You read about it all the time. Somebody gets their whole life turned upside down when a thief steals their identity and goes on a buying spree. But did you know there are other kinds of identity theft besides losing cash from your bank account?
Medical Identity Theft
Someone gets enough information about your health insurance coverage to get medical care they need but the bill goes to you! A plastic surgeon tells of a breast augmentation performed on a woman that used a stolen identity and medical insurance information. The expensive surgery was completed and the woman disappeared. Only weeks later was it discovered that the woman that got the bills was not the woman that had the operation.
Criminal Acts In Your Name
A man gets pulled over by police, handcuffed, Mirandized and hauled off to jail. He was innocent but was arrested because someone unknown to him committed a robbery, used his identity when picked up by police and then skipped bail.
Children Are Vulnerable
Almost every child has a Social Security number, including infants. When an identity thief gleans the child's name, birthdate and SSN it's like taking candy from a baby. The years of felony acts and financial damage may not be discovered until the youngster applies for his/her first job or tries to buy a car on credit.
The financial devastation of identity theft is compounded by the emotional stress that goes with such a loss. It's bad enough that you lost all of your savings or were denied a loan on the house you wanted to buy. It's horrible that you were passed over for the job you really wanted because of a poor credit rating you didn't even know you had.
Restoration Process
Restoring your good name is the toughest part. It takes hundreds of hours and sometimes years and thousands of dollars to put your life back the way it was. Do you have the time and knowledge to handle the myriad tasks AND continue to work, raise a family and maintain your sanity?
It's easy to get an identity theft program that notifies you of a breach against your credit. Most identity theft protection plans promise to help you restore your life. But there is a big difference in how IDT plans approach restoration.
One that is advertised heavily on radio does a good job at alerting you of trouble but when the damage is done (and it often does even though an alert is sent by email or text message) the company sends you a kit with information and instructions for you to follow. It's DIY from that point forward.
Good luck.
The IDT plan I have monitors all three credit agencies 24/7 and sends instant alerts when there is a "hit" to my credit file like you'd expect. My IDT plan monitors my online activity and social media for trouble. My IDT plan monitors police records to see if my name pops up. But they do much more.
The IDT plan I use allows me to sign an affidavit that allows Kroll, the global leader in risk mitigation response, to step in and actually do all the legwork to restore my life. Plus, I have unlimited access to attorneys to counsel me on whatever I need in the way of help following a loss of any kind.
How much would you pay for this kind of protection? This kind of identity theft protection and restoration could cost thousands of dollars. But I pay less than $20 per month. And it covers everyone in my household. Interested?
