76 THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK Scott A. Merritt At least 110 million consumers were affected by the hack involving Target and Neiman Marcus retailers. Whether or not millions more will have their identities manipulated and finances ruined within the coming months due to more breaches of security at other stores is anyone’s guess, says identity theft recovery expert Scott A. Merritt. “By necessity, I became an expert on identity theft. My information was stolen in 2006, and in repairing the damage, I learned some not-so-obvious ways we can all protect against identity theft in the first place,” says Merritt, CEO of Merritt & Associates and author of "Identity Theft Do's and Don'ts." Merritt’s problems began quickly. While disputing financial charges and dealing with resulting business problems, in 2007 he was stopped for a traffic violation and arrested on a false outstanding felony warrant. He immediately knew why. “I had to enlist my U.S. congressman and convince the state police, NCIC, FBI and Secret Service that I didn’t commit the felonies. For a few years, I had to prove that the prints did not match the false record in question. After legal action, however, I was able to have this corrected.” Scott A. Merritt is CEO of Merritt Ventures, Inc., dba Merritt & Associates and author of "Identity Theft Do's and Don'ts." and has over a decade of experience in real estate financial planning, insurance, investment and mortgage services. Merritt holds a life, accident and health insurance license and a principal associate real estate broker’s license. He has an associate degree in pre-law, a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a certificate in computer information systems. He has personally represented himself and won in court hundreds of times to, in part, clear his record from the ravages of identity theft. HACKING & ID THEFT: ARE YOU NEXT 7 TIPS FOR PROTECTING YOUR IDENTITY & MONEY Unfortunately, the millions affected by the recent hacks may be dealing with similar repercussions in the years ahead, he says. Before you become a victim of identity theft, Merritt offers seven ways to guard against it. [1] Understand how and where it happens: Identity theft is like being robbed when you are away from home; most thefts occur in places where you do business every day. Either a place of business is robbed, a bad employee acts improperly or a hacker breaches the office through the computer. [2] Secure the infomation you carry in your wallet: Photocopy everything in your wallet: photos, credit cards (front and back), membership cards – everything. Put the copies in the order the cards are arranged in your wallet, staple the pictures and place them in a strong box or safe. [3] Make sure all of your information is consistent: For all of your identity and financial documents, make absolutely sure, to the smallest detail, that all of your personal information is accurate and consistent! Discrepancies such as using your middle initial on some documents, and not others, or having different addresses, can wreck havoc in proving your identity, and can compromise your credit score. please turn to page 159
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