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ID TheftSmart:
The Smart Choice for Safeguarding Your Identity
Learn about identity theft and how to prevent it through the ID TheftSmart program in this blog by Iowa Trust and Savings Bank. 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. 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 become victims of identity fraud without realizing it if they are not aware of the signs.
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?
How does ID TheftSmart protect your identity?
In a market overflowing with solutions that focus on credit monitoring, ID TheftSmart 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. Through access to databases that are 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 that include credit monitoring, ID Integrity Scan, and ID Theft Restoration. Credit Monitoring If you have open lines of credit, you should order a credit report from at least one of the three major credit reporting bureaus – Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion – once a year to ensure all of your personal information is accurate. As a member of ID TheftSmart, investigators will do the work of credit monitoring for you by providing daily reports on your credit activity through a secure online portal. Members also have access to ID TheftSmart credit specialists who will act on a member’s behalf when action needs to be taken with any of the three major credit bureaus. This will give you peace of mind that a trustworthy source is actively working to protect you from identity fraud. ID Integrity Scan Within minutes of creating an ID TheftSmart account, investigators begin your identity theft protection by scanning the dark web for your personal and financial information through the ID Integrity Scan service. If they encounter suspicious activity, they will notify you and resolve the issue to stop identity theft before it has a chance to ruin your good name. ID Integrity Scan also monitors your address history with the United States Postal Service and your Social Security number to ensure your personal information has not been stolen. ID Theft Restoration
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