---great idea! This tip was for avoiding identity thief, but I have plenty of used litter to spare. Probably should be sending part of it to those who deserve it most...B of A, Citibank, George W. Bush, et al.
Doug---Get a cat anyway. They love you long time.
Ya got 5 stars for this one, JJ !
Woweee, what a awesome tip,lol. I do run all my unwanted paperwork thru my shredder, though.
Judy---save that shredder for cabbage. Poop is the anti-crime wave. Thanks for the stars kiddo.
I've been doing "crap" like that for years and never thought to post about it. You are brilliant for turning this kind of ingenuity into a public service announcement.
Sun---you write about the spiritual...and I write about...fecalness. Somebody's gotta do it.
Nothing to fear indeed my friend.
Occupied---Pogo = "I has seen the enemy, and they is us."
GAVIN-on another note...been trying to leave a comment on your blog...the word verification thing keeps kicking it back on me. How about disarming it?
I'm with you here-if someone wants to dig through some runny cat crap to get a credit card application and steal my identity, they're more worthy to have it than I am.
Your idea makes me want to get a pet Holstein cow.
YD---I had one of those once. It wasn't too bad when it was a calf. But when it grew up, the litter box was way too big.
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