It’s a painful stat, but service members, veterans, and their families are at higher risk of identity theft and related crimes than their civilian peers.
According to data compiled by the Consumer Financial Protection Board, they’re more likely to report that an account was fraudulently opened in their name, much more likely to report that an existing account was used fraudulently, and three times as likely to report an identity thief directly stole from them.
Also Read: 5 workplace habits from the military that you should keep doing forever
Plenty of details of military life make service members easy targets for identity fraud. In addition to all the Department of War forms that require personally identifiable information, service members have to turn over the same information to moving companies, utility companies, and state governments due to frequent moves.
And scammers know that military members are more likely to qualify for government benefits and tax breaks, and so there’s extra incentive to go after them through benefits fraud and fraudulent tax returns.
Add to all of that the risk of hacks by foreign adversaries, like the 2014 Office of Personnel Management hack that exposed personal, financial, and even fingerprint information of clearance applicants and their friends and family to foreign governments, and it seems like any military risk assessment tool should categorize identity theft for service members pretty highly.
And, worst of all, the consequences for active-duty military or government contractors who are victims of identity theft are extra high, since trouble resolving credit and debt issues can lead to security clearance revocation and the loss of their career.
Luckily, the tips to reduce the risk are pretty straightforward. Government agencies and advocacy groups recommend:
- Safeguard PII as much as possible. Destroy or sanitize documents as much as possible. Avoid discount or benefits application programs that require you to divulge account information or excessive personal information like your Social Security number.
- Check your account information regularly. Review bank and credit card statements at least monthly for suspicious activity, and check your credit report at least annually for surprises.
- Lock down your credit when you’re not using it. This is useful for everyone, but deployed service members have an extra tool at their disposal since they can place an “active duty alert” on their credit in one-year intervals for the duration of their deployment. For deployments over 12 months, set a calendar alert to renew the hold after 12 months.
- Use multi-factor authentication on your accounts. This reduces hackers’ ability to access accounts remotely. But it’s worth having a plan for accessing your own accounts during TDY or deployment. Remember that your multi-factor authentication has to work for you even when you’re overseas, and your normal device may be inaccessible or not connected to the cell network.
- Secure your devices, both physically and digitally, against attack. So keep digital devices locked up when not in use, digitally locked with a hard-to-guess PIN or password.
But following all of the best practices on your own is hard and still won’t necessarily protect you. It’s like the “Integrated Survivability Onion” for military operations: You need defense in depth, but you also need a plan for when the enemy gets through all the layers of your onion.
LifeLock helps protect your identity by monitoring for potential identity threats, sending alerts when it detects potentially suspicious activity, and providing identity-restoration support if you become a victim of identity theft.
LifeLock’s identity-focused services can help you monitor for potential threats to your personal information and take action if suspicious activity is detected.
LifeLock may monitor the Dark Web for personal information and notify you if information that may belong to you is found. Depending on the plan, identity-monitoring features may also include credit, Social Security, retirement-account, or home-title monitoring.
If your identity is stolen, LifeLock’s Million Dollar Protection™ Package1 reimburses stolen funds, covers personal expenses, and pays for Lawyers and Experts—up to $1 million each with our highest plan. If identity theft strikes, you’re never left to handle it alone. A dedicated U.S.-based specialist works your case from start to finish until your identity and accounts are fully restored.
And if you get your plan through Military Connect, military members and veterans can get 30 days free and up to 35% on all the major plans for themselves and their household.2
Learn More: LifeLock.com
Join Military Connect®: MilitaryConnect.com/join
No one can prevent all cybercrime or prevent all identity theft.
1 Up to $1 million for coverage for Lawyers and Experts included on all plans, plus reimbursement and expense compensation up to $25,000 each with Core, $100,000 each with Advanced, and $1 million each with Total. Insurance benefits are issued by third parties. See LifeLock.com/legal for policy info.
2 Terms apply.
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