Tag Archives: identity theft

By now, you have heard all sides of the Boyet Fajardo case. People involved have made their comments (and apologies), support groups have launched their causes, media had a blast in their ratings, and the Internet world is filled with related blogs.

Now that the controversy has died down, are there money lessons that we can learn from this?

1. Sign your credit card.
This is where the controversy began when the Duty Free cashier saw that Boyet Fajardo’s credit card is not signed. It’s common sense, really. When you receive your credit card, sign it IMMEDIATELY. This is to protect you from unscrupulous people who may want to use your identity and purchase a lot of items that you will be paying for.

2. Bring IDs.
This is also basic. I don’t know about you but my parents have always taught me to bring identification cards in my wallet. In case of an accident that I’m not able to speak, people can easily identify me and track my family. When traveling abroad, an ID (especially a passport) is very important to ensure that I don’t get picked up by the police for suspicion of being an illegal alien.

An ID is also very handy if you need to present your credit card. Because of the increasing incidence of identity theft, more and more malls in the country are requiring credit card holders to present at least one ID before you charge anything to your card.

3. Be courteous.
Okay, this is not a money lesson, but this is also a basic value. Wherever you are in the world, whoever you’re talking to, please be courteous. Your fame, high education, wealth or background are insignificant if you don’t know how to respect people.