People Don’t Plan to Fail, They Fail to Plan

1. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put ‘ASK FOR PHOTO ID.’

2. When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts, DO NOT put the complete account number on the ‘For’ line. Instead, just put the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the number, and anyone who might be handling your check as it passes through all the check processing channels won’t have access to it.

3. Put your work phone # on your checks instead of your home phone. If you have a PO Box then use that address instead of your home addresses. If you do not have a PO Box, use your work address. Never have your SS# printed on your checks. You can add it if it is necessary. But if you have it printed, anyone can get it.

4. Copy the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine. Copy both sides of each license, credit card, etc. If your wallet is stolen you will know what you had in your wallet and know all of the account numbers and phone numbers you must call and cancel to protect yourself from ID Theft. Keep the photocopy in a safe place.

5. You should carry a photocopy of our passports when you travel either here or abroad. When we travel each of us has copies of all the passports.

6. If your ID is stolen the thieves can order expensive items and apply for a credit card. They can get a credit line approved to buy high ticket items, receive a PIN number from DMV to change their driving record information online, and more.
Here is how you protect yourself from ID Theft.

7. Cancel your credit cards immediately by having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so you know whom to call. Keep this information where you can find it.

8. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit cards, etc., were stolen. This proves to credit providers you were diligent, and this is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one).
Most important of all:

9. Call the 3 national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and also call the Social Security fraud line number. This will avoid applications over the internet to obtain credit etc.
The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen, and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit.

There are records of all the credit checks initiated by the thieves’ purchases, which you can be alerted to before placing the alert. After that there should be no additional damage. The thieves will probably throw your wallet away and hopefully someone will turn it in. If you follow this info it should stop the thieves dead in their tracks.

10. Key numbers to contact if your wallet has been stolen:

1.) Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
2.) Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397 3742
3.) Trans Union: 1-800-680 7289
4.) Social Security Administration (fraud line): 1-800-269-0271

by Dale Gribow

The Small Claims court is a very special court where you cannot have a lawyer with you and disputes are resolved quickly. With a regular court action it would take you YEARS to get to court and the filing fee and service would be about $500. Small Claims will cost less than $100 and your case will come before a Judge or Judge Pro Tem within a month or so.
When I have sat as a Small Claims Court Judge Pro Tem, I advise the audience that the rules are simple and informal. Though you could ask a lawyer advice beforehand you cannot bring a lawyer with you to court.

Claimants would be well advised to come to court organized because many small claims Judges will not allow you much time to present your case. I always tell my clients that before you file with small claims you should send an organized letter to the defendant which memorializes the facts. Present that letter to the court before you start talking by explaining you have summarized everything in the letter you want to hand to the bailiff. Explain that the letter was not answered by the defendant. The fact that the defendant does not respond to your demand letter is often considered by the bench officer hearing the case. Of course you should dress as professionally as possible and remember first impressions count with a court just as they do with a job interview or first date.

Small Claims was recently increased from $7,500 to $10,000for individuals with claims. Though you can file as many claims as you want if they are less than $2500, you can only file 2 claims a year for $2,500 or more.

As with everything in law there are exceptions. If the claim is the result of an auto accident then the $7,500 limit still applies. The legal community has been trying to get the threshold amounts increased for a dozen years or more. It would be nice to see all cases worth less than $15,000heard in small claims. That way the average Joe could have his day in court. It is often too expensive to hire a lawyer that would handle most matters only on an hourly basis. When that occurs a claimant cannot afford to be represented by counsel to get the moneys owed him/her resolved. Lawyer’s with a heart (both of them), hate to see claimants with rights that they cannot afford to exercise because of the legal costs. I often go home sad because there are so many people I can NOT help.
A small claims advisor is at the courthouse to give you some info on what you can and cannot do in small claims.

By: Dale S. Gribow

1. Avoid the realtor acting as a “dual agent” for both the buyer and the seller. Choose an experienced realtor to represent “your interests only” in the transaction.

2. Obtain home inspections by a qualified inspector and consider separate inspections for the roof, the pool and other major items not covered by the general inspection.
3. Be informed of what is on the market around you and in addition what has sold.
4. Pay attention to square footage, lot sizes and easements on properties that are one of a kind homes, as opposed to tract homes with verifiable information.
5. Review carefully the mandatory Transfer Disclosure Statement from the seller and make sure all disclosures are completed and that there are no “add on’s” without permits.
6. Review and understand the restrictive covenants and HOA rules, if buying in a development covered by a HOA, as well as the monthly costs.
7. Be aware of existing lawsuits and construction defects. You can go to the Indio Court and run a civil index on both plaintiffs and defendants to see if their name comes up as parties in any lawsuits. In other words, are the parties you are dealing with overly litigious?
8. Review loan costs provided in the lender’s estimate of costs.
9. Consider Estate Planning and tax implications on how title is to be vested in a grant deed. In other words, should you setup and purchase your home thru a family trust?
10. Keep your loan contingency until this subprime market problem is rectified and have a lawyer review all your documents before you sign off.

People don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan! You never know who is going to steal from you

1. You should recognize me! I was at your home last week cleaning your carpets, cleaning your pool or delivering your new refrigerator.

2. Thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. That gave me a chance to unlatch the back window to make my return a little easier.

3. If your front entrance has glass, don’t let your alarm company install the control pad there where I can see if it is set. That makes it too easy.

4. Have your security company alarm the window over the sink. In addition alarm the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom – and your jewelry. It’s not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there, too.

5. Do you really think I won’t look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table and the medicine cabinet.

6. A helpful hint: I almost never go into kids’ rooms…..or inside pockets of your suits.

7. You’re right: I won’t have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But, if it’s not bolted down, I’ll take it with me.

8. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. Leave your TV or radio on while you’re out of town, or get a cheap device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television.

9. The latest credit card scams involve a server in a restaurant or biz taking your credit card and handing you back another card. If you do not look carefully they will use it and run up large amounts in the next few hours.