With so much of our everyday lives now having some online basis, making sure you protect the things that matter has never been more important.
Hackers and scammers are always going to be targeting your personal data - even if you don't think you're important enough to be a target, the chances are that you could be a victim, but might not find out until it’s too late, and your bank accounts are drained and credit score ruined.
Keeping your identity safe is crucial in this day and age, and Norton Identity Advisor Plus is offering the tools to help you better protect your identity and keep tabs on your financial health. We've taken a closer look at why it might be the ideal service for you.
Monitor
As we mentioned above, even if you think your personal data is private online, the chances are that some of it probably isn't. The sheer scale of our online lives means it's all too easy for some pieces to slip through the cracks.
Norton Identity Advisor Plus monitors the less friendly parts of the internet, the dark web, for your personal information, with a Dark Web Monitoring¹ tool . If your information is found, you get a notification so you can leap into action and get your accounts locked down.
When it comes to social media, a lot of us post without thinking, which can be fun in the moment, but may end up revealing far more about your personal life than you expect - such as your home street, when you’re on holidays, and even your pet’s names (often a popular password choice.) Alongside the Dark Web Monitoring tool, Social Media Monitoring² is also included and monitors your accounts on popular social media sites, notifying you of suspicious activity that might indicate someone has accessed your accounts without your knowledge.
Inform
As well as causing great personal harm and worry, identity theft can also have a significantly negative effect on your financial life, particularly concerning your credit rating, which could be ruined by a hacker or scammer running amok with your accounts.
If you are using lax security protection such as reusing passwords, all it takes is for one of your personal accounts to be compromised for your financial standing to be put at risk. A simple slip-up could have major knock-on effects for opening a bank account, making that big purchase, or even applying for a mortgage, as credit scores and bank accounts can be quickly taken down by malicious hackers
Norton Identity Advisor Plus offers users monthly access to your Credit Report & Score³, meaning you can check for any major changes or inaccuracies that might affect your financial standing. If anything untoward does occur, the platform's Credit Alerts³ will flag when there are any major changes to your credit report , such as a closed account, missed payment or use of more of your available credit lines.
Included in Norton Identity Advisor Plus is also Stolen Wallet Assist which can help if the worst happens and your credit cards go missing. If your wallet is stolen, users can call the company, whose agents will guide you on how to cancel or replace credit cards, bank cards, driver’s licence and other cards.
Restore
Once you've identified an identity theft issue, and pursued the means to halt its effects, rebuilding and restoring is the next step. Having someone there to help through what can often be a testing and long-winding, frustrating process can make the whole situation much more manageable.
If you do fall victim to identity theft, Norton Identity Advisor Plus can help you, with the company providing a dedicated Identity Restoration Specialist to guide you through the restoration process from start to finish. After gathering all the necessary information, the Identity Restoration Specialist is able to walk you through the next steps, including advice on how to resolve disputes with relevant parties, and will support you step-by-step until your case is closed- all you need to do is call.
Identity theft is a very real and very dangerous threat that can hit at any time, and has the potential to cause serious harm, both financial, mental and personal. But having the right service can go a long way to help you, and Norton Identity Advisor Plus can play a huge role in that.
For more information and how to subscribe to the service, click here to head to their website now, and take the next big step to better protect your identity.
¹ Dark Web Monitoring is not available in all countries. Monitored information varies based on country of residence. It defaults to monitor your email address and begins immediately. Sign in to your account to enter more information for monitoring.
² Social Media Monitoring is not available on all social media platforms and the features differ between platforms, for details go to: Norton.com/smm. Does not include monitoring of chats or direct messages. May not identify all cyberbullying, explicit or illegal content or hate speech.
³ Norton Credit Portal features provided by TransUnion International UK Limited. Accessible to +18 residents of UK, I0M & Channel Islands, after successful registration & verification. Terms apply.
