Articles Posted in Identity Theft

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The Marriott had some bad news and some good news for the buying public. The bad news was cyber thieves hacked the Marriott’s computer system and stole the passport information of 5 million people. The good news was it could have been worse with millions more victims.

Cyber theft is a major crime industry which is becoming increasingly more sophisticated. Banking, retail, and the hospitality industries are all at risk of security wall breaches. Hackers do not always use the information to set up dummy accounts. Instead, these felons sell batches to other criminal groups who will create accounts. A smart idea for group legal plans is to offer an identity theft benefit. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services has such a benefit.

Panic Creates Delays

The felons work fast because they have the element of surprise. A victim doesn’t know until statements arrive. The large credit card balances or empty bank accounts create panic. The victim might delay a day or two before responding and that gives the thief more time to exploit an opportunity. Moreover, the response may be inefficient. The victim does not quite know what to do and makes mistakes due to ignorance. Continue reading

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Cybersecurity is big business. Companies are worried about hackers and build thicker walls against those thieves. Ordinary consumers might feel safe, but their individual information can be stolen. It may be a telephone solicitation or phishing email; there are ways to take personal data. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services wants to help people protect their bank accounts and credit cards

We Sound the Alarm

Alerts are the customary means of personal protection. Sudden drops in credit scores are clues someone else is using your credit card data. The Countrywide credit monitoring uses three credit agencies to monitor activity. Sudden changes in credit scores are released to a plan member. The process of reporting damage can begin immediately.

Recovering from a cyber-attack is not easy. A great deal of paperwork is required right away. Usually more than one bank or credit card company must be notified of the theft. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services offers a variety of assistance in our group legal plan benefit. We do the same with ID protection. Continue reading

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Data breaches are becoming analogous with armed robbery in our society. Hackers can scale security walls of major retail companies. Best Buy is only the latest retail chain to have its data security compromised. Kmart, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Panera Bread have all experienced data theft.

The greatest danger is the volume. Thousands of people are getting their personal financial information compromised. Hackers have become more sophisticated in an industry which is now worldwide. They do more than just set up bogus credit card accounts; they sell batches of data to other criminal organizations. They, in turn, maximize the losses. It is becoming easy for felons to invade credit card and bank accounts.

Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services offers group legal plan benefits to organizations, but we do more than that. We also provide identity theft and credit monitoring plans that employers should consider. The financial wellness and safety of their employees may depend upon it. Continue reading

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Countrywide will Protect You from Hackers 

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Consumers enjoy the convenience of ATM machines but there is a danger involved. If you are standing in line, be concerned about the person standing behind you. It is possible, while you are putting your code into the ATM, that person is making a mental note of your information. It is a risk that is becoming more common in our modern society. Hackers are willing to hit the jackpot with your money.

The worst case would be if a hacker got your information from the ATM and used the same machine to empty your bank accounts You might not know about the theft until weeks later when the bank statements arrive. The same is true if credit cards are pilfered from your wallet. Group legal plan vendors do not always include identity theft protection. Countrywide Pre- Paid Legal Services does have the option which can protect your information Continue reading

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The Holiday Season is Full of Thievesindex

 

Holiday shopping brings out the best and the worst in people. In this season of giving there’s also some underhanded taking going on. It can be someone standing behind you in line at the point-of-sale. That person is looking over your shoulder and memorizing your credit card number or your debit card number. It doesn’t take much more for that person to hack into your accounts and start doing a little illegal shopping. Group legal plans often provide a base program and nothing else. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal services is different. We do offer group legal plan benefits, but we also have a means to protect your identity.

Time Helps the Thief

Christmas bills do not show up on credit cards until January. It gives an identity thief plenty of time to make some mischief. This individual can easily max out your credit card with purchases, selling the stuff on eBay or from a car trunk. You don’t know the damage until weeks later. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services offer protection using email alerts. These Internet sent warnings tell an individual that there’s been some unusual activity on the credit card, allowing the owner to take corrective action immediately. These alerts come from the three top credit reporting bureaus and are highly reliable. Continue reading

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Credit Monitoring Will Sound Alarms

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We all have good reason to worry about hacking. It is the most common form of cyber theft and is an industry by itself. Hackers are very sophisticated in the work that they do and pose a very serious threat to financial wellness. It takes more than a standard group legal plan to confront these criminals.

Hackers Are Getting Better

Hackers have become increasingly more ingenious and bold. This year has already seen both Chipotle, and Verizon hacked by outside parties. These Internet thieves are not creating individual credit card accounts with the information. Instead, they are selling bundles of stolen data to others who will then use the information for their own purposes. It can be very frightening. Continue reading

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Constant Vigilance is Needed to Stop Identity Theft

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Identity theft is a sneaky business. We often think that if we have secure passwords and high protective walls around our information, we will be safe. It isn’t always true. A person may be in a busy downtown area using an ATM. That same person is an unsuspecting victim of the person standing right behind. This individual happens to be a thief who is looking over the shoulder of the person using the ATM, copying down their password. The same thing may happen at a point-of-sale location in a very busy store. Somebody is watching you, and they want your information.

They will get it and then use it. It will not be for opening a bogus credit card account. Cyber thieves know where the money is and it is in selling the passwords to someone else. That third-party is the one who is going to invade your credit account or your bank account. You will not know the damage until you receive your bill at the end of the month. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services is aware of identity theft. We have worked with companies developing group legal plans for years, and we heard horror stories about identity theft. It is why we offer services to help prevent a financial disaster. Continue reading

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Personal emails are not as secure as you might think. The same goes for personal information, including bank accounts and credit cards. The hacking stories you read in the newspaper do not just affect politicians. They can affect even an ordinary citizen, and the danger is quite real. Besides having a group legal plan, employers ought to consider the possibility of having protection against identity theft offered to staff.

Identity Theft is a Serious Situation

Identity theft can strike from anywhere. It doesn’t necessarily have to be on the Internet. Anyone can look over your shoulder while using your credit card, or making a withdrawal from a debit machine. Once the thief has information, that person utilizes the data for all kinds of mischief. Continue reading

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Countrywide Provides Cyber Help

Everyone has good reason to be concerned about identification security. Hacking occurs on a routine basis, and financial information is compromised. Thieves are more sophisticated, and their use of the information is more than just setting up bogus accounts. Cyber thieves will sell blocks of information to other parties, and it allows for even greater abuse of information. More than a basic group legal plan is needed to protect people from this activity.

The Extent of the Damage

The personal information which can be hacked and stolen is extensive. It includes the following:

  • Income and employee ID numbers;
  • Social Security number;
  • Credit card numbers as well as debit card and bank account numbers;
  • Personal information is taken such as address and phone numbers.

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Identity Theft Word Cloud Concept with great terms such as privacy, bank, account, numbers, credit cards and more.

ID Hackers Are a Problem

Christmas shopping is now getting into full swing. You don’t want to head out to the shopping mall and fight the crowds, so you decide to use a retail website instead. You’ve always been told these are very secure and you have no problem sharing your credit card information on the site. You also aren’t concerned with warranty problems because you have a good legal plan. However, you still have something to worry about.

You Need Protection from Hackers

It is sad but true that hackers have become better at breaking through security walls. You only need to look at the newspaper to read about large retail companies having their security breached. Your financial information may be at risk, and you will not even know about it until weeks later. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services is sensitive to the significant instances of cyber-crime in our society. We have ID theft and credit monitoring benefits. Continue reading