Employees are increasingly looking to their employers for support protecting themselves and their families from fraud. With identity protection as a benefit, employees can rely on features like dark web monitoring, credit monitoring, and stolen-fund reimbursements to take control of their personal data and feel more financially secure.
They may sometimes be labeled “voluntary,” but given that recent numbers suggest 1 in 6 Americans have recently been impacted by an identity crime, identity protection benefits feel more important than ever.
Our proactive alerts and privacy monitoring tools are designed to help members spot data leaks and minimize their damage. That’s why more than 30 percent of Fortune 500 companies are depending on us to safeguard their employees.
Read on to learn four reasons why identity protection programs continue to grow in demand, plus some perks of offering our benefit to your employees.
1. As online fraud reaches new heights, people fear being victimized by cybercrimes more than physical crimes
In a Gallup survey gauging Americans’ anxieties about criminal activity, the crimes people identified as most worrisome were identity theft and, more specifically, having a credit card or financial information stolen by a hacker.
With news of schemes targeting the U.S. unemployment system and other types of fraud rising — there’s never been a better time to add identity protection to your benefits portfolio. Plus, since remote workers are at a higher risk of identity theft, these protections may be in the best interest of both employee and employer.
2. People increasingly expect the institutions that hold their data to help protect it
More and more, individuals understand that today’s data breaches lead to tomorrow’s identity theft. Sadly, widespread data leaks have helped create a huge catalog of personally identifiable information (PII) on the dark web. Months or even years after a person’s Social Security number, birth date, and other key data points are stolen, criminals can pull them together to create a convincing false claim.
Javelin’s 2020 Identity Fraud Survey found identity thieves have largely shifted from counterfeiting credit cards to higher impact fraud tactics, like checking and savings account takeovers. Sadly, the damage from this type of fraud is more difficult to prevent or remediate.
Given all this, it makes sense that people want to be more proactive about protecting their sensitive data — and they want financial institutions, tech companies, and their employers to help.
With our service, members have access to a suite of tools designed to help them regain control of their PII:
Using the Dark Web Monitoring tool, enrollees can receive alerts when we detect their sensitive information, like driver’s license numbers and email addresses, where they don’t belong.
Our Social Media Account Takeover Monitoring feature sends actionable alerts about questionable content on linked social feeds, such as graphic material that may indicate account takeover.
Credit Monitoring and Financial Transactions alerts also help detect fraudulent financial activity.
3. Credit monitoring and stolen-fund reimbursements help employees feel more secure.
Nearly half of the workers recently surveyed by Pew Research Center reported that achieving long-term financial goals has become more difficult amidst the economic fallout from the recent health crisis.
Many may be weathering some form of financial insecurity due to pay cuts, furloughs, or unstable money markets. As a result, identity protection, including the protection of financial accounts, may be an even greater priority.
We make it easy for employees to review and monitor their financial health. Members can access their credit report and score from our dashboard, and many participants can take advantage of stolen-fund reimbursements and receive advanced tax refunds that were fraudulently issued.
4. People want to protect their loved ones, from infants to aging parents.
Employees are looking for benefits that help them support and protect the people they love. Identity-protection services have an important role to play in defending the whole family.
With our services, employees can:
Add coverage for themselves and additional family members, ranging from infants to adult children to elderly parents
Add kids’ sensitive information, such as email addresses, to the Dark Web Monitoring tool
They can also monitor kids’ linked social media accounts for graphic content, signs of cyberbullying, and account takeover
Getting started
If you’d like to learn more about working with Allstate Identity Protection, you can reach out to your existing benefits broker or contact us directly for additional information.
