The holidays mean being with family, cookies, and online shopping. Unfortunately, it also means that there are new ways to defraud people for their money. At Estate and Probate Legal Group, we work to protect those more vulnerable. But we also want to let everyone know of anything that might adversely affect you or your loved ones. Did you know military members are more susceptible to identity theft than civilians? We should all be aware of new holiday scams targeting military members.
Military members and their families are at a heightened risk of identity theft and have experienced two or more frauds in the past several years. And especially around the holidays, we find more scams targeting military members. This can include thieves opening credit cards and bank accounts in the victim’s name.
Those in the military have their personal information, including addresses, social security numbers and banking information, on numerous websites. This makes them a target for many hackers. Also, military families move often, meaning they must give their personal information to private companies more than the average civilian. Each time they move, they must open a bank account, connect with utilities and deal with off-base housing.
According to Navy Reserve Officer Jeffrey Chin, Executive Director of Blue Star Families’ New England Chapter, numerous red flags may indicate your identity has been stolen. Some of these indicators are:
These are a couple of reasons to stop and check all your accounts or the accounts of your loved ones. Rather than wait until your online information has been compromised, you can take steps to protect it.
There are several apps available that can help you protect your online information. Look for the ones that offer 4-step protection, which includes Monitor, Detect, Alert and Restore. Some of these apps are:
These apps provide an all-around ID safety solution to guard your personal information and recover it if your identity is breached.
Besides military families, the elderly often fall victim to identity fraud. Pursuing claims that affect the elderly is different than regular law, and we focus on helping those who need us the most. If you feel you or your loved one had their identity stolen, then you need an experienced estate planning and elder law attorney on your side.
Are you worried someone you care about may have been scammed and needs safeguards? Call us to schedule a consultation with the experienced elder law attorney at Estate and Probate Legal Group. Call us at 630-864-5835.
AREAS WE SERVE: Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and Will counties.
