Page 7 - AAA Shelby County – AAA Now! – March/April 2019

FINANCIAL SERVICES
IDENTITY THEFT:
What is It and What Can You Do About It?
Identity theft occurs when someone’s personal information is fraudulently obtained and used for financial gain – often years after the original theft. Not only does identity theft invade your privacy, it robs you of your most valuable asset: peace of mind. With an overwhelming amount of information available on this growing crime, it can be tough to get a handle on how identity theft affects you, and more importantly, what you can do to keep your personal information safe.
IDENTITY THEFT PROTECTION
Don’t wait for thieves to steal your personal information. Take control with ProtectMyID® from AAA.
Enroll at AAA.com/IDTheft or call 877-440-6943
Introducing two new ways to take control of your identity.
ProtectMyID Deluxe $10.95/mo
The protection you’ve grown to trust, now with more features, including Dark Web Surveillance.
ProtectMyID Platinum $15.95/mo
Get the best value and most features with our highest level of identity protection.
As always, ProtectMyID Essential is free for AAA members.
ProtectMyID® Essential, ProtectMyID® Deluxe and ProtectMyID® Platinum are provided by Experian®. To be eligible to enroll in either ProtectMyID Essential, ProtectMyID Deluxe or ProtectMyID Platinum, you must be 18 years of age or older and a current AAA member. A valid email address and access to the internet is required for ProtectMyID Essential. Products subject to change or termination at any time without notice. Certain terms, conditions, and restrictions apply.
While the most common form of identity theft – 85 percent – involves the illegal acquisition of credit cards and account information, there are many methods thieves use to steal your private information to commit fraud, including1:
• Data Breaches: A data breach occurs when secure data is wrongly released to or accessed by unauthorized individuals. Thieves can sometimes wait years after a data breach to sell or misuse stolen information.
• The Dark Web: The dark web is an illegal online marketplace where visitors mask their identities to buy and sell someone’s personal information, including passport numbers, Social Security numbers, and more.
• Phishing: Phishing scams attempt to retrieve personal and/or financial information, including computer passwords and credit card details, to defraud or steal someone’s identity. “Phishers” try to convince you to share data, and if successful, use it to defraud you.
• Snail Mail Fraud: Despite digital delivery systems such as electronic bill pay, identity thieves still use mailboxes to steal personal information, including tax information, Social Security and health insurance data.
While there’s no way to stop identity theft from happening entirely, there are steps you can take to help prevent it. To get started:
1. Check your credit reports: Check your report from all major bureaus – Experian®, Equifax® and TransUnion® – for fraudulent activity.
2. Monitoryourbankaccounts:Checkfor suspicious activity and report any to your financial institution immediately.
3. Secure your accounts: Create strong passwords. Even better, make them pass phrases and create a unique login for each of your online accounts.
4. Prioritize privacy on social media: Set your privacy settings on the highest level and don’t share personal information such as birthdate, address or mother’s maiden name.
5. Enroll in ProtectMyID® from AAA:
With multiple layers of identity protection available, proactive alerts and robust features, choose the level of coverage that works best for your life.
Visit AAA.com/IDTheft to learn more or to enroll.
1"Bureau of Justice Statistics. (2015). Victims of Identity Theft, 2014 (NCJ 248991)". Bureau of Justice Statistics.
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