We receive many messages from people with tragic stories about how they’ve been scammed. Worse, the scammers got into their bank accounts and steal before anyone knows what happened.
Just recently, Esther H shared this email:
“I almost got scammed over the phone by people posing as Social Security and the Drug Enforcement Agency. I am now in the market for the best identity theft protection. Can you advise, please? – Esther H.”
It seems inevitable to get a plain envelope from some company —you’ve worked for, frequented, or purchased from—announcing another data breach. Somewhere someone screwed up, or they got hacked, and now data about you is floating around the internet, and god knows where else.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, identity theft increased from 4.87M in 2020 to 5.74M in 2021 (last year’s 2022 report will be coming out soon). The FBI reported that internet crime went from 791k reports/4.2B in losses in 2020 to 847k reports/6.9B in losses in 2021. While we await their official reports for 2022, we can see the upward and anticipated trend is apparent.
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Cybercriminals are getting more crafty at stealing more
Hackers are targeting healthcare establishments, financial firms, manufacturers, utility companies and individuals. It’s hard to avoid being in the cross-hairs of these cybercriminal attacks.
Why not protect yourself from the get-go, so you’re not reacting to these types of letters or worse financial repercussions such as random charges to your account or weird accounts being opened and closed in your name with your information?
Jump down to my top Identity Theft protection picks
Why is fraud protection vital to you?
The saying an ‘ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’ can not be more fitting than when thinking about fraud protection.
When you think about fraud, you might think about fraudulent credit card charges. However, fraud covers a whole lot more than most people realize.
Though most banks and credit card companies will issue you a refund or recoup some of the verifiable fraud charges on your account, as well as replace your credit card if it was lost or stolen, they will very rarely assist you in more complex matters listed (but not limited to) below:
- Stolen social security numbers
- Credit score fluctuations because of accounts opened or closed under your information
- Negative credit reports from major credit bureau
- Prevention of further abuse of your financials with security freezes or account locks
- Reimbursement of stolen funds
- Scanning the dark web to alert you if your information is being bought or sold
Certainly, you can hope for the best and eventually be contacted by an organization you interacted with a scary letter informing you that your private data has been leaked.
The alternative is getting a fraud protection service, which will likely alert you sooner and help you deal with the repercussions.
With a fraud protection service, you will know who to call or what to do next as soon as you get an alert or letter about suspicious activities. While it is great to simply have a service that will alert you of problematic activity, some services guide you step-by-step when a suspicious activity or cybercriminal activity impacts you.
Jump down to my top Identity Theft protection picks
What to look for in Fraud Protection services
While the inherent value of fraud protection services is understood, the number of options offered by different companies can feel both overwhelming and confusing.
Below are the top options to look for in fraud protection:
- Social Security alerts – For better or worse, so much of your life is tied to your social security number, especially governmental, medical, and financial services. However, what happens if your social security number gets leaked in a data breach? If you get alerts about where your social security number is being used, you can make sure that it is being used correctly and only by you.
- Identity alerts – See if and where your name, birth date, contact information as well as other personal information are being used.
- Credit Score Monitoring – While a credit card company might credit those charges or issue a replacement credit card, what happens if a cybercriminal opens and closes multiple lines of credit using your leaked information? You depend on high credit scores to secure optimal lending offers. It impacts whether you are even a candidate for certain purchases or investments such as apartments, homes, or vehicles. By monitoring your credit score, you can keep track of your overall financial health.
- Credit Report Monitoring Though average Americans are granted free credit reports every 12 months from the three major consumer reporting companies, culling through these reports can be cumbersome, and difficult to spot potential fraud. These fraud protection services can help you more easily access these credit reports, identify fraudulent charges, as well as go through the credit reports with a specialist.
- Identity restoration help – Many fraud protection services actively work with you to restore your identity by dispensing experts to work with credit agency, government agencies, etc.
- Dark web monitoring – The dark web is where cybercriminals sell & buy private information online. Many services monitor these sites and alert you if your information shows up.
- Family Plan options – As children have clean credit history and relatively unattached social security numbers, they can become easy targets for cybercriminals. Many services allow multiple family members in certain plans, so the whole family stays safe.
- Value – Fraud protection should not be just for the super-rich, and not every person needs the maximum level of protection. Many services now offer monthly subscriptions vs. just annual, as well as different tiers of services.
- Reimbursement of stolen funds or identity theft insurance: Some companies reimburse stolen funds, which can provide relief as fraud investigations can take 30 to 90 days.
- Transaction Monitoring – You’re able to connect all your financial accounts into one dashboard (banks, investments, 401ks). You’re also able to set alerts based on transaction amounts, so it helps catch unusual transfers of money or withdrawals.
- Security Freeze – Connects with establishments that offer free security freezes.
- Wallet Protection – If your wallet is stolen, customer service will help cancel your debit and credit cards. If you forget some, customer service will pull your credit report to see any active credit lines.
CyberGuy’s Top Choices for Fraud Protection
Top Choice: Identity Guard
Identity Guard uniquely boasts the use of Watson, IBM’s artificial intelligence, which means your data is being constantly scanned for by AI that adjusts to new threats or information consistently.
Some highlights of its services include:
- Get alerts if your identity or online accounts are compromised
- Identity theft insurance: Backed by $1 million identity theft insurance to cover losses, legal fees, and more
- Excellent customer service with a US-based restoration specialist for all plans
Pros:
- Identity Guard has many services under its plan where you only have to pay 1 subscription fee to keep your identity and finances safe. Plus, there is one-on-one customer service to help you with every step of the way to resolve identity theft.
- 3 tiers of service (Value, Total and Ultra), as well as individual and family plans
- All plans alert you of high-risk transactions, which prevents you from putting your information and self at risk (prevention)
- Monthly credit score updates (1 bureau) as well as credit monitoring (3 bureaus) for the 2 higher priced tiers
- Online dashboard and app & dark web monitoring included in all plans
- Most notable features:
- Identity theft insurance: Backed by $1 million identity theft insurance to cover losses, legal fees, and more
- Dark web monitoring:
- White Glove Fraud resolution team: This service provides a US-based White Glove case manager to help you recover your identity should it be stolen. You can work with this case manager to recover any losses associated with the identity theft you experience.
Cons:
- Previously we would have said the interface needed a redesign, but the company just made a nice update.
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How does Identity Guard work if your identity is stolen?
If your identity is stolen, here is what happens if you are a member of Identity Guard.
- You first would receive an alert that someone has opened an account in your name.
- In the Identity Guard dashboard, you will see an alert. If you don’t recognize the institution, you will be prompted to call Identity Guard’s customer service team.
- The Identity Guard team will open a case and ask them more questions.
- Based on what they learn, our team will recommend a set of actions to take (Credit Lock, Security Freeze, Fraud Alerts, etc)
- The case will stay open for a set of time, and our team will continually follow up and see if there are any more instances of fraud.
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See this video below to walk you through how to navigate the many features to protect yourself, then read below for our breakdown.
More:
Why should I consider Fraud protection?
Of course, paying regularly for fraud protection services may seem like an unnecessary expense when you’re not presently dealing with identity or credit issues. Yet, the likelihood of being a part of a data breach is high. With a subscription to a fraud protection service, you can focus on your present moment instead of worrying about what a cybercriminal is up to. If something does happen, you have people in your ‘corner’ to help you through the process. Peace of mind, after all, is priceless.
Have you guys been a victim of a data breach? Stolen identity or theft? If so, how did you deal with the repercussions? If you do use a fraud protection service, which one and why? We love hearing from you!
More ways to protect yourself
- Best Antivirus Protection
- The safest way to browse the web: VPN Browsing
- Best Private and Secure Email Providers
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