ANN ARBOR DUMPSTER

Shoppers Beware – ‘Tis The Season
 by: James H. Dimmitt

It’s the number one complaint from consumers and it only takes a moment for you to become a victim. While you search for holiday bargains, identity thieves are searching for targets – unsuspecting consumers. Here are some tips to help you safeguard your identity and other valuables:

1) Protect your account numbers – Most stores only print the last four or five digits of the charge account on your receipt. However, some stores haven’t caught up with technology. If the merchant makes an impression of your charge card, be sure to ask for any carbons that are part of the receipt. “Dumpster divers” can lift account numbers from discarded carbons to steal your identity and your account information.

2) Protect Your Social Security Number – If you are asked to provide a SSN when making a purchase, challenge the cashier as to why they need this information. Request that some other form of ID be used instead of your SSN. There is no valid reason for them to request this information. You provided it when you applied for your account so they should already have this on file.

However, if you’ve opened a new account, don’t be surprised if the cashier asks to see some form of picture ID, such as a driver’s license. Don’t view this as an imposition, remember that the store is actually taking steps to protect you – making sure that you are the account holder.

3) Keep an eye on your charge cards and receipts – Don’t let your charge card leave your sight. Most cashiers will keep your card so that they can verify the signature on the receipt. However, sometimes they simply swipe your card, then hand it back to you or put it on the counter for you to retrieve. Check that the card you’ve been given back is yours and not someone else’s. Occasionally, mistakes can happen, especially when the store is busy.

Also, make sure that you take your receipts with you. You’ll need them to verify your purchases when your bills come in January and February.

4) Watch for pickpockets – Professional pickpockets love the holiday shopping season. Open backpacks, large shopping bags and unstrapped purses are a pickpockets dream. “Be wary of the distractions around you, because that’s what the pickpockets like. They usually work in teams,” said Edward Gross, a Chicago police officer. “They usually work in teams. For example, one of the team members fakes a fall and when an innocent person tries to help that’s when the other pickpocket lifts the victim’s wallet.”

5) Use a credit card and a secure site when shopping online – Paying by credit card is the safest way to pay online. It protects your legal right to dispute charges for goods or services never received, never ordered or misrepresented.

When you get to the merchant’s payment page, the “http” at the beginning of the url address should change to “https” or “shttp”. This is a sign that the site is encrypting or scrambling your credit card information as you send it to them. Many browsers will even alert you of this via a pop-up window. Whenever possible, print and keep a receipt of your online transaction in case you need it later.

Happy Holidays!

About The Author

© 2004, www.yourfreecreditreportnow.com

James H. Dimmitt is editor of “TO YOUR CREDIT”, a weekly free newsletter to help you manage your personal finances. Subscribe to the newsletter by visiting http://www.yourfreecreditreportnow.com. He is also author of “Identity Theft – How to Avoid Becoming the Next Victim!” available at http://tinyurl.com/bc45.

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With dumpsters, the world appears to have gone clean! Not only do they have immense industrial and residential benefits, but they also prove fruitful when talking about environmental issues. With renting or buying dumpsters, is in itself an extremely unique process which saves your time as well as your money. In fact, while looking out for a dumpster, one must consider various factors like its size, its storage capacity, its price and the location that it would be placed in, plus the kind of waste material that it is expected to be used for dumping. However, this certainly does not mean, that you can dump anything and everything into the dumpsters. Considering their properties, their qualities and their capacities, there exists a list of items which must be prevented from being thrown into the dumpster. These include-

1. Radioactive substances – All radioactive substances, being chemically active, emit rays continuously. The emission of such rays not only harms the dumpster by deforming its structure from within, but can also prove to be a great problem for the society in general, especially the dumpster divers.
2. Highly flammable material – Any material that may catch fire soon or anything which consists of highly volatile compounds or liquids that undergo reactions as soon as they come in contact with a particular element, may prove to be disastrous
3. Explosives – Explosives of the sort of dynamites used for industrial purposes and of the kind of fireworks used in residential areas, if thrown in the dumpsters can be tremendously harmful.
4. Biomedical Supplies – Biomedical supplies generally consist of a variety of used and unused chemicals which are either toxic or non-toxic in nature. Whatever the case may be, such substances or supplies, must be disposed off in an appropriate manner and not by simply dumping them in dumpsters. Commonly made dumpsters are not suitable and fit enough to bear the brunt of such materials.
5. Infectious materials – Any type of material which causes or tends to cause any type of infection must be prevented from being expeditiously dumped into the bin. Additionally, no free liquids must be dumped into these containers as they may turn out to be injurious.

What has been mentioned above is the general guideline which most countries follow and adhere to. Too follows the same principles and undertakes similar courses of action. Nevertheless, different countries have different standards and what may be legal in one country, may be considered illegal in another. It thereby becomes very important to follow the law of the land and avoid dumping any such substances into the dumpsters which may cause injury or which might prove dangerous and unsafe. It is considerably better to exercise precautions, than to look for cures!

If you need to rent a dumpster, make sure you use Dumpster Nationwide, with dumpster rentals from coast to coast, and roll off containers for any of your small or large clean up projects.

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