Identity Theft

November 6, 2019

Could ID Theft Cost You Your Home?

But it is your house!? You have worked hard your whole life. You have paid off your house. Retirement looks comfortable and you are thinking of using some of your home equity to buy a second home. You go to the bank to apply for your loan and the loan officer cannot seem to confirm that you actually own your home. In addition, the tax records reveal someone else not only owns the home you’ve lived in for years but that they have taken out a large mortgage against the house. Suddenly, your net worth has dropped by thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands. So, could ID Theft Cost Your Your Home?…YES Identity Theft…whether it is your social security number or other personally identifying information that is stolen, it is traumatic. Personally, it was a huge concern when someone stole my identity and purchased 4 cell phones from a Best Buy […]

October 8, 2019

Public WiFi is Putting You at Risk

Brian Thompson Identity Theft

I am certain you have heard the warnings that Public WiFi is putting you at risk. We all have heard this but how is a Public WiFi connection leaving you vulnerable to identity theft? It makes sense to explain WiFi here. Statistically, 3 out of 4 people have used public WiFi in the last 12 months. Most of those people do not know a WiFi signal is just radio waves. Now, think about your car radio, all you have to do is tune the radio to listen in right?! Similarly, with a little know-how, anyone can “listen in” to what you are doing on an unprotected WiFi connection. The Threats are Everywhere! Threats are everywhere, not just at Starbucks or your local hometown coffee shop. We see access increasing from coffee shops, hotels, and airports to doctors’ offices, businesses, and retail stores. With good intentions, these locations are attempting to […]

September 19, 2019

ID Theft Increases Stress and Fatigue

Brian Thompson Identity Theft Identity Theft

Effecting all ages, from small towns to big cities to the entire world, Identity theft can reach everyone. Often considered a victimless crime, ID theft increases stress and fatigue and is definitely not victimless. Data shows that yes institutions are impacted but the impact on individuals, family, co-workers, employers, and friends is great. The impact on the individual is immediate, causing stress and emotional trauma that causes a domino of negative events personally, professionally, and socially. The Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), a nationally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established to support victims of identity theft released the initial findings of its The Aftermath®: The Non-Economic Impacts of Identity Theft victim impact survey. A very interesting account that goes beyond the known financial indicators caused by identity theft. Instead, the report explores the emotional, physical and psychological impacts experienced by victims of identity crime. The survey participants were actual ID theft victims […]

July 30, 2019

Why Provide Identity Theft Protection as an Employee Benefit?

Brian Thompson Identity Theft Employee Benefits, Human resources, Identity Theft

Employers often ask, “Why should I provide identity theft protection as an employee benefit?”. Let’s face it, we increasingly live our lives online. If it’s banking, social media, or buying products and services we constantly expose ourselves to potential fraud. With that, employees are more aware of the issue either through personal experience or the frequent breaches in the headlines. But again, why should you add Identity Theft Protection as an employee benefit? After all, they can just go get it on their own, right…yes But employees expect their employer to help them with their financial wellness. Employees expect financial vehicles such as 401k plans, disability insurance, medical insurance, life insurance, and student debt programs. And now, increasingly looking to employers for programs to protect them against the detrimental effects of Identity Theft. If you have not considered Identity Theft Protection, here are the top reasons why you should consider […]

July 17, 2019

14 features of Identity Theft Protection and the Most Important One!

Brian Thompson Identity Theft

We all get bombarded with the reasons why we should have Identity Theft Protection. With all that noise it can get confusing as to what features really matter. First, it is important to know the three main services of a provider. Then to understand how they do that with features. And Finally what feature is the most important from our perspective. 3 Main Services of Identity Theft Protection Let’s start with the 3 main services that a provider offers: Common Features of Identity Theft Protection Now we can look at the broad scope of features that fit into each of these three categories. When we look at the broad market of identity theft protection there are 14 main features that providers have. Credit Monitoring, 1 or 3 bureaus depending on the program chosen Annual Credit report Monthly Credit Score Tracking Internet Dark Web Public Records Criminal Data Expense Reimbursement Insurance […]

July 16, 2019

What Do Identity Theft Protection Services Really Do?

Brian Thompson Identity Theft

We all hear about the big breaches in the marketplace but what does that mean to us, what can an identity theft protection services actually do to protect us? If these questions have ever run through your mind, you are not alone! But, we should understand these services and what they offer. First! No, Identity theft protection services DO NOT prevent identity theft. The prevention of identity theft is a far fetched idea at this point. You would have to gain/regain control over all of your personal information from every area of your life and secure that information. This, unfortunately, is unrealistic as most of our information is out there already. We provide our Personal Identifiable Information (PII) for almost everything/transaction we do. Our own behavior and the companies we associate with every day are susceptible to breach or mishandling information, putting us all at risk. This alone creates exposure to […]