Protecting Your Identity
Presenting Your Rights to Monitor Your Own Identity Risks for Free
                AUDIO ASSISTANCE ---->

Congratulations For Taking Charge Of
Protecting Your Identity
 


Note: All links and phone numbers mentioned in this video are provided below and on Steps to Monitoring Your ID plus More Monitoring Links tabs on this website for your convenience.

If you did not register for our free self-monitoring support service and receive our most current e-Report on Identity Theft Awareness and Protection please do so now here:

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Please Note: You will need to confirm your request: When we verify your email address to receive our latest e-Report and to start our free self-monitoring support service.

To confirm: log into your email account; look for an email from Nancy Dewitz & Bob Listerman and click the confirmation link from the "BTR-Security Team" inside that email. You will find the link under the "CONFIRM BY VISITING THE LINK BELOW:" section of the email.


Monitoring the reports produced by data aggregators is the best way to detect if somebody is using your identity. Most people have heard of the three largest credit bureau aggregators (Experian, Trans Union, and Equifax) but they have not heard of aggregators that track and report other "activities" which indicate your "worthiness" for a user of the report to do business with you.  They focus on other transactions including: medical treatment, check writing, rental history, criminal history, professional credentials, insurance claims, and much more.

The Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act (FACTA) gives the consumer rights to receive annual disclosure from many data bases that collect and report information about you. There are good strategies to follow, on a regular basis, to discover any inaccurate or fraudulent information reported on many various databases.   

Most people have heard that they can receive a copy of their credit report from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, but they do not know how or just fail to do it on a regular basis.  Don't get duped into "free credit report" services that actually have chargeable products and services unless you absolutely want the added features offered.  There is only one official source for the three credit bureaus and it is provided below under the "FACTA Free Annual Credit File Disclosures" title.

Helpful Hint: What most people do not know is that since they are only allowed one report from each agency per 12 months, that to effectively monitor their overall credit report all year long, they should order their reports in a staggered 4 month interval.  Since most of the same information is on each report, by ordering your Experian file in January, Equifax in April, and then Trans Union in August, you are getting your history more frequently.  If you order all three in January, you have to wait until next January to order again! 

Additional Helpful Hint: Marriage has its advantages because you should consider rotating your spouse's free reports too by staggering them two months from your own, effectively giving you and your spouse a free credit report every two months; still at no charge.
FACTA Free Annual Credit File Disclosures

To obtain their FACTA-mandated free annual credit file disclosure from one or all national credit reporting agencies, consumers can visit the official website: www.annualcreditreport.com. This is the only official website to request the FACTA-mandated free annual credit file disclosure.

Consumers may also request their free report by calling toll free: 1-877-322-8228.

To mail their request, consumers can obtain the Annual Credit Report Request Form from the FTC website at www.ftc.gov/credit and mail the completed form to:

Annual Credit Report Request Service
P.O. Box 105281
Atlanta, Georgia 30348-5281

Regardless of which method is used to request their report, the consumer will be required to verify their identity by providing personal information including, but not limited to: their full name, date of birth, and Social Security number
Non-Credit Free Reports
Information from non-credit data bases can also help you detect somebody impersonating you as a renter, medical patient, check writer, or many other "transactional" activities a thief may perform under your name.  FACTA allows you to have the same free reporting from these  other data bases services including your Medical Information Bureau.  For a listing of some other major databases and the contact information to request your free report see the menu: "More Monitoring Links".


There are numerous specialty consumer reporting companies and their specialty consumer reports are also covered under the provisions of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act (FACTA) and the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).  Because of this, in addition to a consumer’s right to request an annual free copy of their credit report they are also entitled to a free annual specialty consumer report. Consumers also have the right to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information that appears in these reports. The process is similar to disputing information that appears in a consumer credit report, though actual procedures for filing a dispute may vary somewhat between companies. Consumers who are victims of fraud or identity theft may also be entitled to file a fraud alert and/or a Consumer Statement with many of these specialty consumer reporting companies.
About Identity Theft Insurance

Although identity theft insurance won't prevent identity thieves, it can, in certain circumstances, minimize losses if an identity theft occurs. As with any product or service, be sure you understand what you would be getting. Things to consider include: (1) the amount of coverage the policy provides; (2) whether it covers any lost wages (and, if so, whether there's caps on the wages you can claim, or a separate deductible); (3) the amount of the deductible; (4) what might be excluded (for example, if the thief is a family member or if the thief made electronic withdrawals and transfers); (5) whether the policy provides a personal counselor to help you resolve the problems of identity theft; and (6) whether your existing home owner's policy already contains some coverage. Be aware that one of the major "costs" of identity theft is the time you will spend to clear your name. Also be aware that many companies and law enforcement officers will only deal with you (as opposed to an insurance company representative). So, even if your policy provides you with a personal counselor, that counselor can often only guide you, as opposed to doing the work to clear your name. And, as you evaluate insurance products and services, you may also consider checking out the insurer with your local Better Business Bureau, consumer protection agency and state Attorney General. 

Why Buy An ID Protection, Detection and/or Restoration Service?

That's a great question in our humble opinion.  The easy answer is you do not have to any more than I have to pay somebody else to change my car's oil.  If I had the time, skills, convenient place to service or hoist the car, a way to dispose of the oil, etc. I would.  But I don't, so I spend about $75 (that synthetic oil is expensive) every 2-3 months.

The same is true about ID theft services.  Of course you can monitor your  own  identity.  We try to show you how, right on this website, FREE of charge!

But, what if your Identity is mis-used or somebody uses your identity as their own to obtain credit, money or goods from your accounts, medical treatment, commit crimes, and on and on.  An extreme case of identity theft is costly and very time consuming. You actual start out guilty and have to prove your innocents.  Unfortunately, due to the amount of data breaches you should evaluate the competent services available to help.  (Over 200 million identity breaches are listed in the Breach Reports available on the left margin of this website page.)

You need to judge your risks, based on your life style and determine how much of that risk you are willing to assume or "self-insure" for yourself. We will help you evaluate your risks free of charge.

This website tries to help you obtain the most basic step to protecting your identity - YOU MUST MONITOR IT! 

Be sure and continue the monitoring process by going to our menu page "Steps to Protecting Your ID"

We provide all the links we can, as we find them, to help you.  We are also available for FREE phone consultation to help you with any of your identity theft concerns. Just give the person who referred you to this website a call.  Our names and phone numbers are listed under "About US", "Contact Us", and "Purchased Services" tabs.

Note: Portions of this page content excerpted from the Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist (CITRMS) Reference Manual or Course.  Used with permission from the author and the Institute of Fraud Management.

We will review your Identity Theft Risk Management options on a no-obligation and no-fee basis.  Call 610-444-5295 to arrange this free consultation.
For Assistance Call 610-444-5295