Get your copy of the FREE (no-strings-attached) eGuide: Protecting your Identity in a Disaster Here
A few months back I was being interviewed by a local television station in the wake of hurricane Katrina. As I was answering some basic questions, I was explaining to the producer that the real risk now (at the time after the immediate impact of the hurricane was felt) was for people to protect their identities. The producer basically responded with “yeah, that’s nice.” I was deeply bothered by this response.
As I see it, this is the disaster within the disaster – the last thing you need during a disaster is to deal with identity theft. As I read accounts of personal papers (birth certificates, social security cards, and other important — and private — records) floating down the river, all I could think about was “what if that information ended up in the ‘wrong’ hands?”
Worse (!), during a crisis when people are getting involved and helping – and seeking to be helped – it’s a great opportunity for fraudsters to take advantage of people. I’m still concerned that some con-artists are impersonating relief and government workers to trick people into giving up their personal information.
Imagine applying for a loan to rebuild your house and then find out you are denied a loan due to bad credit?? That is clearly a disaster!
I decided to take action. Specifically, I felt a strong need to make sure that good and easy to understand information was made available to those who needed it. I immediately called a friend who is a victim of identity theft (and has recently written a book about his experience) and convinced him to work with me to draft a quick and easy to understand guide on how to protect your identity during a disaster. We authored a FREE, no-strings-attached eGuide to how to protect your identity during a disaster. It’s 20 pages of the most important information we could distill into four phases:
1 – what to do before disaster strikes
2 – what to do as the disaster strikes (if you can)
3 – immediate steps to take after the disaster
4 – quick actions in the event you think your identity has been stolen
While writing this guide, I realized that this is good information for anyone – especially since any of us may have to deal with a disaster when we least expect it (wild fires, house fires, flooding, and other natural and man-made disasters). In the spirit of helping to make sure people are prepared, we are making this guide available free of charge.
Get your copy of the guide here. Feel free to link back to this guide and share it with anyone you think will benefit!
I would appreciate any ideas and suggestions for how we can improve this information and make a difference through education.
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