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Contrary to popular belief, identity fraud does not always begin online. According to Travelers claim data, 44 percent of ID fraud cases happen when a person's purse or wallet has been lost or stolen. Thieves can use the information they find inside for ID fraud, so here are some critical steps to help protect yourself and your identity. Watch Your Wallet and Purse Many people store personal information in their purses and wallets, making it easier for thieves to commit identity fraud. Help secure your identity by keeping your purse and wallet in a safe place and carrying only essentials when you go out. Leave credit cards you will not be using in a secure place at home. Unless it is absolutely necessary, avoid carrying Social Security cards, birth certificates or passports as they contain key pieces of personal information thieves could use to steal your identity. Monitor Your Mail Whether you are sending or receiving mail, take steps to help keep it safe from prying eyes. Never put outgoing checks, bill payments or financial information in your unlocked home mailbox. When you need to send out sensitive documents, consider using a secure postal mailbox or send them from the post office. If you have not signed up for electronic statements, be aware of when your credit card statements are scheduled to arrive. If they are late, call the credit card company to confirm if the statement was sent. Be sure to shred old bills and unnecessary financial records containing personal information. Keep a Careful Eye on Your Credit According to our data, nearly half of ID fraud cases are committed using the victim's current accounts. On a regular basis, review your credit report and bank statements to monitor your accounts, and take these extra precautions: Make a list of all your credit card and bank account information, and store the list in a secure place, such as on a password-protected flash drive or in a fire-proof safe. Include account numbers, expiration dates, credit limits and phone numbers or emails of the customer service and fraud departments. If your card is missing or stolen, you will then be able to quickly notify your credit card provider to prevent fraudulent charges. Review your credit report and notify the credit bureaus of any mistakes. The U.S. Government Fair Credit Reporting Act gives consumers the right to receive one free copy of their credit report every 12 months from each of the three main credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion). Order one report from a different bureau every four months to see credit activity throughout the year. To order your credit report, visitwww.annualcreditreport.com. Keep Your Social Security Number Safe Social Security numbers are often used to open fraudulent accounts or to access financial information or assets. Do not have your Social Security number printed on your checks or allow merchants to write it on them. If a business requests your Social Security number, ask them why. If it is not a valid reason, do not provide the information they request. Also, never give confidential information to an unsolicited phone caller who claims they represent a financial institution or creditor. Instead, get the caller's name, location, phone number and reason for the call. Then call the phone number on your billing statements to verify the caller's identification. Get additional tips for helping protect your identity while you are online. Consider buying identity fraud insurance, a relatively inexpensive add-on to your renters or homeowners insurance policy. This coverage typically reimburses the cost of reclaiming your identity and rebuilding your credit, such as attorney's and notary fees and replacement of IDs. It is a low-cost investment against a high-expense crime.

Founded in 1998 by Chris M. Micheals, American Team Managers has emerged as one of the leading independently owned insurance wholesalers and managing general agents in California. American Team Managers is dedicated to the success and growth of independent agents nationwide by providing world class customer service, cutting edge technology, competitive commission structures, and access to the most respected carriers in the business. We believe that our focus in these areas is what separates American Team Managers from other MGA’s.

Employers and employees aren't seeing the health and productivity boosts of using their vision plans, especially with an aging workforce. According to Transitions Optical, Inc., nearly half of workers fail to take advantage of their vision benefit, either by not enrolling (24%) or not using their benefit to get an eye exam (32%). That’s unfortunate, because helping employees see well offers a number of benefits: Good eyesight boosts productivity. Nearly 35% of people age 40+ have trouble seeing print or numbers on reading materials, or signs, even with glasses, One in four employees age 45 or older take breaks to rest their eyes at work, because of fatigue or eyestrain. Uncorrected vision (so slight that an employee might not notice) can reduce productivity up to 20%. Mental health and eye health are connected. Vision problems can worsen mental decline. Older employees with poor vision are five times more likely to develop cognitive decline than their peers with good or excellent vision. Untreated poor vision in the elderly is also linked to dementia; older adults who have poor vision without intervention (such as eye care visits and cataract surgery) are almost 10 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s. Glare bothers most workers. Almost all people say glare affects their vision outdoors, and seven in ten agree that their eyes are sensitive to light. Glare due to reflections from a lens surface can also be present indoors, leading to eye fatigue. The right eyewear can help employees overcome their discomfort. Employees think vision plans are important. More than 90% of employees that agree this benefit will be more important to them as they age. To learn more, just give us a call. We’re here to serve you.

Identifying and preventing the incidences that might harm your firm's reputation can be a challenge at best. The explosive expansion of Web-based communications and social media has aggravated the risks of reputational damage, while dramatically reducing response time to counter these threats. According to Reputation Review 2012, a report from Oxford Metrica sponsored by Aon P.L.C., a public company runs an 80% chance of suffering a reputational risk that can cost at least 20% of its equity value in any month over a five-year period. Privately held companies face similar risks. These exposures can come from a wide variety of sources, from product safety and unhappy customers to regulatory pressures and behavior by managers. Examples include recent massive breaches of consumer data held by major financial institutions, and the effect on companies that faced supply chain disruptions or radiation fears after the Japanese earthquake and tsunami of 2011 -- not to mention the impact of that year's outbreak of listeria in cantaloupes. Although this infection came from a single farm, other producers (and even companies selling different types of melons) suffered a loss of reputation. With reputational risks coming in various and sometimes unpredictable forms, experts recommend that you help protect yourself by: Creating an "early warning system" to monitor print, electronic, and social media for negative references to the company. Evaluating whether a negative comment should have a response (not every tweet or Facebook post matters). Getting frontline employees involved in responding to reputational threats, rather than having top management and PR staff deal with them. Our agency's experts stand ready at any time to help you discuss your risk, review potential scenarios, and then build and test a plan for dealing with events that threaten your reputation. Having an effective plan to deal with these threats can actually improve your company's reputation.

Any time you get online, including while you take online classes, you run the risk of having your identity stolen. Be vigilant and protect yourself with seven tips. 1. Use multiple email addresses. Separate your school, business and personal email addresses to limit a thief's access to your information. Change your passwords at least once a month, too. 2. Don't share information with third parties. Entering a scholarship contest or signing up for a newsletter about careers can be helpful, but will the site sell your name, phone number, or email and home addresses to a third party? Always read the fine print and uncheck the "permission to share your information" box. 3. Use a secure browser as you surf the Internet and make purchases. Start by setting high security options on your browser. Then, shop only at encrypted and secure sites with "https" and a lock symbol on the address bar. 4. Clear the cookies and cache. They store pages you've viewed recently and give valuable personal information to anyone with access to your computer. 5. Install spyware protection. Numerous products, including Norton and Kaspersky, protect your computer from keyloggers and other online hijackers. In addition to stopping potential threats, use these software tools to scan your computer for dangers. 6. Avoid spam. Not only does it clutter your inbox, but it can deliver dangerous viruses to your computer. Stop spam by not opening email attachments from people you don't know or trust. Then, block email addresses from known spam offenders. 7. Share wisely. If you decide to share personal information with a classmate or school-related business, do so wisely. Use your common sense and protect your identity as much as possible by using a pseudonym and concealing your birthday, hometown and other identifiable information. Online classes advance your career and can be fun. You'll want to use these seven tips to protect your identity, however. Additionally, consider Identity Protection insurance as an extra layer of security.

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