You are reading this online right now. You might check your email in a few minutes. Oh, and do not forget about adding money to your child’s college credit card. And somewhere, in between checking out funny videos on Youtube and posting in your favorite hobby forum, you will buy an expensive gift with your debit card and have it shipped directly to the recipient. You lead your life in a virtual, online world, but are you safe there? You lock your car and your house -are you locking your online activity to keep the virtual criminals at bay? Pre-paid legal services can help keep an eye on your online activity to ensure you are not being hacked.
By now you are thinking, “I don’t need extra online security. I have passwords and secure servers for that!” Think again. According to John Pozadzides in this article on computer passwords, 20% of internet users use the same passwords from a list of 10. That means that hackers can immediately access passwords for various accounts for 20% of online users.
The remaining 80%? Pozadzides writes, “One of the simplest ways to gain access to your information is through the use of a brute-force attack. This is accomplished when a hacker uses a specially written piece of software to attempt to log into a site using your credentials.” Chances are, you use one or two password for all your online accounts. Once a hacker implements their system, they can quickly gain access to your bank accounts and other personal information. Revisit our previous blog post on identity theft for a personal story on the effect of a hacker. Pre-paid legal services through Countrywide can protect individuals from a nightmare at the hands of a hacker.
Countrywide offers identity theft prevention and assistance to help take a proactive approach to online identity theft. After all, it is not a matter of will it happen, but rather, when? Countrywide offers a Personal Legal Protector Plan that offers individuals professional legal advice regarding contracts, documents, simple wills, advice on small claims, advice on government programs, unlimited legal letters, telephone calls on your behalf, and even face-to-face consultations. Included in this plan? Completely necessary identity theft assistance.
Countrywide offers 24/7 credit monitoring and $25,000 in identity theft insurance, and of course, more legal consultation if necessary when a hacker finally finds -and attacks- you.