HELOISE Take precautions against identity theft

Dear Heloise: I was reading your column concerning identity theft. This has happened to me, and I want people to know yet another way to protect their identity. I have always taken all the precautions you mentioned. The thing I did not figure on was the mailbox.
I live in an apartment complex, where there is an outgoing-mail slot. I mailed a request for benefits to my insurance company via this slot. It had my name, address, phone numbers, birth date and Social Security number on it. About three weeks later, I called to see if the insurance company had received it, and it hadn't. Two weeks after, I started to hear from companies asking about credit applications I had not made.
I have had to deal with something like that almost every day. My lesson: Always take that kind of mail to the post office and hope for the best. Phyllis from Texas
J.D. Burke of Texas had this to say on this subject: "My mother received a call from a 'collection agency,' and a person there wanted to verify specific information of a loan owed. The individual wanted to verify my father's Social Security number and the mother's maiden name listed on the account. Fortunately, my mother got her Social and my father's Social mixed up, and the caller disconnected. I informed my mother never to give out that information unless she called the company first. That is like gold in someone else's possession. I can only hope that my mother and your readers can learn from our mistakes."
Yikes and double yikes! This is a good reminder for all of us. Don't give personal information to anyone unless you know who it is and you have initiated the call. Your bank or credit-card company is not going to call you and ask for your Social Security number and account information. Heloise
Dear Heloise: I attended a wonderful retirement party recently. Upon arrival, we had to check in for our meal tickets: colored "Mardi Gras"-type necklaces -- red for roast beef and silver for chicken. The wait staff came to the tables to count the colors, and we were served dinner perfectly. Such a wonderful idea, I thought. C.K., Via E-mail
I love it! What a perfect way to make sure that everyone gets exactly what he or she ordered. Heloise
Dear Heloise: My family loves watermelon in the summertime, but I hate the drips in my refrigerator from the leftover slices, which happen even if I place them in a dish. So now I buy a cut half of the melon, scoop out servings with a spoon and store the rest, covered with plastic wrap and upright in its natural "bowl." The rounded scoops are individually sized, and the remaining half doesn't tip over and spill juice. A Reader, Via E-mail
XSend a great hint to: Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000, Fax: (210) HELOISE or E-mail: Heloise@Heloise.com.
King Features Syndicate