Identity theft has evolved over the years.  As devices became smarter, access to everything from personal documents to personal data became increasingly available. With that freedom opened opportunities for hackers to strike.

It also changed the very definition of the personal data you need to protect.

We’ve answered three common ID-theft questions to demystify the changes.

1. What is identity theft?

Identity theft is the unauthorized access to your personal data for fraudulent use. An identity thief might pretend to be someone else to gain access to bank, credit, medical or benefit data. They use this data and the access that comes with it for their own gain or profit.

Not only is identity theft a threat to the data immediately accessed, it also can lead to the access of additional accounts, credit or utility activation. Unchecked use of these fraudulently opened services can result not only in credit hits, but also debt collection action that the rightful owner of such data isn’t immediately aware of.

Identity thieves can also get a job or commit a crime under someone else’s name. Ultimately, the rightful owner of that name is the first to pay the price. It’s not easy – or cheap – to correct many cases of fraudulent identity use.

2. Do I need identity theft service?

Once a luxury, ID-theft protection has become essential. Cases of unauthorized use of credit cards are relatively easy to remedy with credit repair, as many credit card companies offer this service as part of a cardholder’s account services.  Further, a credit card breach usually shows up on the cardholder’s next account statement, and the victim can appeal charges they didn’t authorize.

However, it becomes trickier, for example, when a social security number is involved. This is especially true when the number is stolen or bought from the dark web and the victim is a child; years can elapse without any suspicion of fraudulent activity.

Modern ID-theft services cover monitoring of your social security number. IDSeal, for instance, offers both credit and social security monitoring as part of its ID-theft plans.

3. How many people are affected by identity theft?

Nearly 60 million Americans have been affected by identity theft!

One consumer could have multiple email and bank accounts, some they’ve forgotten over time.  That’s why IDSeal plans offer protection for as many as 10 email addresses, and monitoring service extends not only to social security and credit monitoring, but also to social media accounts and medical ID data. And your protection starts from the word GO.

Protect your family from the increasingly complex world of hackers with a plan from IDSeal today! Check out our PLANS to get started!

It is not possible to prevent all identity theft or cybercrime, or to effectively monitor all activity on the Internet. IDSeal, as with other providers, cannot guarantee complete protection against cybercrime or identity theft.