IdentityWorldwide.com

General IdentityWorldwide.com FAQ

 

What is IdentityWorldwide.com?

IdentityWorldwide.com is a comprehensive, take-charge identity theft service in the marketplace today that addresses the most targeted areas such as fraudulent opening of new accounts and running up the balances current accounts. Our program protects members from these expensive misfortunes through monitoring, detecting, and alerting members to potential mistaken identity or fraud. Most importantly, IdentityWorldwide.com puts the tools in your hands to help prevent identity confusion and fraud before it happens. In addition, IdentityWorldwide.com is there to help take steps in restoring the damage that is caused by these crimes should they occur.

 

Where Can I Find my Membership Number?

After you enrolled in IdentityWorldwide.com, your membership number was sent to you in the welcome email or the membership materials. You can also locate the member number by logging into members.identityworldwide.com under the My Accounts Tab. If you need further assistance please call Membership Services at 1-877-893-8758.

 

How Much Does It Cost?

Try IdentityWorldwide.com, just $14.99 per month. If you find IdentityWorldwide.com helpful you can continue with the service for only $14.99 per month.

 

Is There Any Obligation to Continue Beyond my Trial Period?

Absolutely not! You are not obligated to stay protected through IdentityWorldwide.com. Once a member, you can call to cancel and will not be billed for any additional months.

 

How Secure and Confidential is Your Website?

The IdentityWorldwide.com website runs on a highly secure web server farm. The advanced SSL connection scrambles or encrypts data on pages where secure information is transmitted, further safeguarding your information while it passes through cyberspace. We take two important measures to protect your information: 1) customer information is stored on a secure server that is firewall-protected and encrypted to block unauthorized third party access and 2) we restrict downloading of any data from our secure servers to unsecured locations, such as a laptop.

Our site is also certified and regularly scanned by CyberTrust (www.cybertrust.com) and Trustwave (www.trustwave.com) to protect against hacker attacks for over 11,500 known website security vulnerabilities. All sensitive information is encrypted prior to storing it in our databases.

 

How do I cancel my membership?

Contact customer service toll-free at 1-800-297-1548.

Credit Reports and Score

How long does it take to receive my credit report?

After your identity is verified, you will receive your online credit report within seconds of requesting it.

 

As an IdentityWorldwide.com member, do I need to pay for my credit report each time I request it?

IdentityWorldwide.com members are entitled to receive a new credit report, as specified in their benefits, at no additional charge.

 

Can you make corrections to my credit report?

No. Only the appropriate institution can change your records. However, IdentityWorldwide.com provides members with toll-free access to Credit Specialists who can help answer questions about your credit report and instruct you on how to complete and submit the dispute form provided by IdentityWorldwide.com.

 

Where do you get the information for the comprehensive credit report?

The information in your credit report comes from the three national credit reporting agencies: Experian®, TransUnion® and Equifax®. The information is merged into one easy-to-read report, which gives a complete picture of your credit history. All information is kept strictly confidential.

 

What information is included in my credit report?

Your credit report consists of four main categories of information:

• Personal information: Includes your name, current and previous addresses, social security number, telephone number, date of birth, and current and previous employers.
• Credit History: The majority of your credit report is comprised of information on credit accounts that were opened in your name. Details about these accounts, including the date the account was opened, the credit limit or amount of the loan, the payment terms, balance and a history of your payment records on each account is also included. Closed or inactive accounts, depending on the manner in which they were paid, stay on your report for 7-11 years from the date of their last activity.
• Credit Inquiries: Each time a third party, such as a creditor, potential lender, or insurer pulls your credit report, it is recorded on your file as a credit inquiry. Inquiries remain on your credit report for up to 2 years.
• Public Records: Public records obtained from government sources including bankruptcies, tax liens, collections and records of overdue child support are also recorded on your credit report. Public information stays on your credit report for up to 7 years.

 

How often should I check my credit report?

You should check your credit report on a regular basis. Your credit worthiness can have a significant impact on your financial future. With good credit, it is easier to take out loans, mortgages and auto leases and you are more likely to receive low-interest credit cards. Even if you do pay all of your bills on time, checking your credit report consistently may alert you of inaccuracies on your credit file, or of signs of potential Identity Theft"

 

Who can look at my credit report?

Anyone with a legitimate business need or a "permissible purpose" can gain access to your credit history. This includes potential lenders, doctors, landlords, utility companies, creditors, insurers, car dealers, lawyers and potential employers. Permissible Purpose is defined in section 604 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) which specifies who can access your credit report and why.

 

What is the difference between a single-bureau credit report and a triple-bureau credit report?

A single-bureau credit report provides information from only one of the three national credit reporting agencies, whereas a triple-bureau credit report provides information as reported from all three major credit reporting agencies (Experian®, Equifax® and TransUnion®).

 

Do all three national credit reporting agencies have the same information on file?

The three national credit reporting agencies do not have the same information on file. While many creditors and lenders report information to all three agencies, some only report to one or may chose not to report to any. Therefore, each agency contains different records depending on who reported to them, and what was reported.

 

What is a credit inquiry?

When a third party looks at your credit information, this is called an inquiry and is recorded on your credit report. Credit inquiries are classified as either "hard" or "soft" depending on who looks at your credit information. A "hard" inquiry is generated when a potential creditor or lender checks your credit history for the purpose of lending you money. This type of inquiry can directly affect your credit score because if you have too many hard inquiries, a potential creditor may think you have asked for too many loans, and therefore would not be a good credit risk. Unlike hard inquiries, "soft" inquiries do not adversely affect your credit score, and occur when your credit is checked for other reasons, such as when you pull your own credit report.

 

Will ordering my credit report appear as an inquiry on my credit report?

No. When you pull your own credit report, it is considered a soft inquiry. Because soft inquiries cannot be seen by creditors, they will not adversely affect your credit rating and will not appear on your credit report.

 

Isn't everyone entitled to a free credit report annually?

Yes. Under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACT ACT) consumers are entitled to access the information in their credit file from each of the three national credit reporting agencies once per year. For more information, please visit the FCRA page. To obtain your free annual credit report, go to www.annualcreditreport.com

 

Why is it important to check my information from all three national credit reporting agencies?

Because the three national credit reporting agencies are independent of one another and do not exchange information, one credit agency may have records about you that another does not. By checking your information from all three national credit reporting agencies, you can see precisely what others see when they inquire about your credit. In addition, you can ensure the accuracy of your credit records and avoid Identity Theft.

 

What is my credit score?

Your credit score is a numerical value that reflects your creditworthiness, or your ability to pay back a loan. Your score is calculated from the information on your credit report using a standard formula that analyzes your payment history, credit usage, length of credit history, bankruptcies, and more. The higher the credit score, the better. A low credit score may indicate to potential lenders that you are a bad credit risk and have trouble paying off debt, whereas a higher score indicates that you handle your finances responsibly and can be trusted to pay back loans. Knowing your credit score allows you to improve your rating and obtain less costly loans.

 

Why was I unable to access my credit report?

IdentityWorldwide.com often delivers online credit reports in seconds. But there are instances when we are prohibited from doing so. These include:

• We are unable to verify your identity. Before receiving your credit report, you must complete an authentication process. If some or all of these verification questions are answered incorrectly, you will have the option of going through further verification over the phone with a trained representative from our Credit Information Hotline.
• The credit bureau does not have adequate information on file to compile a credit report. Individuals with little or no credit history will generally not be able to view a report.
• We are experiencing a temporary technical issue.
• One of the three credit bureaus is temporarily down.

Credit Monitoring

What is credit monitoring?

IdentityWorldwide.com Credit Monitoring continuously examines your accounts for changes made to your credit file including inquiries, derogatory information, accounts opened in your name, or changes to your public records. If certain changes have been detected, you will be sent an alert via email on a daily basis. We'll also send you an "all-clear" notification on a monthly basis, if there are no changes to your credit record.

Card and Documents Registry

How do I register my cards and other personal documents?

Simply click on the Member Benefits tab, then select Personal Data Protection, and click on the Take Me There button. You can select the Dashboard Wizard to input/update your information.

DataSweep

How often should I check my dashboard?

We suggest checking every two weeks - that's how frequently your DataSweep monitoring is updated. Remember, we'll notify you via email when activity is detected involving your Social Security Number and/or monitored credit cards and addresses, so you can check for possible identity theft.

 

Will I receive automatic emails?

Yes - we'll also alert you if matches to any monitored addresses, email addresses, or phone numbers are found, or if a user updates info on your account page.

 

How do I know all my information has been deleted?

Once logged in, you can check the status of your requests on your personalized Fraud Protection "Monitoring dashboard". The Monitoring dashboard tracks the current status of your request, as well as the final result of all actions.

 

How many databases can IdentityWorldwide.com access?

While it's impossible to monitor ALL online public databases, IdentityWorldwide.com accesses information from an ever-growing list of primary directories, including DexOnline, Directory Assistanceplus, Google Phone Search, Yahoo! Email Search, Yahoo! People Search, 411.com, Whitepages.com, and Addresses.com.

 

I removed my name from Google. Doesn't that remove it from other places?

Google contracts with a third-party provider for its white pages information. Deleting your name from the Google phone book makes it unavailable on Google only.

 

Can you delete former addresses?

Yes - if these addresses can be found in even ONE of the online directories we search, they can be monitored or deleted.

 

What kind of personal information is on the Internet and why should I be concerned?

Key information like home address, home phone, and email addresses can be used by crooks as the first step in committing identity theft.

 

I can't find my address, what am I doing wrong?

We verify and standardize addresses per United States Postal Service (USPS) format and database specifications. If the address you enter is a not a standard USPS address, the system will not find it. It's best to double-check your address and re-type the full address, possibly replacing 'St' with 'Street' or 'Cr.' with 'Circle'.

 

How do I delete my records?

If you mean deleting your own data within IdentityWorldwide.com, please click on the "delete" link next to the record. If you mean deleting records from online directories, each website has a different protocol for deleting records from their database. We can submit deletion requests on your behalf on some online directories, while other online directories may require several interactive steps from you in order to delete your records.

Credit Card Monitoring

Exactly where do you monitor my credit cards?

We search online databases of hacked cards, chat rooms and blogs for instances of credit cards being sold. We notify you via email if we find one of your monitored cards on the Web.

 

Will I receive automatic emails?

Yes - if activity is found on your monitored credit cards online.

 

How will using your service impact my using my credit cards?

IdentityWorldwide.com will not freeze your credit card, but we will notify you by email if we find one of your monitored cards compromised on the Web. We scour online databases of hacked cards, chat rooms, and blog sites for instances of credit cards being sold - yours in particular.

 

Isn't it dangerous to give you my credit card? Can you use it without my knowledge?

We only ask for the 16 digits - NOT the expiration date OR the security number on the back of the card. Without this information no one can use your card. We are simply monitoring for those 16 digits. No one has stolen those numbers.

 

Why should I be concerned with my credit card numbers?

Millions of credit card numbers are lost or stolen each year. Many of them are eventually sold or traded for criminal use. There are even websites and chat rooms devoted ONLY to this illegal activity. IdentityWorldwide.com provides automated online monitoring of several of your credit card numbers for their presence on the Internet. This monitoring is supplemented by human intelligence, so we make sure you're more protected than ever.

 

Do I have to worry about credit card numbers related to accounts that have already been closed?

No - a closed account is a dead account.

SSN Monitoring

What is Social Security Number Monitoring?

IdentityWorldwide.com scans online databases, chat rooms and blog sites for your Social Security number. Should your Social Security number be found on any of the sites which IdentityWorldwide.com is monitoring, you will be alerted via email.

 

Does SSN Monitoring tell me if someone has tried to use my Social Security number illicitly?

SSN Monitoring only indicates whether your Social Security number has appeared on one or more monitored websites. It does not identify whether a particular SSN has been bought or sold, or used for illegal purposes. However, if you have the Credit Security feature activated and someone tries to open an account using your SSN, you will be alerted.

Norton Internet Security Online

Help! I am having trouble downloading and/or installing Norton Internet Security Online.

Should you encounter any problems while attempting to download or install your Norton security software, please call customer service at 1-866-990-7328.

 

How is IdentityWorldwide.com different from anti-virus software I can buy in the store?

IdentityWorldwide.com is more than just software! Our comprehensive service combines online security software (Virus Protection, Personal Firewall, Parental Control, and Spam Blocker) as well as Resolution Services for protection AND peace of mind.

Plus, you get one-call convenience when you have questions.

In addition, IdentityWorldwide.com uses special "online" versions of software to deliver over the Web powerful anti-virus, anti-hacker, and system update tools to protect your PC both online and offline. Your PC gets updates and upgrades automatically whenever you connect to the Internet. This configuration also allows IdentityWorldwide.com to use reduced memory and hard drive space for better system performance.

Plus, unlike off-the-shelf software, IdentityWorldwide.com will automatically renew your coverage at the end of the membership term. That way, you're always up-to-date and won't risk lapses in your protection.

 

What are the key benefits of Norton Internet Security Online?

• Detects and removes viruses, Trojan horses, internet worms, and spyware.
• Protects against hackers.
• Blocks phishing attacks and protects identity data.
• Helps protect wireless networks.
• Filters email and controls confidential information with
• integrated antispam.

 

Does Norton Internet Security Online need to be activated?

Yes, activate your Norton software today. Your system is NOT protected until your security software is activated.

 

How do I activate my Norton Internet Security Online?

Step 1: Log on to http://members.identityworldwide.com

Step 2: Click on the Start My Download button under the Norton Internet Security Online benefit

Step 3: Follow the instructions to install and activate Norton Internet Security Online

Step 4: Always keep an active subscription. Once expired, software does not provide protection, and your system will be at risk. Your Norton Internet Security Online subcription will remain active unless you call and cancel your IdentityWorldwide.com membership.

 

Do you use a wireless network?

The wireless and home network security monitoring in Norton Internet Security Online:

• Automatically optimizes firewall protection settings when connecting to different types of wireless networks.
• Blocks unknown computers from connecting to your computer while using a public wireless network.
• Displays the security status of all Norton products on a home network.
• Alerts you when connecting to an unsecured wireless network.

 

I am concerned about performance impact. Will Norton slow down my computer?

Norton Internet Security 2010 is the fastest, lightest, and most up-to-the-minute Symantec security suite to date. It's been reengineered with over 100 performance enhancements to start, scan, and run faster than older versions without sacrificing security. Users will not notice a performance impact from this software. For example**:

7% faster boots
72% faster scans
54% user interface launch
19% less memory usage
53% faster downloads
69% faster Microsoft® Internet Explorer® launch
79% faster installation time
84% smaller installation size
76% fewer registry keys

 

What are the System requirements?

Microsoft® Windows Vista® Home Basic/Home Premium/Business/Ultimate** Microsoft® Windows® XP with Service Pack 2 and later Home/Professional/ Media Center Edition

• 300 MHz or faster processor
• 256 MB of RAM (*512 MB RAM required for the Recovery Tool)
• 200 MB of available hard disk space

Email scanning supported for POP3- and SMTP-compatible email clients.
Support for AntiSpam feature

• Microsoft Outlook® 97 or later
• Microsoft Outlook Express 6.0 or later

Supported instant messaging clients

• AOL®
• Yahoo!®
• Microsoft®
• Trillian™

Browser support for Browser Defense and Phishing Protection features

• Microsoft Internet Explorer® 6.0 (32-bit only) and later
• Mozilla Firefox® 2.0 and later

**Must meet minimum Windows Vista operating system requirements.

 

Do I need to uninstall other virus protection and personal firewall software?

It is recommended that you uninstall any other anti-virus and personal firewall software package to avoid configuration conflicts. To uninstall your current virus software package, do the following:

Step 1: Click Start > Settings > Control Panel.

Step 2: Double-click "Add/Remove Programs."

Step 3: Locate your anti-virus software in the list of installed software packages and double-click.

Step 4: Click the "Add/Remove" button.

Step 5: Follow the instructions on the screen to remove software from your computer. If you are prompted to remove shared files, be sure to remove all.

Fraud Assist Toolbox

How can the Fraud Assist Toolbox help you?

The Fraud Assist Toolbox is a convenient, online tool that helps streamline the identity theft recovery process. Simply select the type of problem you are facing and the guide will provide step-by-step instructions for resolving your issue. By coaching you through the recovery process, and sending you reminder emails when you need to follow up, the Fraud Assist Toolbox can dramatically reduce the time, and emotional stress of recovering from identity fraud.

 

How does the Fraud Assist Toolbox work?

It is simple:

• All we need is your email address to get started.
• Then you are guided through the process of protecting your identity in a few simple steps.
• We remind you when to come back by sending you email reminders so you'll have help remembering what or when the next step is.
• Your History is saved - the program remembers all the tasks you have performed and the dates, which you can view at any time.
• Most importantly, it helps you through the resolution process if your identity is stolen.

If you have a question at any point in the process, you can email or call for help.