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1. Why buy identity theft insurance?2. What coverage do your identity theft programs provide? 3. What kind of information do you ask for enrollment? 4. What does 'Expense Recovery' mean? 5. Does it cover my bank or ATM losses? 6. What does 'Full Restoration Services' mean? 7. Does a live person get assigned to my case? 8. What is a 'Credit Fraud Alert'? 9. 'Credit Freeze Notification Service' – how does it work? 10. Which states currently have 'Credit Freeze' laws? 11. 'Credit Reports and Monitoring service' - how does it work? 12. What about daily credit monitoring? 13. Do you sell to groups? 14. Can I buy this through my insurance agent? 15. Do you have a program for insurance agents to sell your product? 16. What if I don't have or want to use an email address to purchase? 17. What if I experience a technical problem when ordering? 18. What if I do nothing? 19. What is Identity Theft? 20. Why is it the fastest growing crime? 21. Who are identity thieves? 22. How does ID theft happen? 23. How can I stop or prevent ID theft? 24. Help me now! 25. As a customer, how do I file a claim with you? 26. How do I contact the Credit Reporting Agencies? 27. How can I find a good ID theft or DUI attorney? 28. Agencies & Information 1. Why buy identity theft insurance? We often refer to ID theft insurance like car insurance – we all think we're good drivers, but accidents (and the unexpected loss of our personal information) can happen to anyone. It's something we hope you never have to use, but if you do, you're glad you have it when the time comes. As for what to look for in value, to quote the Identity Theft Resource Center (http://www.idtheftcenter.org), "As to purchasing Identity Theft insurance, make sure that they cover most major costs including lost wages and time, travel, legal expenses, postage, photocopying, telephone costs and other expenditures that may be needed. It should have a low deductible. This is a personal choice issue. The cost should not be more than $25-40 per year or it may be overpriced. The deductible should not be high or it doesn't pay for itself. Your highest costs will be time spent, legal costs (if necessary) and travel." Recent studies show that, for those who incur costs, the average out-of-pocket expenditures can range from $739 to repair one existing account to $951 to repair a newly opened account per person, based on interviews with victims. That's without lost wages. In some cases, reimbursement for time off work and attorney fees could make the insurance very valuable to an identity theft victim. 2. What coverage do your identity theft programs provide?? Coverage is underwritten by member companies of American International Group, Inc. (AIG), and includes up to $25,000 Combined Assistance Limit, No Deductible, for:
3. What kind of information do you ask for enrollment? We only need first and last name, mailing address, email address (if available), secondary email address (in case you change email addresses), and payment information. That's all. No SSN or other ID numbers. We only use your email address to send renewal notices, security information as part of the program and alerts about major viruses hitting the internet. For our e-commerce process:
4. What does 'Expense Recovery' mean? If you have to make expenditures to resolve your identity theft case with creditors, financial institutions, the courts, etc., these 'out-of-pocket' expenditures are recoverable through the insurance policy. If you have to take time off of work to spend time on the phone, file papers, and other time-related, a certain amount of 'lost wages' is recoverable. See above 'What does identity theft insurance cover' for additional expenses and circumstances of expense recovery. 5. Does it cover my bank or ATM losses? No. It does not cover any fraudulent withdrawals from your ATM, bank, credit card, brokerage accounts, etc. These losses may be covered by your financial institution; you will have to check with them for their specific details. 6. What does 'Full Restoration Services' mean? By providing our Restoration Services Provider with a 'Limited Power of Attorney', an assigned case worker can contact the credit reporting bureaus and other institutions on your behalf only in regards to resolving your identity theft case. They cannot transfer money or make any financial commitments on your behalf; it is only for discussion and resolution of your identity theft case. The service includes:
7. Does a live person get assigned to my case? If you are enrolled in the ‘ALL-IN-ONE’ ID THEFT RESTORATION Program, yes; you are assigned a skilled professional case worker to help you resolve your case. This person is only available once a claim has been filed. If you are enrolled the ‘GOLD’ IDENTITY THEFT DEFENSE Program, no; there is no person directly assigned to your case, but a Victim Care Center is staffed to answer your questions by phone. 8. What is a 'Credit Fraud Alert'? A person who believes they may be a victim of identity theft can contact the credit reporting agencies to place a FRAUD ALERT on their credit file. Their credit file will be flagged with a statement that says they may be a victim of identity fraud and that creditors should phone the individual and verify any credit application before extending credit. This will stop thieves from being able to open new accounts under your name. You only need to contact one credit report agency to place an alert. The agency you call is required to contact the other two agencies who will place a fraud alert in your credit file. An initial fraud alert stays in effect for 90 days. You may remove the alert at any time by contacting one of the three consumer reporting companies (see ‘Contact Credit Reporting Agencies’, below). Placing a fraud alert will not affect your credit rating or profile. 9. 'Credit Freeze Notification Service' – how does it work? Consumers now have the ability to place a ‘credit freeze’ with the major credit reporting bureaus, which locks access to the consumer’s credit profile for up to ninety days. This provides consumers with an effective method to stop (‘freeze out’) identity thieves from getting credit in a consumer’s name. The consumer uses a PIN to unlock access to the credit file when necessary. Our ‘Credit Freeze Notification Service’ informs you on how to initially place a credit freeze and when it’s time to renew a credit freeze for your particular state. 10. Which states currently have 'Credit Freeze' laws? Currently all U.S. states are either providing consumers with a method to place a credit freeze on their account or have laws soon to take effect. 11. 'Credit Reports and Monitoring' service – how does it work? We provide you with instructions on how to obtain your credit report from each of the three major credit report agencies so you can look for suspicious activity or changes in your credit profile. Please note that we do not provide daily credit monitoring – this is periodic credit monitoring only. Experts recommend that you stagger ordering your credit report -- one report every 4 months -- to review for any suspicious activity or changes during the year. As part of our service we send you reminder notifications every 3 months that it’s time for you to request and review your next credit report. 12. What about daily credit monitoring? Daily credit monitoring can be helpful if you believe there is a strong likelihood of becoming an identity theft victim. But credit monitoring does not catch all types of identity theft and only alerts you 'after the fact', so you may be lulled into thinking you have covered all the angles. By using our notification services to place and maintain a fraud alert on your credit profile with the reporting bureaus, you'll be putting a stop to any new credit accounts being opened, effectively negating the need for an expensive daily credit monitoring service. 13. Do you sell to groups? Yes. Often groups such as employers, associations, credit unions, colleges and univerities wants to be able to offer Identity Theft coverage as an enhancement to employees or members. We can provide coverage for large-groups very simply, securely and affordably priced. Since very little personal information is needed to cover each employee or member (first/last name and email address), the sign-up process is very simple. We offer two options of Enrollment Programs. Please see Groups. 14. Can I buy this through my insurance agent? Yes; we have an Affiliate Program in place with many independent insurance agencies around the country. Please contact us for an agent in your area. Or send your insurance agent our web site address so they can sign up as an Affiliate. Click here to use our Send to a Friend form. 15. Do you have a program for insurance agents to sell your product? Yes. We welcome insurance agents and encourage them to become an Affiliate Partner. For more information, please see Agencies in this site. 16. What if I don't have or want to use an email address, but still want to purchase coverage? You can download and print an enrollment form by clicking here. You can complete the form and return to us with a check or credit card number. We process and mail back your Coverage Certificate and the Identity Theft Defense 'Do's and Don'ts' Guide via first class US mail. Adjustments to what you will receive if done by mail and not via email: We will mail your Coverage Certificate and the Identity Theft Defense 'Do's and Don'ts' Guide by first class US mail. But without an email address, you will not be able to receive the monthly user security training newsletter or virus updates as needed. For renewals, we will use your mailing address to notify you when it's time to renew. 17. What if I experience a technical problem when ordering? We definitely want to know about it asap. Please email or call us toll-free at 866.609.3604 so we can solve the problem and get you covered. You can also contact us using our Help Desk. 18. What if I do nothing? The reality is -- as much as we all would like to keep track of our credit files to keep from becoming a victim -- we're often too busy to cover all our credit tracks. That's where identity theft insurance comes in -- to help you 'Cover My ID!'. More than half of all victims discovered their identity theft themselves, either by noticing unusual charges on their credit card or discovering funds were missing from their accounts. Only 17 percent were notified by a creditor or financial institution of suspicious activity on their account. It also took those surveyed, on average, five-and-a-half months after the crime occurred to realize that they were a victim. "What a victim really needs to achieve resolution," according to Herath, "is an advocate - someone who is on their side, that can provide professional guidance to help ease the burden and speed the process of restoring a stolen identity." 19. What Is Identity Theft? Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal information to create a new you and commit theft or fraud without your knowledge (stolen ID). The Identity Theft & Assumption Deterrence Act of 1998 made it a Federal crime to "knowingly transfer or use, without lawful authority, a means of identification of another person with the intent to commit, or to aid or abet, any unlawful activity that constitutes a violation of federal law, or that constitutes a felony under any applicable state or local law." A name, social security number or credit card number are considered a means of identification. So is any other piece of information that can be used with other data to identify a specific individual, as in an identity compromise or data breach situation. In most instances, a conviction for ID theft carries a maximum penalty of 15 years imprisonment, a fine, and forfeiture of any personal property used or intended to be used to commit the crime. But law enforcement officials admit convictions are hard to achieve, and their offices don't have the resources to track down identity thieves. Some things thieves do with your ID include:
20. Why is it the fastest growing crime? Identity theft was a little known problem just a few years ago. However with the increased access to unsecured personal information and use of the Internet, identity theft has become a very real, widespread and expensive problem.
21. Who are identity thieves? There are different types of identity thieves. They range from opportunistic amateurs working independently to teams of sophisticated hardcore professionals systematically targeting groups of victims at a time. 'They' include:
22. How does ID theft happen? Personal identity thieves get the information they need to steal your identity from a variety of sources. It is much easier than you might think. All an identity thief needs is your social security number, credit card number, checking account number, birth certificate, mothers maiden name or a password. The rest can easily be researched or made up.
23. How can I stop or prevent ID theft? Although you can't prevent identity theft, you can minimize your risk. It's important to manage your personal information cautiously and with awareness of how it is used legitimately, as well as illegally. There are a number of things you can do to prevent or minimize exposure:
24. Help Me Now! If you believe your identity has been stolen or compromised and you are at risk for identity theft, you should IMMEDIATELY DO THE FOLLOWING:
25. As a customer, how do I file a claim with you? Contact us directly for Claims forms and next steps by calling 1-866-609-3604 x102. 26. How do I contact the Credit Reporting Agencies? Your credit report includes information on where you work and live, the credit accounts that have been opened in your name, how you pay your bills, and whether you've been sued, arrested or filed for bankruptcy. Checking your report on a regular basis can help catch mistakes and fraud before they wreak havoc on your personal finances. Equifax - www.equifax.com To order your report, call: 800-685-1111 or write: P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241 To report fraud, call: (888) 766-0008 or write: P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241 To place a Credit Freeze: https://www.freeze.equifax.com/Freeze/jsp/SFF_PersonalIDInfo.jsp Experian - www.experian.com To order your report, call: 888-397-3742 or write: P.O. Box 2104, Allen TX 75013 To report fraud, call: (888) EXPERIAN (888-397-3742) or write: P.O. Box 9532, Allen TX 75013 To place a Credit Freeze: www.experian.com/consumer/security_freeze.html Trans Union - www.tuc.com To order your report, call: 800-916-8800 or write: P.O. Box 1000, Chester, PA 19022 To report fraud, call: (800) 680-7289 or write: Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92634 To place a Credit Freeze: https://freeze.transunion.com/sf/securityFreeze/landingPage.jsp 27. How can I find a good ID theft or DUI attorney? A strange question that, oddly enough, comes up frequently. Even though there's been recent correlations between high ID theft incidences in locations with a high methamphatamine user group, we can't recommend any one attorney (whether for ID theft, DWI attorney or DUI attorney). You'll need to check with your local chamber of commerce for a list of references. Good luck! 28. Agencies & Information Links |
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