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Identity theft has been experienced by 33% of U.S. adults. In 2020 alone there were nearly 1.4 million reports of identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission and more than 2.1 million fraud reports from consumers. No one wants to go through the rigamarole of dealing with getting fraud cleared from their name and accounts. By following our tips you’ll be able to better protect your assets and prevent any fraud happening in the first place.
Only enter financial and sensitive information on secure websites.
This means confirming the web address changes to “https” on any page you have to enter valuable information. HTTPS protects customer information by providing extra security and encryption to the forms.
Set up alerts from your bank and other financial institutions.
Most banks will allow you to sign up for email or text alerts for activity on your account. You can also set up free fraud alerts from the three major credit bureaus: Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax.
Regularly review credit card and bank statements.
If you review these documents on a regular basis, you’ll be able to better stay on top of what if being spent and catch any fraudulent behavior as it
occurs. Should anything appear incorrect, contact your financial institution immediately.
Create different passwords for each account.
Using a unique password for each account will help your other accounts from being at risk. When given the opportunity, always add an authentication step to even further protect access to your account.
Collect your mail daily.
Stolen mail is one of the easiest paths to identity theft. By signing up for Informed Delivery through the USPS you’ll be sent a preview of your mail before it arrives and be able to tell if anything is missing when you collect from your mailbox. If going out of town, make sure to have your mail held by the post office until you’re back.
Shred documents containing personal information before disposing them.
Destroying documents with your personal information reduces the likelihood of becoming a victim of identity theft. Anything containing sensitive information such as an account number, billing statement, or credit card number should be shredded before being disposed of.
Be alert of phishing and scams.
Scammers often use email and text messages to try and trick you into giving personal information. If you get a message from a number you don’t know, delete it right away without replying. Emails are harder to discern, but most times you can tell from the email address the message was sent from. Never click attachments or links in an email unless you can verify who sent it.
Add Identity Theft Coverage to Your Homeowners Policy
While using the tips above you’ll be able to help prevent fraud and identity theft happening. But unfortunately, some things fall through the cracks so it’s important to be prepared for the worst. Florida Peninsula is here to help and for a minimal cost, we offer our policyholders protection against identity theft. In the event you
should fall victim to identity theft/fraud, the coverage pays for expenses incurred as a result of any single identity theft or fraud discovered or learned of during the policy period up to a limit of $25,000. To learn more about our identity theft coverage, or to add it to your policy, contact your agent.
Keeping your family and home safe and protected is Florida Peninsula Insurance Company’s top priority. We are one of Florida's largest homeowners insurance companies offering multi-peril policies covering homes, condos, and renters insurance. For more information, or to get a quote, please call 877-229-2244.
