Identity theft has turned out to be a serious problem worldwide, affecting hundreds of thousands of people each year. The majority is under the impression that identity theft may never happen to them, however, this is untrue! The average number of U.S. identity fraud victims in 2018 fell to 14.4 million annually; while 2019 is still under calculations. Identity thieves are getting smarter, have all the relevant means to use your personal data against you, and are getting out of control!
Approximately 2.5 million deceased people have their identity stolen each year. The information is used to open new bank accounts and subscribe to phone services. It is estimated that approximately 2000 corpses are victimized daily with regard to identity theft.
Social media is another means that most are stealing identities. According to the trends observed, birthdays, names of high school attended, pet’s names, phone number, etc. are more conveniently revealed by most users on social networks. In essence people are giving away too much information thereby giving thieves the opportunity to victimize who they choose.
Research also shows that college students are found to be victimized by identity theft the most. In addition, most college students do not generally subscribe to security protection programs or check their bank activity regularly which is why they are attacked in a frequent fashion.
Fortunately, for you as an HCCUA member our combination of three powerful identity theft services gives you and any covered dependents protection to help detect identity fraud before it actually occurs, services to help you restore your identity if it is stolen and insurance coverage to help you with any costs associated with restoring your identity as a result of identity fraud.
Our Identity Monitoring does much more than monitor credit and offers a solution as robust as the ones used by the nation’s leading financial institutions to prevent theft. Identity Monitoring uses innovative technology to detect misuse or even an elevated likelihood for misuse of an individual’s Social Security number, name, address, phone, and date of birth.
Upon notification of an identity theft incident, Privacy Advocates will act on behalf of our members as a dedicated case manager to investigate and confirm fraudulent activity; create a “Fraud Packet”; make phone calls, send electronic notifications and prepare appropriate documentation; issue fraud alerts with the three consumer credit reporting agencies; and the list goes on!
Furthermore, each member will also receive insurance coverage. This coverage will help members offset some of the costs of restoring their identity to its original status. It allows you some peace of mind during a difficult and frustrating situation!
So maybe next time you are giving all your personal information away, you might want to consider being extremely cautious!!!