Identity theft happens when personal information such as your name, social security number, or date of birth are used by thieves without your knowledge to commit fraudulent activity. Identity theft continues to be one of the fastest growing crimes in America, affecting over 15 million people per year. Due to recent data breaches, such as Equifax, Yahoo, eBay, Target, Home Depot and the Federal Government breach at OPM (Office of Personnel Management), thieves already have hundreds of millions of Americans’ records containing sensitive personal and financial information. If you become a victim of identity theft it can be very costly. In addition to financial loss, it could take you hundreds of hours to restore and recover your identity.

Identity theft starts with the misuse of your personally identifying information, such as your name and Social Security number, credit card numbers, or other financial account information. For identity thieves, this information is as good as gold. In addition to the people you know or do business with that could have access to your personal information, skilled identity thieves may use a variety of methods to get hold of your information.

• Data Breaches. Over 200 million people have had their identities compromised in a corporate data breach since 2005. There is no way to prevent this event from happening.
• Old-Fashioned Stealing. They steal wallets and purses, mail (including bank and credit card statements), pre-approved credit offers, and new checks or tax information. They steal personnel records, or bribe employees who have access to your information.
• Skimming. They steal credit/debit card numbers by using a special storage device when processing your card.
• Phishing. They pretend to be financial institutions or companies that you do business with and send spam or pop-up messages to get you to reveal your personal information.
• Changing Your Address. They divert your mail to another location by completing a change of address form.

Once identity thieves have your personal information they use it in a variety of ways, including:

• New Account Fraud – new accounts, loans and other credit-related accounts are opened in your name
• Phone or Utilities Fraud – your name could be used for someone to get electricity, gas or cable TV
• Bank Fraud – counterfeit checks, bank accounts or loans can be created in your name
• Employment Fraud – your identity and good credentials could be used for someone else to get a job
• Government Documents – someone can get a driver’s license or official ID card, obtain government benefits or file a tax return using your name
• Medical ID Fraud – thieves can obtain medical benefits using your healthcare coverage and leave you with unpaid bills or inaccurate medical records that could pose a health risk to you at a later time
• Criminal Records – someone could give out your name and social security number when getting arrested

Preventing identity theft is impossible since your personal information is on file with local, state and federal government entities, healthcare providers, financial institutions and businesses that you interact with. Also, despite claims to the contrary, no company can prevent all identity theft. But, with ReliaShield’s sophisticated monitoring and alerts, you may be able to prevent becoming a victim, or stop identity theft shortly after it begins to minimize the severity of the damage. Additionally, if you do become a victim, ReliaShield’s team of recovery specialists will take over all of the work to restore your identity. Lastly, you’ll have peace of mind with ReliaShield’s $1 million stolen funds and reimbursement coverage.

Fraud alerts and credit freezes can make it more difficult for thieves to open more accounts in your name, but they generally focus only on credit-related financial fraud which represents less than half of all occurrences of identity theft. Thieves are using your personal information to gain access to your bank and investment accounts, gain employment, receive medical benefits, file fake tax returns and even commit crimes in your name. None of these events will ever appear on a credit report. Also, fraud alerts and credit freezes alone provides no assistance, restoration, or reimbursement when a theft event does occur.

Many insurance companies offer an endorsement or rider to their standard policy that allows identity theft protection to be added in a very limited way. These policies typically focus strictly on reimbursing the expenses you incur and do not address the true risk of ID theft. Some plans will provide limited recovery assistance consisting of an information packet that includes phone numbers to the credit bureaus, IRS, Social Security Administration, etc. In the end, you will likely need to take on all the responsibility and frustration of restoring your identity, and dealing with all of the legal, financial and other personal challenges.

We believe ReliaShield is the smart and affordable solution to identity theft protection for several reasons:

• First, ReliaShield offers 3 choices of sophisticated protection to meet everyone’s needs.
• Second, our plans cost considerably less than most of our competitors’ comparable plans.
• Third, we cover children for free when you subscribe to our family plan. In comparison, our main competitor charges $5.99 per covered child.
• Fourth, we have a 100% recovery success rate. Every one of our customers who has been a victim of ID theft has had their identity and credit history fully restored. 
• Last, but not least, we provide our customers with excellent customer service. Our company, including our customer service team, is all US-based. Additionally, we are unique in that we are an employee-owned company, and we take pride in how we care for our customers. When you are speaking to one of our employees, you are also speaking to an owner of the business!

Once you enroll in a ReliaShield identity theft protection plan, you will have access to reports associated with your plan; you will receive notifications and alerts when we detect changes to your personal information; you will be notified of major data breaches; you will receive reminders to obtain your free credit reports; you will be fully supported by our identity theft recovery team if you do become a victim; you will have $1 million in stolen funds and personal expense reimbursement coverage.

While we provide a comprehensive approach to identity theft protection for our members, no ID theft protection service can prevent all instances of identity theft. Data breaches and the internet make information more accessible than ever, which is why it is so important to have a plan from ReliaShield that (i) monitors your personal information and alerts you to changes, (ii) offers fully managed recovery services, and (iii) provides a $1 million stolen funds and reimbursement benefit.