Synovus Bank - Identity Theft Presentation

Carrie Kerskie, President of Kerskie Group Inc., Collier ID Theft Task Force Member, Professional Speaker, Consultant and Author was the distinguished guest speaker on the important subject of Identity Theft last week at Synovus Bank in Naples. 

Did you know every three seconds another American becomes a victim of identity theft? The elderly and children have the highest risk.

Here are a few tips from Ms. Kerskie:

1. Review your credit report once a year. The only legitimate place to do that, for free, is www.annualcreditreport.com. Check for recent inquiries. Inquiries by credit card companies are bad. An identity thief could be requesting a card in your name. In addition, your credit score means nothing when it comes to fraud. 

2. Ms. Kerskie does not personally recommend Lifelock. They only cover monitoring and not restoration. All they can do is tell you when you have been compromised. You are on your own from that point on. Identity Force is a company who not only monitor, but assist in the restoration of your credit and your life after this assault. (Recommended by Ms. Kerskie).

3. Stay away from Dropbox. Yes, this is data storage in the cloud. But, someone is controlling those servers, leaving private information stored vulnerable to theft. Also, password protect any document with personal, private information you store in the cloud. It provides one extra level of security against theft.

4. Obituaries - this is a treasure trove for thieves! Think about what most people include in the newspaper regarding a lost loved one. Family member names, Church attended, vocation of deceased, date of birth, etc. All information needed to commit fraud.

5. Check your homeowner's insurance - it may cover identity theft. If it doesn't, inquire about the additional cost to acquire it.

This was one of the most informational talks we have attended. If you have any questions about identity theft, give Carrie Kerskie a call at 239-435-9111 today.