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Identity Theft Insurance?

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mtnbkr:
My homeowners insurance company recently sent me a letter saying they now offer "Identity Theft Insurance" that can be added to my homeowner's policy for $20/year.  It covers the expenses related to recovering from an ID theft and even some lost wages.  The deductable is $250.

Opinions?

Chris

Art Eatman:
Buy it.

The military uses the SS # as its serial #.  That's on every piece of mail to and from any GI.

In Texas, the SS # is the driver's license #.

Due to War On Terror "protection", there's a form for the SS # to buy a car from a dealer.

To sell land, the SS# is required on a separate form (I just found this out, yesterday.) if you go through a title company.

In other words, government at the state and federal levels is aiding and abetting identity theft.

In 2004, some 60,000 cases of Identity Theft were investigated.

Aside from having a bank account emptied, or property bought and sold in your name, your credit rating can be thoroughly wrecked and it takes a bunch of time and lawyer money to try to fix things and have a life.  Some report two and three years of misery.

And some get caught up in the criminal justice system, if the ID thief uses the name for illegal stuff.

$20/year?  Check and see what it covers, but it looks very worthwhile, for starters...

Art

K Frame:
For $20 a year?

Hell yes I'd get that coverage.

What are the exclusions and limitations?

Even more important, since we both have Erie insurance, where the hell is my offer letter? Do me a favor and save it, I'd like to look at it if I don't get anything from them in the next couple of days.

I caught a piece on the news yesterday about a private detective in Chicago and a reporter going around and checking garbage for personal information.

Even in this age of identity theft, the amount of personal information they were able to glean was pretty impressive, and most of it came from businesses such as doctor's offices and car dealerships.

mtnbkr:
I think I will.  I just hadn't heard of such a policy before and didn't know if it was useful.  

Mike, do you have Erie for your house?  That's why I got this letter, it's an add on to my HO policy.  I'll save the letter for you.

Chris

K Frame:
"Mike, do you have Erie for your house?"

Yes, that's why I mentioned that I'd not gotten the information yet. You and I have talked about our insurance company/coverage before; we both have car and home through Erie.

In fact, I think I'm going to give my agent a call. It's been a couple of years since I rang his bell.

I just hope it's not something that's offered depending on where the agent has his primary office. Sometimes companies do that when rolling out a new program. My agent is in DC, a legacy of when I first moved down here.

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