Identity Theft

August 3, 2022

Home WiFi isn’t Safe from Hackers

Thanks to the Internet, jobs that we used to have to do from the confines of an office can now be done at home. Even before COVID led many of us to work from home, millions of us already worked remotely. And that trend doesn’t seem like it will slow down any time soon. BUT home wifi isn’t safe from hackers. There are good reasons for that, since remote work has many benefits for workers, as well as fewer overhead costs for employers. After a large chunk of the working population got a taste of working from home, many decided that they liked it. However, working remotely has its own problems and challenges, especially in terms of network security. Your home network is probably not protected by the same rigorous cybersecurity protocols that corporate networks have access to. So, either the company or the employee needs to take steps to […]

July 27, 2022

Parenting Kids is Hard Enough

Brian Thompson General, Identity Theft

Parenting kids is hard enough, parenting kids with social media is another thing… Without clear guidance from us as parents, and education on the consequences of oversharing, our kids can open themselves to damages we can’t even predict. This is an enormous challenge, but a challenge worth understanding and taking on. Strong boundaries and education around social media are important as data thieves, and other criminals, don’t consider age a deterrent. In fact, a child’s information has more value to an identity thief than an adult because they have clean credit files and typically a longer length of time before discovery, creating even more damage. Helping our kids to understand what they are doing, what impacts their social media behavior has in the long term is more important than ever. If our job is to equip them to face this world without us, we have to ensure they are aware […]

July 20, 2022

Healthcare Breaches and Medical ID Theft

Brian Thompson Breach, healthcare, Identity Theft

Do healthcare breaches and Medical ID Theft go hand in hand? I first want to refer back to an article from about two years ago titled Telehealth Creates Creates Cyber Risks. In the article, I stated that “the COVID-19 pandemic has increased consumer risks through cyber scams and medical identity theft.” Fast forward one year to August 4, 2021 article titled Healthcare Data Breaches Most-Common Threats to Date in 2021. The article states, “the healthcare sector is once again in the top position as the most breached economic sector” and “healthcare has been at or near the top of the (data breach) chart since at least 2017.” And again this year, we have seen the trend continue. Hackers hit health companies, insurers with increasing regularity – Inside But Why Medical Records? A primary reason ID theft criminals and cyber thieves target healthcare providers is the Electronic Health Record or EHR. EHR is […]

June 29, 2022

10 Tips to Reduce Your Risk of Identity Theft

Brian Thompson Breach, Identity Theft

Whether you are a consumer or a small-business owner Identity Theft should be top of mind. Protect yourself and your business by using these 10 tips to reduce your risk of identity theft. First, what is Breach Fatigue or Alarm Fatigue? Alarm fatigue is when we get desensitized to safety alerts and as a result, ignore or fail to respond appropriately to warnings. Breach Fatigue however is more specific. It’s when small business owners and consumers start to ignore the headlines of identity theft and data breaches. Fatigue desensitizes both business owners and consumers to be less likely to proactively protect themselves against the risks of identity theft. Be proactive and prepared with these 10 Tips Being proactive and prepared can reduce your exposure to the risks of identity theft. Personal privacy Be more vigilant and hands-on with your personal-privacy settings. Also, be aware that most apps lack basic security […]

June 23, 2022

Stolen Check – ID Theft

Brian Thompson Identity Theft

Here is a story of a stolen check – ID Theft, how they found out about it, and what they did. Sally and her husband were living in student housing in Chicago. She was supporting both of them at the time when a personal check was stolen. Because they were living in an apartment run by the university, all rent payments had to come out of her husband’s bank account. This led to a complicated financial situation. At the time money transfers were more complicated so Sally would have to write her husband a check through the bank and have it sent to them by mail. But, this time the check included rent and a portion of their tax return and it never got to them. How Sally Found Out Sally followed up with the bank to cancel her check. The bank indicated that they couldn’t do it because it […]

June 8, 2022

My Story as a Victim of Identity Theft

Brian Thompson Identity Theft

I had the pleasure of speaking with our partners at Tzedakah House on their podcast, Benefits & Beyond. In this podcast, I chat with Luke about identity theft protection and the services defend-id provides. I share my story as a victim of identity theft and the first-hand effects it can have on a person both emotionally, financially, and at the office. Topics Luke and I cover: What services does defend-ID offer? (credit checks, recovery, etc.) How did you get started doing this? (backstory) What kinds of plans are available? (gold vs. platinum) How easy is ID theft to offer to employees? (size, participation, funding, etc.) Can folks purchase coverage individually, too? Listen here Additional articles: Realities of Identity Theft What is Dark Web Monitoring? Fully-Managed Recovery for Identity Theft What Do Identity Theft Protection Services Really Do? 14 features of Identity Theft Protection Monitoring and the Most Important Feature! Learn more […]

May 4, 2022

I use a VPN whenever I work remotely

Brian Thompson General, Identity Theft

On my work laptop, I use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) whenever I work remotely including in my home, my hotel room, or any other location away from the office. (be sure to watch the video below) However, I realized that I do not use a VPN on either my smartphone or personal computer. That said, I enlisted the assistance of Kent Lawson, President, and CEO of Private Communications Corporation to learn more about VPNs in general and Private WiFi (Private WiFi – Protect your Identity and Sensitive Information on any Public WiFi Network with a Personal VPN) in particular. Private WiFi Private WiFi is the flagship product of Private Communications Corporation, founded by Kent Lawson in 2010. After reading a series of articles in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and The New York Times about the security vulnerabilities of WiFi hotspots, Lawson (a 40 year computer industry executive) was […]

April 20, 2022

ID Theft Protection for Your Clients

Brian Thompson Breach, Identity Theft

Are you taking advantage of the opportunity by offering ID Theft Protection for your Clients and their employees? Your clients are relying on you to provide the most comprehensive, relevant, value-adding benefits that their employees want and need. With the addition of identity theft protection to your portfolio, you will be stepping out in front of your competition with this high-demand benefit. Strengthen Your Client Relationship You are the advisor and your clients trust you to offer the best employee benefit programs. Offering defend-id will demonstrate your professionalism and your thoughtfulness regarding current market trends and demands. As their agent, you will be offering a timely, valuable and relevant benefit. Don’t Blend in with the Rest Differentiate yourself from your competition, the ones you are fighting with to get that new account, and the ones you are fighting off to keep your current ones. Offering defend-id differentiates you! Employers need […]

April 14, 2022

Service Level Standards and Testimonials

Brian Thompson Identity Theft

Fully Managed Recovery is the most important pillar of what we do here at defend-id. We take Service Level Standards and Client testimonials very seriously. It is important to ensure that everyone we cover has peace of mind, knowing they have someone who will take care of any identity issue they encounter. All the credit goes to our team of recovery experts who are getting amazing results. Service Level Standards 2022 Q1 Fully Managed Recovery Testimonials “I am so pleased as to how my call was handled, the knowledge the representative had and all that was done while I was on the initial phone call. As a victim of unemployment insurance fraud. I would not have known where to start with putting a stop to someone using my social security number and other info to commit identity theft. The Dark Web report is nothing less than Amazing as it […]

April 6, 2022

IDENTITY THEFT LOSSES TOTALED $52 BILLION, AFFECTING 42 MILLION U.S. ADULTS

Brian Thompson Identity Theft

The just-released 2022 Javelin Strategy Annual Identity Fraud Study found that identity theft losses totaled $52 billion and affecting 42 million U.S. adults in 2021. The Javelin study also reported the following: 1 in 20 Americans were victims of fraud in 2021. The average per-victim loss from traditional identity theft and fraud rose to $1,551. The average per-victim loss from identity fraud scams was $1,029. More than half (54%) of fraud victims want their financial institution to offer a fraud prevention resource center to help them resolve their identity theft and fraud event. Consumers expressed an interest in receiving more fraud prevention education from their financial institutions as well as identity protection services. The 2021 statistics show individuals and businesses are unprepared for the tactics criminals are deploying in our modern, digital-first world. Since identity theft and fraud is constantly evolving, how does the 2022 Javelin Study reflecting 2021 statistics compare […]