This past spring, Barbara W.* of Elmira, N.Y., received an alarming letter from the IRS. A man whose name she didn’t recognize added himself to her tax return. He wanted her tax refund routed to his bank, but the IRS needed her permission first. At the time, Barbara had not even filed her taxes for the year.
“You read about these things, but you never think they could happen to you,” says Barbara. “When they do, you feel shocked and violated and unsure of what to do.”
Fortunately, Barbara spoke with her insurance agent about adding identity protection protection to her policy before the incident occurred. That extra identity theft protection coverage ended up providing Barbara with the services of a trained case manager to help her through a very stressful time.
“My caseworker filed a police report, put an alert on my accounts and contacted the IRS, my credit card companies and my bank,” says Barbara. “I always felt like someone was looking out for me since I could call him at any time.”
In addition to the services Barbara mentions, identity theft protection can also reimburse you for lost wages, certain legal fees and more. Contact an insurance professional like an Erie Insurance Agent to learn more about identity theft protection.
Read the full story from Erie Insurance: “One Woman’s Real Life Story of Identity Theft“
