Protecting Yourself From Identity Theft

Identity theft is the number one fraud complaint in the United States, according to the Federal Trade Commission,1 and it's also America's fastest growing crime.2 Because of this growing crime trend, consumers surveyed said identity theft insurance was second only to auto insurance on their wish list of products their insurance provider should offer.3 dentity Services and Fraud Expense Coverage is available with your Farm Bureau Member's Choice property and liability coverage.4 It costs only $25 per year, and the coverage includes $25,000 of Fraud Expense Coverage, One-on-One Resolution Assistance - which provides a fraud specialist as your personal advocate to guide you through the resolution process - and a number of proactive Identity Services such as Identity Credit Monitoring and Identity Document Recovery to ensure rapid replacement of personal, legal and financial documents and notification to insurance companies, employers and financial institutions in the event of a natural disaster. Talk to your Farm Bureau agent today for more information.

Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft

There are some measures you can take to help protect yourself from becoming a victim of identity theft or fraud.

Early detection of identity fraud may help prevent greater losses, so check your credit reports with all three of the credit- monitoring services at least annually.5 Once a year, you can get a free report from all three credit bureaus at www.annualcreditreport.com.

Monitor your credit

Use secure Web sites when shopping online. A Web address that begins with "https" indicates the credit card information will be encrypted or secure. It's a good idea to designate one credit card for online purchases for easier tracking of activity.

Online security

Keep credit cards and personal documents that you don't use regularly, like your passport or birth certificate, in a safe place. Carry only the credit/debit cards you need, and don't carry your Social Security card. Taking these precautions could help protect one of your most important assets - your good name. Talk to your Farm Bureau agent today about adding identity theft protection to your insurance coverage.

Safeguard personal documents

1 "Consumer Fraud and Identity Theft Complaint Data," January -December 2005, http://www.consumer.gov/sentinel/pubs/Top10Fraud2005.pdf, visited January 29, 2008.

2 "Identity Theft is America's Fastest Growing Crime," U.S. Postal Inspection Service, http://usps.com/postaldinspectors/idthft_ncpw.htm, visited January 29, 2008.

3 "Study: Homeowners express great interest in insurance providers offering coverage for identity theft," www.namic.org/topnews/061031st1.asp, posted October 31, 2006, visited March 11, 2008.

4 Farm Bureau Member's Choice coverage and Identity Services and Fraud Expense Coverage only available in AZ, IA, KS, MN, NE, NM, SD, UT.

5 TransUnion, www.transunion.com; Equifax, www.equifax.com; and Experian, www.experian.com.

Tips brought to you by Jason Fleming, Career Agent with Farm Bureau Financial Services.

For more information on auto, home, life, college and retirement funding products and services, call Jason Fleming at 763-780-6867.

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Products offered through Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company* and Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company*/West Des Moines, IA. *Companies of Farm Bureau Financial Services