How TrustedID Works
TrustedID Overview – How it works
TrustedID offers a suite of over 15 points of protection to help consumers and their families safeguard their identities. Unlike credit monitoring services that alert you after someone has already stolen your identity, TrustedID help prevent thieves from stealing your identity in the first place.
- TrustedID prevents unauthorized new credit: TrustedID places fraud flags, also known as fraud alerts, on your behalf with Experian, Equifax and Transunion every 90 days. This feature goes into effect immediately after signing up, and requires lenders to verify your identity before taking any action that results in new credit in your name.
Placing fraud flags with the credit bureaus will not damage your credit score, nor will it help to improve it. This measure is intended to protect your credit from being damaged by unauthorized new credit that you did not request.
- TrustedID scans areas of the black market Internet: TrustedID regularly monitors areas of the black market Internet where thieves buy and sell information used to steal identities, such as your Social Security, bank account and credit card numbers. If we discover that your information has been compromised you’ll be alerted immediately and our On-Call Protection Specialists will set to work making sure your identity is secure.
- TrustedID requests your free annual credit reports: TrustedID requests your free annual credit reports from the three major credit bureaus – Experian, Equifax and Transunion – on your behalf. Reviewing your credit reports is one of the first steps to protecting your identity--as soon as you receive your credit report, you should review it for inaccuracies. Often people become victims of identity theft and do not realize it until they review their credit reports and find fraudulent accounts and loans for which they never applied. If you do find any inaccuracies, our trained On-Call Protection Specialists can help you correct your reports.
- TrustedID protects your medical benefits: TrustedID is the only identity theft protection company that offers protection for your medical benefits. We will request your medical benefit history from all your providers with your permission and help you review your accounts to ensure that no one else has been receiving benefits in your name.
- TrustedID protects your children and elderly parents: TrustedID is the only identity theft protection company that offers protection for your entire family with one low priced plan. This is a great, cost-saving option if you have more than two people in your family, and with child and senior identity theft on the rise it will give you great peace of mind to make sure that no one is robbing your child’s future credit history or your parents’ hard earned nest eggs.
A growing number of children and elderly adults are becoming targeted by identity thieves. Often a minor is targeted due to their untapped credit history, allowing identity thieves to take advantage of and wreak havoc on an unsuspecting victim. And since a child’s credit history is not typically checked until they are applying for their first loan or credit card account, the damage can go unnoticed for years which could potentially lead to thousands of dollars in debt before they even turn 18.
Senior citizens are also targeted in a variety of ways, from phishing scams online to medicare fraud via information stolen from their statements in the mail. Because seniors have spent a lifetime building their credit history and nest eggs, this is a particular valuable group for identity thieves to target.
- TrustedID protects your computer from cyber attacks: TrustedID provides you with a software download that protects your computer from spyware that could install programs that track valuable information such as logins and passwords to your financial institutions. This added protection comes free as part of your IDFreeze subscription.
- TrustedID reduces the junk mail you receive: When you sign up with TrustedID you will receive a Protection Pack that will detail extra steps you can take to protect your identity, including removing your name from marketing lists sold by the three major credit bureaus to marketers. Not only will this reduce the amount of unwanted mail in your mailbox, it will also prevent identity thieves from getting their hands on pre-approved credit card offers that could be used to fraudulently apply for credit in your name.
- TrustedID offers assistance if your wallet is lost or stolen: With TrustedID’s Lost Wallet protection, you can rest easy knowing that our On-Call Protection Specialists are just a phone call away to help you if your wallet ever gets lost or stolen. When you sign up with IDFreeze you can store your important information with TrustedID – such as your credit and debit card numbers, insurance information and more – so if your wallet is misplaced our On-Call Protection Specialists will help you cancel your cards and replace them as quickly as possible.
- TrustedID’s provides On-Call Protection Specialists: If you ever become a victim of identity theft, or just have questions, TrustedID’s On-Call Protection Specialists are available to help you. The Protection Specialists are experts in the process of recovering your identity and preventing any further damage. The Protection Specialists are trained in identity theft prevention and restoration and will walk you through every step of the process to ensure that you identity is properly safeguarded, including dealing with the credit bureaus, creditors, and law enforcement agencies. In addition, if you incur any out-of-pocket expenses while recovering your identity, you will be covered by our $1 million service warranty.
You can reach TrustedID’s On-Call Protection Specialists at any time by email, or on the phone from 9 am – 6 pm CST.
- TrustedID backs our protection with a $1,000,000 service warranty: A Comprehensive Warranty - We’re proud of the protection we offer, and we’re also proud of our $1,000,000 service warranty. If a customer’s identity is stolen, we will cover up to $1,000,000 of legal fees, lost wages, notary costs and more to help them restore and recover their good name. Some identity theft companies say they offer a guarantee, but when you read the fine print, the biggest costs are left out. Not with TrustedID.
If your identity has been compromised you should contact your local law enforcement officials immediately to file a report, and contact TrustedID’s On-Call Protection Specialists so they may walk you through other important steps to help recover your identity.
- TrustedID offers CreditLock, the maximum protection available for your credit report: CreditLock is an additional measure of protection that can be added to your IDFreeze subscription. CreditLock adds the maximum level of protection to your credit by freezing its accessibility from lenders, who automatically pull your report when reviewing your loan or credit application. This service is also referred to as a “credit freeze”. Once this freeze is in place, the major credit bureaus cannot release your credit report to third parties without your permission. Since creditors won’t grant new credit until they can see your credit report, identity thieves can’t open new accounts in your name. If you are applying for a new loan or credit application your credit must first be unlocked. TrustedID makes the locking and unlocking of your credit easy for you. We contact the three major credit bureaus on your behalf and handle all the work.
Since CreditLock prevents the release of your credit to new lenders, you must decide whether CreditLock is right for you. This is a good option for those who have already been a victim of identity theft, rarely use their credit or are stationed overseas.
