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The Smart Choice for Safeguarding Your Identity
In today's digital world, most of our daily interactions and transactions take place online. Video conferencing, email, online shopping, social media, and online banking all involve people willingly putting their personal information on the internet to thrive in our modern society.
If you are not careful, however, you can make yourself susceptible to identity fraud. That's why protecting your personal information in the digital age is more important than ever. Fortunately, there are solutions like IDTheftSmart that can help keep your information safe and assist you through the resolution process if someone steals your identity.
Continue reading to learn more about identity theft, the signs of this crime, and the benefits of signing up for ID TheftSmart to prevent, protect, and restore your personal information.
What is identity theft?
Identity theft is the criminal act in which someone steals your personal information and claims it as their own to purchase goods or services, while damaging your credit in the process.
The question isn't if identity theft will happen, but when. According to the Federal Trade Commission, your odds of becoming a victim of identity theft are about 1 in 15, and many people fall victim to identity fraud without realizing it if they are not aware of the signs.
The most common indicators of identity theft may include:
- Failing to receive bills or other mail.
- Receiving credit cards that you didn't apply for.
- Being denied credit or being offered less favorable credit terms, like a high interest rate, for no apparent reason.
- Being denied employment due to bad credit or a criminal record.
- Getting calls or letters from debt collectors or businesses about merchandise or services you didn't buy.
Identity theft differs from account takeover fraud (or current account fraud), which occurs when a cybercriminal gains access to your digital login credentials to steal money or other information. While both are serious situations that require immediate action, people who commit identity theft pose as the other person for an indefinite amount of time (unless they are caught) and do not necessarily use your existing accounts.
How do thieves misuse your personal information?
Without adequate protection, thieves can obtain your name, Social Security number, credit card, or other personal
information and misuse it to do any of the following:
- File for bankruptcy to avoid being evicted or paying debts.
- Obtain a fake driver's license.
- Open credit accounts.
- Perpetrate criminal acts.
- Purchase goods and services.
- Rent a home or apartment.
- Obtain employment.
- Take out auto loans to buy a car.
Identity thieves are only successful when people do not actively protect their information, monitor their accounts, or report suspicious activity. Solutions like ID TheftSmart, offered through Citizens Federal Savings and Loan, can give you peace of mind knowing that licensed identity theft investigators are actively monitoring your sensitive information.
How does IDTheftSmart protect your identity?
In a market overflowing with solutions that focus on credit monitoring, IDTheftSmart is provided through Kroll's Licensed Private Investigators, the nation's leading provider of identity theft services. Kroll's has worked with consumers to uncover and resolve identity theft issues since 1999.
By accessing databases not available to the public, Kroll's private investigators do the bulk of the work for a fraud victim. Not as a counselor. Not alongside them or in conjunction with them, but as an advocate on their behalf.
ID TheftSmart encompasses a variety of services, including ID Theft Restoration, credit monitoring, minor monitoring, and ID Integrity Scan.