Page 4 - AAA Shelby County – AAA Now! – Winter 2017

MeMber services
How to Camouflage Yourself from Identity Thieves
ProtectMyID® through AAA delivers the peace of mind you deserve
Identity thieves won’t warn you before they strike. And even if you’ve never had a problem, you’re still at risk.
Identity thieves move quickly. But with ProtectMyID’s help, you’ll be able to react quickly as well, and get a hold of the problem.
A little bit of foresight can save quite a bit of time and heartache. As a AAA member you can get ProtectMyID Deluxe for just $8.95 a month. Sign up today and be prepared for tomorrow.
$8.95
per month
ProtectMyID Essential and ProtectMyID Deluxe are provided by Consumerinfo.com, Inc., an Experian company. To be eligible to enroll in ProtectMyID Essential or ProtectMyID Deluxe you must be 18 years of age or older and a current valid AAA Member. Products subject to change or termination at any time without notice. Certain terms conditions and restrictions apply. Valid AAA membership required at time of enrollment.
“We never had an issue with identity theft... [until] I woke up one morning and was shocked at what I found. ProtectMyID jumped on the case, placing fraud alerts [and] assisting me... to clear up the situation. It sure is a great benefit!”
T.C., Tulsa, OK AAA Member
Visit AAA.com/IDTheft or call 877-440-6943
Identity theft is a real threat to all
of us. Cleaning up from the mess it creates is time-consuming, tedious
and often costly. Wouldn’t it be better just to avoid the problem altogether? Luckily, there are steps you can take to camouflage yourself and deter identity thieves from detecting you:
• When asked for your personal information, ask questions in return. Occasionally, transactions require our personal information. Your doctor, for example, may have a legitimate need for your Social Security number. Sometimes, though, the need isn’t as clear. If you’re asked for your information, you always have the right to ask how it will be
used, stored and protected. If you’re not comfortable with the answers, you can always decline and later provide once you’ve confirmed what information is necessary.
• Don’t share your PINS and passwords. Your Personal Identification Numbers (PINS) and passwords unlock your financial and private records. It’s best
to keep them to yourself – even from loved ones, if possible. Not only should you avoid sharing them, you should also avoid writing them down and leaving them unsecured. Treat them as keys to your personal safe!
• Protect your computer, smartphone and tablet. Keeping tabs on the physical location of your devices is a big part of staying secure. Case in point: a thief who steals your laptop, for example, can take his time trying to break into it. Keep your devices in sight or in secure locations when they aren’t with you.
• Don’t get caught by a “phishing” scheme. “Phishing” is the universal name for email-based scams that hinge either on promises of big rewards
or threats of legal action. Inevitably,
the way to claim the bogus reward being offered or to avoid phony legal ramifications involves relinquishing personal information, account information or more. Don’t fall for it! The legal system does not use email
as a primary means of contact, and unexpected rewards or gifts from strangers that sound too good to be true, usually are.
• Shred sensitive documents and protect your “snail mail.” In an era
of sophisticated online data breaches, rooting through garbage and stealing mail remains a surprisingly effective, low-tech tactic. You can frustrate the dumpster-divers by shredding your paper documents, and you can deter mail thieves by investing in a lockable mailbox.
• Install security software on your computer. Having a computer without security software installed is risky. While your Internet service provider and email providers may offer some
protection, there are many more threats out there that they can’t handle. Invest in security software and update the program regularly.
• Have strong, unique passwords for your online accounts. Maintaining
a different password for each of your accounts – and making sure they’re
all as resilient as possible – is an extremely effective means of preventing identity theft. Doing so can also limit
the potential damage if you’re ever a victim. If the thought of updating all of your passwords seems overwhelming, consider the effort it would take to recover from a security breach.
• Secure your wireless network. Unsecured wireless networks are dangerous. Would-be identity thieves can access your network and use software that monitors all the activity on it, including your login information and passwords. Or they might just use your network to download prohibited content, like child pornography, without your knowledge. To avoid theft or an unwelcome visit from the FBI, set up a password on your home wireless network.
Of course, even when you take every precaution, identity theft can still happen. That’s why it’s important to sign up for an identity monitoring service like ProtectMylD. As a AAA member, ProtectMylD Essential is available to you for free. The more comprehensive ProtectMylD Deluxe is available at a special discount. The Deluxe product offers a robust set
of features that can alert you if your identity is compromised – likely much sooner than you’d find out on your own. Can you afford not to have it? Learn more at AAA.com/idtheft.
4
winter 2017