SACRAMENTO, Calif.,
Aug. 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --
Approximately 9 million Americans annually are victims of identity
theft, spending millions of hours resolving problems associated
with having their identity stolen. Allstate Insurance Company
announces the launch in California
of identity theft expenses coverage that can help reduce the time
and costs that victims spend trying to recover their
identities.
"Victims of the worst identity theft cases spend 100 hours or
more trying to correct problems caused by this crime," said
Phil Telgenhoff, Assistant Field
Vice President at Allstate in California. "Through Allstate, California auto policyholders now can have the
burden of these arduous tasks handled by professionals who make a
truly difficult situation become bearable."
Allstate's identity theft expenses coverage now is available to
new and renewing Allstate auto policyholders in California for as low as $30 a year and provides customers access to
professional identity restoration assistance. The Allstate policy
provides up to $25,000 in
reimbursement coverage for reasonable expenses incurred to restore
identity, including attorney fees, loan reapplication fees, credit
and police report fees, and lost wages.
Not an easy task...
According to Federal Trade Commission many victims of identity
theft don't know where or how to start the recovery process. Here
is some of what identity restoration professionals can do for
victims of ID theft.
- Help victims understand their rights.
- File paperwork, including police reports.
- Issue fraud alerts to credit reporting agencies, Social
Security Administration, Federal Trade Commission, U.S. Post
Office, credit card companies, and banks.
- Work with credit agencies to correct and restore your
credit.
- Review credit histories for irregularities.
- Trace Social Security numbers, notifying and working with the
Department of Motor Vehicles, collection agencies, creditors and
law enforcement personnel.
Be proactive...
The Federal Trade Commission and Allstate recommend following
these steps to make you less vulnerable to identity theft.
- Protect your Social Security number
- Treat your trash and mail carefully
- Be on guard when using the Internet
- Select intricate passwords
- Verify sources before sharing information
- Safeguard your purse and wallet
- Store information in secure locations
About Allstate
The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation's largest
publicly held personal lines insurer. Widely known through the
"You're In Good Hands With Allstate®" slogan, Allstate is
reinventing protection and retirement to help nearly 16 million
households insure what they have today and better prepare for
tomorrow. Consumers access Allstate insurance products (auto, home,
life and retirement) and services through Allstate agencies,
independent agencies, and Allstate exclusive financial
representatives in the U.S. and Canada, as well as via www.allstate.com and
1-800 Allstate®.
SOURCE Allstate Insurance Company