Identity Theft Insurance
Many people are underinsured because they never think disaster will strike. Call it a holdover from our teenage years when we thought ourselves invincible. But we’re not invincible. And, even if we were, that wouldn’t prevent some truly awful disasters from befalling us. The most insidious may be identity theft. It’s invasive and invisible, and it can literally ruin your life.
The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) defines identity theft as three general types of incidents:
- Unauthorized use or attempted use of an existing account
- Unauthorized use or attempted use of personal information to open a new account
- Misuse of personal information for a fraudulent purpose.
The survey details the number and percentage of persons age 16 or older who reported at least one incident of identity theft over the past year. Here are some highlights:
- About 7% of persons age 16 or older were victims of identity theft in 2014, similar to findings in 2012.
- The majority of identity theft victims (86%) experienced the fraudulent use of existing account information, such as credit card or bank account information.
- The number of elderly victims of identity theft increased from 2.1 million in 2012 to 2.6 million in 2014.
Identity theft is one of the country’s fastest growing crime segments. The very nature of the crime and those who perpetrate it make identity thefts harder to solve and possibly more damaging than typical theft and burglary.
Savvy criminals – and even some not-so-savvy ones, unfortunately – can rob you blind from another state or half way across the world before you realize you’ve been hit. With just your name, Social Security Number and date of birth, a thief can apply for anything from a credit card to a driver’s license. And they can do considerable damage with even less. Think of all the information about you on Facebook and LinkedIn. A smart con artist can do a ton of damage with the things you’ve already volunteered to the world.
And the internet is forever. No matter how much you try to erase your social media footprint, you’ll never get it all.
Don’t panic. We can help.
You’ve already protected your car, your home and your life. Isn’t it time to protect yourself and all that you’ve earned? Call us. We’ll protect you.