Fully Managed Identity Theft Recovery

If you become a victim or suspect you might be a victim of identity theft for any reason, we are here to help. Professional, dedicated Privacy Advocates are standing by and depending on your identity fraud incident, will be prepared to:

• Perform research to determine the extent of the problem, including a review of your credit report 

• Provide instruction for the placement of fraud alerts and credit freezes with the three major credit bureaus 

• Write letters and make calls on your behalf to dispute fraudulent information

• Coordinate with government agencies, financial institutions, creditors, and others to resolve incidents

• Create and then maintain a case file to assist law enforcement in the prosecution of the perpetrators

• Request the removal of fraudulent records to assist in recovering your identity to pre-theft status

This service covers all types of identity theft, even if it is not related to your Premium Checking account. This service is available to all named account holders, and extends to three generations of your family if they suspect identity theft. Family members include you, your spouse or domestic partner, your dependents with the same permanent address, any IRS-qualified dependents, and your parents (mother or father) with the same permanent address, or who are registered in a senior assisted living facility, nursing home, or hospice. Services continue up to 12 months after death for all family members. 

Credit Freeze Assistance

A credit freeze lets you restrict access to your credit report, which makes it more difficult for identity thieves to open new accounts in your name. Our team of Privacy Advocates, with intimate knowledge of how the credit system works, is able to help you move through the process quickly and efficiently to better protect your credit.

IRS Tax Fraud Refund Advance

We'll advance your tax refund if someone fraudulently files and receives it on your behalf. Tax fraud may delay your refund for weeks or even months. Now, you may be eligible for a tax refund advance while the Privacy Advocate assists you in completing your fraud remediation. Once the fraud has been remediated and the tax refund from the IRS has been received by you, you must refund the advance within 10 business days.

Identity Theft Expense Reimbursement Insurance – up to 10,000*

Expense Reimbursement Insurance is available to cover out of pocket expenses incurred during the identity recovery process up to a maximum of $10,000 with zero deductible. Examples of covered expenses include attorneys’ fees, costs of additional credit reports, long distance telephone calls, postage and handling fees, fees for notarizing affidavits, and document and filing fees for grants or credit applications rejected as a result of a stolen identity event. Lost wages due to time off from work are also covered up to $500 per week for up to four weeks. 

View your Identity Theft Expense Reimbursement Insurance Evidence of Coverage.

Obtain a copy of the specific Evidence of Coverage with your Program Sponsor.

As a Premium Checking account holder, you will receive a unique special-use “Member ID” number and instructions on how to register and activate your entitlement, if you choose to do so.  If you have not received this information, contact AFCU. 

Credit services are available to account holders age 18 and older with a valid credit file.  Authentication of your identity is required in order for you to view credit alert details and provide access to your credit report and score. You can complete identity authentication at any time after you activate your entitlement.

Three Bureau Credit Monitoring 

Credit monitoring watches for new credit activity in your TransUnion® credit file, including credit inquiries, new credit lines, derogatory credit, name changes, and address changes. It provides alerts of changes via email and/or by SMS text message so you can confirm whether or not the activity is yours or possible identity theft. Credit monitoring is activated with TransUnion® once you complete the registration process. You may extend your monitoring to all three credit bureaus, Experian®, Equifax®, and TransUnion® by simply completing the online identity authentication step. 

Daily TransUnion® Credit Reports and Scores

TransUnion® credit reports and scores, available daily on demand, can help to benchmark your credit standing and uncover pre-existing credit issues. Your credit score can also be a lagging indicator of identity theft if you see unexpected changes in your score’s movement, either up or down.  As you request your score it will be documented on a timeline so you can graphically see it change over time.

Annual Tri-Bureau Credit Report and Score

A three bureau credit report and score with Experian®, Equifax®, and TransUnion® is available once every 12 months, on demand, with easy-to-read details to help you stay alert to any fraudulent credit activity or credit reporting errors. Reviewing your credit report can help to benchmark your credit standing and uncover pre-existing credit issues.

Online TransUnion® Credit Lock / Unlock

Locking your credit report helps prevent unauthorized access to your credit. If you want to prevent others from opening fraudulent accounts in your name, you might want to consider locking your report at all three bureaus. You can lock and unlock your TransUnion® credit report on your ID Theft Protection Services dashboard. If you would like to lock your Experian® or Equifax® report, just call the Privacy Advocate team.

Dark Web Monitoring 

The underground internet, also called the deep web or dark web, is where cybercriminals store and sell personal information illegally. Dark Web Monitoring scans this underground economy using sophisticated technology and human spies looking for your registered personal information like credit cards, passport, driver’s license, bank accounts, and even email addresses. In the event that any of your information is detected in this environment, you will be alerted, and provided with corrective action. 

Internet Surveillance is an additional level of Dark Web Monitoring that provides you with the opportunity to add an unlimited number of credentials for monitoring, for example:

• Emails

• Credit/debit cards

• Bank accounts

• Driver’s license

• Web logins

• Gaming credentials

• Health and dental insurance cards

• Vehicle insurance cards

• Affinity Cards (e.g., frequent flyer cards)

• Miscellaneous Cards (e.g. library and voter registration cards and many others) 

Alerts of compromised data on the Dark Web can help you take action early to minimize or avoid identity theft. Alerts are provided by email and/or optional SMS text.

This service also provides easy, secure online storage of your credential data for retrieval in the event of theft of a purse or wallet, or home disaster.

IP Address Monitoring

IP addresses are unique strings of numbers and periods that identify your devices when you are using the internet. These strings are considered personally identifiable information (PII) because they can be used in conjunction with other data to build a profile about an individual. This profile can include activities such as browsing habits, sites visited, ads clicked — any kind of online activity. IP Address Monitoring scans for malicious use of your IP addresses and alerts you if they have been compromised. 

High Risk Transactions Monitoring

High Risk Transactions Monitoring alerts warn you if someone is using your identity to conduct a high risk transaction including online and telephone authorizations associated with hundreds of participating banks, brokerages, payment services, cellular providers, insurance companies, retailers, and more. Alerts may include new accounts, password resets, name and/or address changes, and funds transfers. Alerts are provided by email and optional SMS text.  

Social Media Monitoring

Social Media Monitoring keeps tabs on your Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter accounts to provide alerts on vulgarity, explicit content, violence, threats and other potentially damaging content so you can proactively manage your online reputation. We’ll also alert you if it looks like someone has taken over your account and is posting unsavory material. 

Solicitation Reduction

An important step in protecting your identity is to reduce the amount of personal information available to telemarketers and in your mailbox. Solicitation Reduction provides you with the ability to opt out of third-party marketing solicitations such as pre-approved credit card offers, telemarketing calls, commercial mail, and coupons.