Preventing Identity Theft
I know better than most the importance of identity protection. Some time ago, from the time of this writing, my family and I lost everything, becoming one of the latest victims of identity theft. As with so many things in life, I had heard of identity theft but never expected it could befall my family.
By the time I realized my identity had been stolen, it was too late. Months passed before I started receiving phone calls and letters from collection agencies. The thief had taken out a number of credit cards in my name and social security number, using a false address. As it seems, this is much easier than I expected.
After the ordeal was behind us (although, we never fully recovered), we decided it was time to find some form of identity protection. We had seen a number of ads, but we wanted to find the company that protected us the most, rather than the one that advertised the most.
There’s no way to put a price on the peace of mind that comes with knowing my identity is protected from thieves, but in the case of the company I chose, that price is $9 a month. That includes a monitoring service that searches the Web for the illegal selling or trading of your personal information. If such activity is detected, they alert you and help you take steps to resolve the problem. Another monitor is designed to proactively detect any new address information in address databases nationwide. If a detected address change is fraudulent, they work with you to help avoid further damage and restore accurate address information. They notify you instantly if anyone uses your information to apply for credit or services. They reduce the amount of pre-approved credit card offers you receive. They even have 24/7 service representatives to help you in the case of problems.
And the part that convinced me: If you become a victim of identity theft due to a failure in their service, they’ll cover up to $1 million in damages!
When searching for an identity theft prevention service, make sure they at least offer these services.
Alfred Kipler is a writer whose goal is to help you with identity protection, using techniques such as credit monitoring.
