Identity theft is one of the hardest-hitting crimes that consumers face, largely because it’s easy to pull off. Think identity theft mostly happens to older people? Or to higher income earners? Or college students? The truth is that identity thieves focus their efforts wherever the opportunities are, and there are plenty of opportunities.
Rural Mutual Insurance understands that prevention is the key to keeping your identity and data safe and has partnered with CyberScout to provide identity protection services.
Because education is the path to identity theft prevention, take the time to follow these six tips to protect yourself from cyber risk:
- Create “strong” passwords for debit cards, credit cards, online retailers and personal email accounts. The passwords should have numbers, upper- and lower-case letters, and symbols. For example, “3Dogz$$!” is better than “1006.”
- Use different passwords for work and personal email accounts, bank accounts and online retailers. If a hacker cracks one password, he won’t have access to others.
- Never use for a password the last four digits of your Social Security number, your maiden name, date of birth, middle name, child’s name, pet’s name or anything else easily discovered or guessed.
- Discourage your bank from using the last four digits of your SSN as a default PIN. If they do, change it.
- Change your passwords regularly.
- Memorize all passwords or store them in a secure location. Don’t record them on anything you carry with you—including your cell phone.
Call Rural Mutual and talk to your agent about our comprehensive identity protection services – don’t wait until you are a victim. Rural Mutual has partnered with CyberScout to offer up to $15,000 in expenses for a loss arising out of identity fraud. This endorsement is available through Rural Mutual homeowners insurance, the limit applies as the direct result of any one identity fraud first discovered or realized during the policy period. The endorsement carries a $500 per loss deductible.
Protect your identity, visit our cyber security knowledge center or call your Rural Mutual agent today.
