Identity Theft: Spot It Early, Recover Faster
Your identity is one of your most valuable assets.
Why this matters: Someone opens a credit card in your name, and you only find out when a collection notice arrives months later. Identity theft can take significant time, paperwork, and money to resolve.
What it covers:
- Credit monitoring: alerts when new accounts, inquiries, or address changes appear on your reports
- Identity theft insurance: may reimburse expenses such as lost wages, legal fees, and filing costs
- Restoration services: a case manager who helps you dispute fraudulent accounts
- Dark web monitoring for exposed personal information
Common gaps: Monitoring alerts you to a problem but doesn’t fix it. Identity theft coverage typically reimburses recovery expenses and generally doesn’t replace money taken directly from an account.
Free steps everyone should take: Place a credit freeze with each major credit bureau, review reports regularly, and use unique passwords with multi-factor authentication.
Who needs it:
- Anyone whose data has appeared in a breach
- Families with children, who are targets because their credit is rarely checked
- Seniors and frequent online shoppers
FAQ
Is a credit freeze the same as monitoring? No. A freeze blocks new credit from being opened, while monitoring alerts you after activity occurs.
Will a freeze hurt my credit score? It generally doesn’t affect your score, and you can lift it temporarily when you need credit.
Is identity theft coverage part of my homeowners policy? Sometimes it’s available as an endorsement. Ask us to check yours.
What should I do first if I’m a victim? Contact your financial institutions, place a fraud alert or freeze, and report it through the FTC’s identity theft site.
Ask About Identity Theft Protection, Today!