Sunhats and Sippy Cups: Refresh Your Summer Car Kit

Graduations, long days, and warm weather mark the beginning of glorious summer. Maybe you’re planning a road trip or a remote outdoor adventure – extra water, fresh snacks, wet wipes, and a first aid kit are always smart items to bring along. A good car kit should also include a tire sealant kit (many newer cars have no spare tire) and tire pressure gauge, emergency flares or safety cones or warning triangles, jumper cables or a jump starter pack, and a headlamp. 

It makes sense to swap out some items based on the season. For example, summer first aid additions might include sunscreen and insect repellent. 

A road trip prep list for the car might include installing new windshield wipers, getting an oil change, and topping up wiper fluid (if your car is electric, check out tinyurl.com/EV-roadtrip). For comprehensive go kit and car kit lists see tinyurl.com/Vashon-CarKit . Prepare your car to keep you safer and more comfortable during summer travel, long ferry line waits, beach and park visits, and more. 

Identity Theft: Tips to Keep Your Information Safer

Identity thieves can empty a bank account, run up credit cards or other debts, get medical treatment using someone else’s insurance, open new utility accounts, or even file for a tax refund in someone’s name. Our financial identity is exposed in a number of ways that make it difficult to protect, and after identity theft occurs, it may take months or years to recover. Here are some things to know and actions to take.

Before identity theft occurs:

• Online: opt to use multi-factor authentication (MFA), complex and unique passwords stored in a password manager app, and longer personal identification numbers (PINs) wherever possible. Avoid having accounts in systems that don’t support these extra layers of protection. 
• Avoid giving out personal or financial information over the phone, especially to someone who cold-called you asking for a donation. (Personal and financial information includes: legal name, date of birth, social security number, bank account numbers, credit and debit card numbers.) 
• In person: make sure your credit or debit card has an electronic chip. Use tap-to-pay instead of slide-through card readers where available. Use cash when making smaller purchases.
• Watch out for signs of identity theft – unexplained withdrawals from bank accounts, missing mail or bills, calls from debt collectors on purchases you didn’t make, medical bills for services you didn’t receive, and any other odd or unexpected financial occurrences.
• Be even more vigilant for signs of identity theft if you receive a notice of a data breach, if you lose your wallet, or if you know your mail was stolen. 
• Review monthly credit card statements carefully, and call the credit card company if you spot fraudulent charges.
• Check your credit report every year at annualcreditreport.com. 
• On a related topic, there are also many phone- or text-based scams designed to steal your money. A scammer may call or text to urgently demand funds to help a stranded loved-one, especially a child or grandchild. Having a family safe-word can help to quickly distinguish between real and scam requests, and scare off scammers. Learn more about common scam techniques and how to protect yourself at tinyurl.com/FTCphone-scams

After you know or suspect identity theft: 

1. Contact the relevant companies where you spotted the problem. (They may need you to first file a police report and/or report to the Federal Trade Commission at identitytheft.gov, see step 2)
2. Report identity theft at identitytheft.gov and file a police report. 
3. Add a fraud alert on your credit reports at experian.com, transunion.com, and equifax.com. 
4. Then freeze your credit reports at each of the three credit reporting companies above, so no one can use your credit to open new accounts in your name. (Consider keeping them frozen all the time, and only unfreezing them temporarily when you need to open a new account or take out a loan.)
5. For free expert help if you experience identity theft, contact idtheftcenter.org