While serving, service members often have to leave documents with their personally identifiable information (PII) behind, or sign over Power of Attorney to a spouse or family member, creating more identity theft risks. Deployments and otherwise restricted access to communication, and limited access to resources, often lead to longer periods of time before remediation can occur, allowing the thief to create more damage. Military personnel can be proactive about protecting their PII by taking the following steps.
MONITOR FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS REGULARLY
Active-duty personnel should use online services to monitor activity within their financial accounts regularly to avoid identity theft risks. When connecting to the internet, service members should ensure they are on a secure network and consider using a VPN connection.
SECURELY STORE DOCUMENTS WITH PII
When moving, traveling, or deployed, keep sensitive documents in a secure and locked location. Documents can include many forms of identification that will not be needed (passport, driver’s license, etc), Social Security card, birth certificate and any other documents that contain PII.
FREEZE YOUR CREDIT REPORT AND PLACE AN ACTIVE DUTY ALERT
If you will not need access to open any new lines of credit, it is a good idea to freeze your credit report. This will stop anyone from opening new lines of credit or loans in your name.
You should also place an active duty alert on your credit report with Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. An active duty alert on a credit report is similar to a one-year fraud alert in that it alerts an inquiring creditor to take extra steps to verify that it is you who is attempting to open a line of credit. The active-duty alert also removes you from pre-screened credit card or insurance offers for two years.
CAUTION FOR POWER OF ATTORNEY
When granted Power of Attorney an individual can withdraw money from bank accounts, use credit cards and take out loans in another individual’s name. Although you may not explicitly allow it, it may still be legal because of the Power of Attorney. Contact your command’s legal office for more information about granting a Power of Attorney.
If you are looking for direct assistance and a personalized plan regarding identity theft risks and you are an active-duty servicemember, call an expert advisor for no-cost at 888.400.5530 or LiveChat with us.
