With Identity Theft, Being Careful Is Not Good Enough
BEING CAREFUL WILL NOT PREVENT IDENTITY THEFT
Many people are under the impression that if they are careful with their personal information, they can avoid becoming victims of identity theft. Sorry folks, that just isn’t so!
You have without doubt seen many articles, and even information at your bank’s website or the website for your credit card company telling you what you need to do to protect yourself. I will not take up space in this article repeating what you can find there.
What you do need to be aware of is that no matter what you do, or how careful you are, there are still many ways that the identity thieves can get their hands on your data.
Have you ever bought a car?
Have you ever applied for a job, life insurance or medical insurance?
Have you ever taken out a loan, or refinanced your home mortgage?
Do you use your credit card in restaurants?
The list could go on and on. These few items just illustrate the kind of legitimate activities that expose you to identity thieves. One person in a legitimate business can compromise your private information. In fact, people you invite into your home are just as likely to utilize information they find when you aren’t looking. A high percentage of identity theft involves family members and people that know the victim.
The current percentage of victims in the United States is now over 18%, and will be over 25% by the end of this year. By 2010, the percentage is expected to be one out of TWO! More cases of identity theft have been reported in the last SIX MONTHS than were reported in the last TWENTY YEARS!
You may already be a victim and not know it. A recent study shows that 85% of victims don’t find out that they have been victimized until well after the fact. Often they find out when they start to refinance their home mortgage or apply for a new credit card.
I have read some articles that claim that Identity Theft Insurance is too expensive and not worth the money. Don’t listen to that! It just is not true. How much would it be worth to you on a monthly basis to avoid the cost and time involved in trying to clear up your accounts?
Surveys support the claims that the cost and time involved is increasing. The Identity Theft Resource Center has stated that victims can expect to log 600 hours recovering from this crime. Just three years ago, the average was 175 hours. Can you afford to be off work for that period of time to clear up your records? How much would it be worth to have one of the top Risk Management firms in the world doing all of this for you?
Can you continuously monitor your credit yourself? Would you actually do it? That is what it would take, and NO, you cannot and will not do it yourself. Our Identity Theft Shield provides just that kind of attention to ALL of your accounts, including many areas that you would not normally think could be involved in identity theft. Examples:
Derogatory comments added to your credit report
Public records are added to your report
Inquiries are made
A change of address is requested
New accounts are opened in your name
Early notification is the key, and the sooner you find out the better. The amount of losses and the amount of time needed will also be reduced. Most credit card companies will not charge you for fraudulent activity if notified within a stated period. By law, if you do not report fraud related losses within 60 days, you will be held accountable. Checking your credit report once a year, or even three times a year will not protect you.
If you become a victim, you will be able to report it quickly, and an experienced investigator will be assigned to do most of the work for you. The company will correct identity theft issues you have with:
Credit card companies
Financial institutions
All three credit repositories
The Federal Trade Commission
The Social Security Administration
The Department of Motor Vehicles
The US Postal Service
Law enforcement personnel and other organizations that may be affected.
Don’t wait until you become a victim of identity theft to do what is necessary to provide for these services. Pre-existing problems will not be covered by this program.
You can learn a lot about this service by going to: http://www.prepaidlegal.com/idt/grschmidt
You can also get a copy of the magazine that just reached the stands in early October. It is “Identity Theft—Special Report: You Are At Risk!” The magazine is from the publisher of Success From Home.
George Schmidt
Independent Associate
Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc.
About the author:
George Schmidt is an independent associate of Pre-Paid Legal Services and has been for over six years. In that capacity, George provides legal plans and the Identity Theft Shield to both individuals and employees of businesses at a discounted rate.
For additional information on any of the plans provided, go to: http://www.prepaidlegal.com/hub/grschmidt
Many people are under the impression that if they are careful with their personal information, they can avoid becoming victims of identity theft. Sorry folks, that just isn’t so!
You have without doubt seen many articles, and even information at your bank’s website or the website for your credit card company telling you what you need to do to protect yourself. I will not take up space in this article repeating what you can find there.
What you do need to be aware of is that no matter what you do, or how careful you are, there are still many ways that the identity thieves can get their hands on your data.
Have you ever bought a car?
Have you ever applied for a job, life insurance or medical insurance?
Have you ever taken out a loan, or refinanced your home mortgage?
Do you use your credit card in restaurants?
The list could go on and on. These few items just illustrate the kind of legitimate activities that expose you to identity thieves. One person in a legitimate business can compromise your private information. In fact, people you invite into your home are just as likely to utilize information they find when you aren’t looking. A high percentage of identity theft involves family members and people that know the victim.
The current percentage of victims in the United States is now over 18%, and will be over 25% by the end of this year. By 2010, the percentage is expected to be one out of TWO! More cases of identity theft have been reported in the last SIX MONTHS than were reported in the last TWENTY YEARS!
You may already be a victim and not know it. A recent study shows that 85% of victims don’t find out that they have been victimized until well after the fact. Often they find out when they start to refinance their home mortgage or apply for a new credit card.
I have read some articles that claim that Identity Theft Insurance is too expensive and not worth the money. Don’t listen to that! It just is not true. How much would it be worth to you on a monthly basis to avoid the cost and time involved in trying to clear up your accounts?
Surveys support the claims that the cost and time involved is increasing. The Identity Theft Resource Center has stated that victims can expect to log 600 hours recovering from this crime. Just three years ago, the average was 175 hours. Can you afford to be off work for that period of time to clear up your records? How much would it be worth to have one of the top Risk Management firms in the world doing all of this for you?
Can you continuously monitor your credit yourself? Would you actually do it? That is what it would take, and NO, you cannot and will not do it yourself. Our Identity Theft Shield provides just that kind of attention to ALL of your accounts, including many areas that you would not normally think could be involved in identity theft. Examples:
Derogatory comments added to your credit report
Public records are added to your report
Inquiries are made
A change of address is requested
New accounts are opened in your name
Early notification is the key, and the sooner you find out the better. The amount of losses and the amount of time needed will also be reduced. Most credit card companies will not charge you for fraudulent activity if notified within a stated period. By law, if you do not report fraud related losses within 60 days, you will be held accountable. Checking your credit report once a year, or even three times a year will not protect you.
If you become a victim, you will be able to report it quickly, and an experienced investigator will be assigned to do most of the work for you. The company will correct identity theft issues you have with:
Credit card companies
Financial institutions
All three credit repositories
The Federal Trade Commission
The Social Security Administration
The Department of Motor Vehicles
The US Postal Service
Law enforcement personnel and other organizations that may be affected.
Don’t wait until you become a victim of identity theft to do what is necessary to provide for these services. Pre-existing problems will not be covered by this program.
You can learn a lot about this service by going to: http://www.prepaidlegal.com/idt/grschmidt
You can also get a copy of the magazine that just reached the stands in early October. It is “Identity Theft—Special Report: You Are At Risk!” The magazine is from the publisher of Success From Home.
George Schmidt
Independent Associate
Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc.
About the author:
George Schmidt is an independent associate of Pre-Paid Legal Services and has been for over six years. In that capacity, George provides legal plans and the Identity Theft Shield to both individuals and employees of businesses at a discounted rate.
For additional information on any of the plans provided, go to: http://www.prepaidlegal.com/hub/grschmidt
posted by Unknown | 5:03 PM
|
1 comments
