HINTS FROM HELOISE
BY HELOISE

Dear Heloise: You recently printed a very informative article on IDENTITY THEFT. It included some excellent advice and things to do if this unfortunate incident happens. I had the newspaper set aside, I thought, to cut the article out. But my husband thought I was done with it and recycled it. I would so appreciate your reprinting this.
? Pat, Via E-mail

We would be happy to reprint this helpful information for you and other readers who might have missed it. Identity theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes around. It not only can ruin your credit but also can make life miserable.

The Federal Trade Commission has a toll-free ID Theft Hotline you can call to file a complaint or talk with a counselor who has been specially trained. You can call 1-877-438-4338 Monday through Friday (9 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST); they will be more than happy to talk with you. These are real people, not an answering service!

The Web site will help you find valuable information about identity theft, and it has complaint forms you can print. You can also request a copy of the education guide "When Bad Things Happen to Your Good Name." The Web site address is www.consumer.gov/idtheft. Why not take a few minutes to look at the Web site? It is filled with great information.
? Heloise

SUBSCRIPTION-RENEWAL NOTICE

Dear Heloise: It pays to ignore the subscription-renewal notices from magazines. My courtesy renewal rate was $20, while the postcard in the magazine offered $18. But then I went on the Internet and found the magazine for $12.99.
? Charles Messler, Via E-mail

Shopping around is still the smartest game in town.
? Heloise

CREDIT-CARD COMMENT

Dear Heloise: Good suggestion regarding having photocopies of credit cards with you while traveling ? the same with your passport and a photocopy of your birth certificate when traveling out of the country.

I had a credit card switched at a gas station in northern Spain a couple of years ago. The card was identical to the one I used to purchase fuel, and I simply put it back in my billfold without checking to make sure that it was my card.

I realized the problem a number of hours and several hundred miles later when my card was "denied" when making some purchases. I called the issuing bank, and an official told me that the card I was carrying had been reported lost, and the account had been closed a couple of weeks before the switch was made. Luckily, there was only one purchase made with my card (a tank of gas at the same service station). A new card was waiting for me at the hotel in the next city on my itinerary.

TIP: Always check to make sure that the card has your name on it before you put it away.
? Fred in Minnesota

Speaking of credit cards and ATM cards, here is a suggestion from R.S., via e-mail: "Regarding what you should do if an ATM swallows your card: Program into your wireless phone the credit-card issuer?s phone number so you can call right away."
? Heloise

Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to 210-HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com. I can?t answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.