It's the boogeyman that encourages most of us to keep our credit cards firmly tucked in our wallets and limit our online shopping habits to secure sites only-the possibility of identity theft and all the mess and chaos that goes along with it! Identity theft used to be a "spook story" that worried parents told their children, but these days it's a horrible reality for the over ten million Americans that have found themselves victimized by clever hackers and copycat criminals.
Putting your life back together after you've had your identity stolen can be a real pain.
Your homeowners insurance can help.
No, unfortunately your homeowners insurance won't pick up the bill for money you lost when someone else was running around with your credit cards-but since creditors are becoming increasingly savvy to the habits of today's identity stealing criminals that's not such a big deal.
What they will do is help you cope with the costs of trying to get things straightened back out after the fact.
For example, did you know that the average person spends over 172 hours working with creditors and government agencies to get their credit (and their good name) cleared? How many of these agencies do you think happily put in weekend hours? If your answer was, "Um, none?" you're just about right! These companies like to have their Saturdays and Sundays free too, which means if you're the victim of identity theft and you need to contact one of them you're going to have to do it during the Monday through Friday grind-which is great unless you're supposed to be sitting behind a desk of your own!   Your homeowners insurance company will help reimburse for wages you lose by taking time off work to deal with the fallout of your identity theft.
They'll also help cover the costs of sending packages and letters back and forth and any long distance phone bills you happen to rack up along the way.
  And then there's the lawyers.
  Unfortunately, not everyone sticks to credit card fraud and goes on a shopping binge when they steal your identity.
Some of them actually go out and commit serious crimes, accusations you're going to need serious help to dig your way out of.
That means you're going to want a good lawyer on your side-and good lawyers don't come cheap! Your homeowners insurance company will help cover the cost of your legal fees during the battle so you can walk away knowing you really are free and clear.
Some homeowners insurance companies consider identity theft protection to be a part of their standard coverage package; however, most reserve it for a policy add-on or a separate policy altogether.
Identity theft protection packages can usually be had for less than $100 per year-a fraction of what you're going to pay if you need legal assistance.
Contact your insurance agent today.