I'm sure by now you're more than aware of the crime called Identity Theft. You see it in commercials all the time and it seems to be in the news several times a week.

      It's not something new, it has actually been going on to some degree or other since the beginning of time.  But in the last 10 years or so, it has become a bit easier to do.

	The short answer is that identity theft is a crime. Identity theft and identity fraud are terms used to 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... ...Unlike your fingerprints, which are unique to you and cannot be given to someone else for their use, your personal data ­ especially your Social Security number, your bank account or credit card number, your telephone calling card number, and other valuable identifying data ­ can be used, if they fall into the wrong hands, to personally profit at your expense. In the United States and Canada, for example, many people have reported that unauthorized persons have taken funds out of their bank or financial accounts, or, in the worst cases, taken over their identities altogether, running up vast debts and committing crimes while using the victims's names. In many cases, a victim's losses may include not only out-of-pocket financial losses, but substantial additional financial costs associated with trying to restore his reputation in the community and correcting erroneous information for which the criminal is responsible.       In one notorious case of identity theft, the criminal, a convicted felon, not only incurred more than $100,000 of credit card debt, obtained a federal home loan, and bought homes, motorcycles, and handguns in the victim's name, but called his victim to taunt him -- saying that he could continue to pose as the victim for as long as he wanted because identity theft was not a federal crime at that time -- before filing for bankruptcy, also in the victim's name. While the victim and his wife spent more than four years and more than $15,000 of their own money to restore their credit and reputation, the criminal served a brief sentence for making a false statement to procure a firearm, but made no restitution to his victim for any of the harm he had caused. This case, and others like it, prompted Congress in 1998 to create a new federal offense of identity theft.

      There are many reasons why it is easier to have your identity stolen, the internet and digital age have a lot to do with it.  It is the 21st Century after all.  But the question is what are you doing about it and how dilligent are you about protecting yourself?  Like you, I often have felt that it's not really my responsbility, shouldn't the companies that want information about me be responsible for protecting my information?  Yes, they should, but nothing is 100% guaranteed and no matter how hard a company tries, there are times when your data can fall into the wrong hands. 

      When you throw something away that has personal identifying information on it, like your name, address, telephone number or even more personal information like your social security number or your birthday, do you shred it with a cross-type shedder before you recycle it?  Not the kind that puts it into little strips, but the one that makes it into mulch.  Or do you completely destroy it in some other way?  If not, your identity could be at risk.  If you think about all the things you do every day or every week, you should realize how easy it is to have your identity stolen.

      What about the law, isn't it there to protect me?  It is there to protect you, but ultimately the government, like your parents, can't be there every minute of every day to make sure with 100% certainty that you are protected. 

       Personally I don't feel I have that much to lose, so really what's the big deal?   But the truth is, it is a big deal!   Your identity is everything it is who you are....

      One of my best friends, who felt as though he didn't really have anything someone could take, found this out the hard way. Although he was one of the lucky ones. My friend, didn't have great credit, but it wasn't horrible either, he wasn't making a lot of money and had been through a recent divorce. Those of you that have been through a divorce know how it can create havoc on your credit.  But then my friend met someone and fell in love and decided to start working on getting his credit back in order.   That was when he found out that an illegal immigrant in southern California had been using his social security number for at least a year or two and maybe even longer, in order to hold down a job.

      Imagine his suprise when his social security number was matched to a name that wasn't his.  Fortunately his fiance knew that he didn't have some secret life.  And more importantly this person who had stolen my friends identity, had only borrowed his social security number for employment purposes and nothing else.  That was over 3 years ago and it still isn't completely cleared up. 

      The unfortunate reality in our world today is that our identies are linked to our credit profiles and our credit profiles can determine where we live, where we work and of course what we can afford to buy.  Think about it, if you want to buy a home or a car or even a really nice entertainment system you probably wont have the cash on hand to just buy it.  So you need credit and your credit can be seriously compromised as a result of losing your identity.

      Our Identity Theft programs not only help prevent your Identity from being stolen, but also provides benefits that help you restore your identity and reimburses you for the “out-of-pocket” expenses you incur during the restoration process.

      The Federal Trade commission released a report in September 2003 saying 9.9 million people had been identity-theft victims in the previous year.

      Research group Gartner reported in 2004 that the checking accounts of nearly 2 million Americans had been raided by criminals in the previous year, causing an average loss of $1,200 and a total cost of more than $2 billion.

       In 2005 Garner updated their estimate to 3 million victims and a total of $2.75 billion.

      Recent reports show that 94 million personal records have been compromised in the past two years, to a tally being kept by the Rights Clearing House.*

What this information should tell you is that your Identity is a valuable that should be protected because it could be at risk.

      Every year more people become victims of the problem, but they still don't take the steps necessary protect their Identity exposure.  Although no system can guarantee to protect you 100% of the time, there are several things you can do it limit your exposure.   Let us help with one of our ID Theft programs..

      It is estimated that it typically takes victims of identity theft more than 170 hours over two years trying to clean up the mess. Since those hours are usually taken during the business day, it results in decreased productivity and absenteeism.

      In the next few years over 11 million Americans will be the victims of Identity Theft! 

Will you be one of them??

What do our Identity Theft Packages cover:

      Identity Theft prevention techniques and education

      Monthly newsletter to keep you informed of new developments

      Restoration Services to help restore your identity - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

      Personalized attention with an Identity Theft advocate to assist in your recovery

      Proprietary Kaizen software generates a personalized “ID Recovery Kit ^TM” for overnight delivery &              ready for notarized signatures.

      Complete credit card registration benefits with cancellation/re-issuance and post theft credit monitoring

      Comprehensive financial education including credit counseling, credit reports, analysis and much more!

      Lost wages and restoration costs reimbursement up to $25,000**

      Cost reimbursements for notarizing affidavits, telephone calls, postage and copies of credit reports.

      NIDR has a national network of attorneys that if it is determined that the best course action would be              to get a local attorney involved.

      Warranty Registration, provides secure storage and retrieval warranties and receipts

      Purchase Protection, provides protection against physical damage, loss or theft, for the first 90 days              for purchases made in the U.S.

      Internet - Auction Fraud, up to a max of $200 minus a $20 deductible.

      Laptop Coverage - Damage, Fire & Theft, for up to $1,500**.

      Cellphone Protection - Protects against theft for up to $500**

      Up to $500 ATM Theft Coverage**

       Wow all that in one package. But the benefits don't stop there.  Depending on what level of membership you decide is right for you, there are plenty of more benefits that are designed with your needs in mind at a cost that you can afford. 

We are 100% committed to quality customer service, not just now, but for as long as you are a member.  We promise to always be on the look out for the best deals, to look into all reasonable requests to enhance your benefits.  We know that times change and as they do, if you tell us that any benefit we are offering is pointless and you as our member are not using it, then we will replace it with something that you can and will use. 

So you must be thinking either:

"How much will all of this cost?"

or

"What plans are available?"

Or maybe both.

We currently have 3 Identity Theft plans to fit your needs

(But before we get more into those, you should know that we also have an all-inclusive Platinum Plan that isn't just for the ID Theft. It also includes the benefits offered in our Health and Travel Plans. This is Truly your best value, but we'll get into that more a little later.)

First, we have a basic Bronze Identity Theft Plan

Then we have the slightly more comprehensive Silver Identity Theft Plan
This plan even includes Pet Protection!

Our third plan is our Mega-Benefit Gold Identity Theft Plan
Only this plan doesn't just cover ID Theft! In addition to what the Silver Membership covers, the Gold plan also includes several benefits for your Auto & Home.

Find out more by clicking on this comparison chart

Alliant
16055 SW Walker Road, Suite 443
Beaverton, Oregon 97006
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