As added protection, take a picture of or videotape each room in your house. This will enable each of the possessions you've described in the inventory to be easily identified. If you need some assistance, most local police departments have a special tool you can borrow to engrave your Social Security number on valuables such as TV sets, bicycles, cameras and stereo equipment. Anyone who asks for any part of your credit card number over the phone is probably up to no good. Even if they already have some of your digits, don't give them the rest of the numbers.
Scam artists can easily get partial information from receipts.
According to the BBB, if a representative calls to talk about your account, no financial services company will ever ask you for your account number or the expiration date. If you receive a call like this, ask the caller for his or her name, location and phone number and get the request in writing. Then contact your local BBB to report the incident. Beyond warranties It almost never fails. You buy a new car, and as soon as the warranty expires, that's when your vehicle seems to need repairs.