IDENTITY THEFT PROTECTION FAQ

Q. What is Identity Theft?
A. According to the United States Department of Justice, the terms identity theft and identity fraud "refer to all types of crime in which someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person's personal data in some way that involves fraud or deception, typically for economic gain." If a person becomes a victim of identity theft, the recovery process can be time-consuming, stressful and expensive.

Q. What is the risk of becoming a victim of identity theft?
A. According to the Federal Trade Commission, 9.9 million Americans became victims of identity theft in 2002. As part of the Identity Theft Protection (ITP) program, members are provided with a customized Protection Test and Protection Plan which will assess their current risk level and suggest additional proactive measures they should be taking to protect their identity.

Q. What is the Identity Theft Protection program?
A. Identity Theft Protection (ITP) is an integrated identity theft education and recovery program that is designed to provide members with relevant tools and resources to protect them from identity theft.
There are three basic components to the ITP program:

• An online membership community that provides unique material, such as special reports and fraud reports that profile real-time criminals and the crimes they perpetrate, as well as a personalized protection plan.
• Automated recovery kit with 30 minutes of recovery consultation. If a member does become a victim, they will be provided with a powerful software tool to help them recover.
• Discounts on personal protection products including enhanced protection and recovery services and products.

Q. How do members use ITP?
A. To use ITP members must first log in to a secure membership website by using their group number and member number. Members will then be asked to create a personal account.

If a member feels they are a victim of identity theft a call to the ITP Recovery Specialists will provide assistance with identity recovery services.

Q. Why do members have to create a personal account?

A. To receive the full benefit of ITP it is important to create a personal account. Having a personal account allows members to create and track a personal protection plan, receive fraud updates via email and communicate with a recovery specialist online. The membership community also contains many useful tools, such as daily identity theft news stories, special reports, local fraud alerts and victim stories from other members.

Q:  Do members have to contact ITP right away if they become a victim of identity theft?

A:  No, but we strongly suggest they do. The less time the member waits to initiate the recovery process the lesser the potential damage.

Q:  What is the purpose of the protection plan? Do members need to take it?

A:  While the Protection Test is optional, we strongly recommend that members take it. It only takes a few minutes, and they will receive their customized Protection Plan while they are still online. The plan will provide members with important measures they can take to protect themselves from becoming a victim of identity theft.

Q:  Can members still become a victim of identity theft if they are member of ITP?

A:  Yes. Implementing all of the ITP protection services can reduce the risk of identity theft. However, members may do everything ITP suggests and still become a victim of identity theft. Members can rest easy that they have access to Recovery advocates to help them through this stressful process.

Q:  Can ITP be used to repair credit?

A:  ITP recovery services will assist members in repairing credit that has been damaged in association with an identity theft.

Q:  How do members request the recovery wizard tool?

A:  If a member is a victim and wishes to request the Recovery Wizard they can do so online or by placing a toll-free call to ITP. A recovery advocate will contact them within one business day to begin the recovery process.

Q:  What are the enhanced services?

A:  The enhanced services offered by Identity Safeguards give members a greater level of protection and recovery services. The enhanced services include:

• Weekly identity monitoring: members will receive notification if anything changes in their credit report, such as new credit accounts opened, delinquent accounts have been reported or if an address change has been made.
• Complete recovery service (no time limit). If a member does become a victim they will be assigned a personal Recovery Advocate, who will manage the case from beginning to end. ITP customers receive up to 30 minutes of recovery assistance.
• Up to $30,000 in reimbursement for lost wages and expenses. If for any reason a member must take time off work because of an identity theft, we’ll pay the member their normal wage. If they incur legal fees, need a lawyer, need to travel to represent themselves in court, or have any other expense associated with an identity theft event, we’ll cover up to $20,000 or $30,000—depending on program selected. 
• Includes the member’s family. With the family plan, spouses or domestic partners and children receive the full recovery and reimbursement benefits if they become victimized.
• Link with law enforcement. We will not only help file a police report, we will share the member’s case information—with their permission—with law enforcement agencies across the country. This will greatly increase the chance of apprehending and prosecuting the thief who stole their identity.

Q:  What are the benefits of enhanced services?

A:  Members will receive a much greater level of protection and recovery with the Enhanced services. Personal identity monitoring will alert them when a new account has been opened or an address change has been made, allowing them to minimize the damage identity theft can create.

Most identity thefts take between 60-100 hours to recover from. With the Enhanced service, a Recovery Advocate will handle the majority of the time-consuming tasks of recovery.

Having access to up to $20,000 or $30,000 in lost wage and expense reimbursement provides a significant financial peace of mind.

With the member’s permission, Identity Safeguards will share their case information with law enforcement agencies across the country, helping bring identity thieves to justice and resolve to the member’s case.

Q:  What is included in the recovery assistance for ITP versus enhanced services?

A:  ITP provides you with an automated recovery kit that is downloaded from the Internet, and 30-minutes of recovery time. Members of ITP who are victims to identity theft are provided with a personal Recovery Specialist to help develop a Recovery Plan, which will be implemented entirely by the victim. Members of the Enhanced services will be assigned a personal Recovery Advocate who will build a Recovery Plan and implement it on the victim’s behalf. There is no time limit and Recovery Advocates are dedicated to restoring a victim’s good name to a pre-theft state.  

Q:  How do members upgrade to enhanced services?

A:  Upgrading to the enhanced services is easy. Members simply follow a link to our secure enrollment site where they can pay with a credit card or automatic deduction from a checking account. Members have the option to pay monthly (for a minimum of 12 months) or pay the whole year up front.