HELOISE Report your stolen credit cards quickly
Dear Heloise: In your article about identity theft, you did not give phone numbers for the three national credit-reporting organizations. These numbers should be kept with other toll-free numbers, because it's important to contact them immediately.
Several thousand dollars' worth of items was bought with my husband's credit card within 20 minutes of its theft, and he had reported its loss within three minutes. A reader, via e-mail
We also received an e-mail from George Adsitt, and he wants to know how to contact the three national credit-reporting agencies. So, we are printing their names and toll-free phone numbers below for all those who need them.
They are:
UTransUnion -- (800) 888-4213.
UEquifax Inc. -- (800) 685-1111.
UExperian Credit Marketing -- (888) 397-3742.
Please take the time to cut this out and put it in a safe place so that if you need it -- and we hope you don't -- you will have the numbers handy.
You can also check your credit with these companies. Give them a call and request a credit report. Heloise
Dear Heloise: I am a front-desk clerk at a chain hotel, and my hint comes from the desk: When you are checking into a hotel without a reservation (this is a big no-no, especially in the summer, when hotels sell out early), have a business card with your name (first and last), your phone number, your mailing address and your ZIP code.
If you have this handy, you won't need to repeat all this information to the clerk -- he or she can just read it off your card. This is good security, because no one else will hear all of your personal information.
Also, make sure the clerk does not say your room number out loud. We have the policy of just giving guests keys with the number printed on the envelope; the less a stranger knows about you, the better. I hope this helps make your hotel check-in quicker and safer. Jennifer, Las Vegas, N.M.
King Features Syndicate