Gas prices show no sign of stopping their climb. This fact, coupled with the ever-increasing presence of personal technology infiltrating every aspect of life makes it easier to shop and pay bills online from your home or the office. Sure, the internet is convenient, but what is the cost of using it?
In some cases, the cost might be your very identity.
According to a study conducted by Javeline Strategy & Research, 8.1 million people are victims of identity theft every year. Though privacy protection has increased, the bad guys are equally as savvy -often, they are even more savvy than those developing the privacy protection strategies themselves.
Each case of identity theft ends up costing $37 billion every year. On an individual level, that amounts to approximately $631 per case, as reported by Fox Business. The toll that identity theft takes on credit can sometimes take years to correct. Of course, the emotional toll that such a crime takes on an individual is hard to measure. In some cases, financial loss is not the only risk.
As Kristen Hamill details on CNN.com, sometimes identity theft can turn violent. Frankly, it is no wonder that even more home invasions do not occur as a result of identity theft, since the information that cyber-savvy crooks get often details financial assets, employment location, and most scarily -one’s home address. Hamill’s article details the unfortunate death of two victims of identity theft who were killed by the thief.
Clearly, identity theft, is still a major issue. Pre-paid legal services can provide the constant monitoring necessary in order to protect an individual from identity theft -which can only help keep both their personal and work life productive and happy. Once a crook has stolen an identity, the hassles that ensue can takes years to clear.
Pre-paid legal services that include identity theft protection not only offer a service to constantly check for suspicious activity, but safe guard against it in the event that something does happen. You take out insurance on your car, home, and health, so why not use insurance on yourself and your credit?