Protection During a Pandemic: Guidance on Navigating Legal and Privacy Challenges

ADA, Okla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 20, 2020--

LegalShield, the world’s leading provider of affordable legal and
privacy protection  plans, wants consumers to be empowered by 
their legal rights and protected from potential identity theft scams 
that can arise during challenging economic times.

“During times of uncertainty it is even more vital to understand your
legal rights and how to protect yourself and family members from 
potential privacy breaches, cybercrimes and scams,” said Jeff Bell, 
CEO of LegalShield. “With the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, 
LegalShield and IDShield want to share tips on protecting your 
identity and private information, along with your legal rights 
around employment, healthcare and travel. Unfortunately, times 
like this embolden many businesses and individuals to take advantage 
of people’s fears. This is a time to pull together to protect and empower 
consumers.”

Legal assistance in uncertain situations

Coronavirus could potentially impact every family and small business. Therefore, consumers should update their legal documents, specifically their Wills, powers of attorney (including healthcare) and healthcare directives.

Every day, we see more headlines around event cancellations and travel warnings. Consumers who are not compensated fairly should consult with an attorney on 

issues around travel insurance, cancelled travel accommodations, sporting and 

social events etc.

Many people have questions about coronavirus’ potential impact on their livelihood. Concerns include the inability to pay bills in the face of lost employment or missed 

work; PTO or time off to care for children who aren’t in school or other family 

members in need of care during the crisis; eligibility for short-term disability if 

someone contracts the illness. Make sure you know your legal rights.

LegalShield attorneys are seeing increased volume in a variety of legal issues 

including:

• Contractor and Vendor matters that center around disputes over work cleanup, and repair scams.
• Insurance Claim matters such as consumers needing assistance applying for government support and theft losses.
• Identity Theft matters where consumers are fooled by charitable scams, relief  fund fraud and stolen personal documents.
• Price Gouging matters in which consumers are being vastly overcharged for everyday items.

Legal assistance for small business owners

Many small businesses are suffering during this crisis, but measures can be taken to reduce negative impact. Here are some tips to take back control:

• Small businesses are often leanly staffed or run by family members. If you don’t have a business continuity plan in place, now is the time to create one.
• Set up a formal work-from-home plan – so you can keep the talent you have currently.
• Understand both local and federal employment laws so both you and your employees are protected.
• Turn to social media to get the word out on your services and products.
• Pay close attention to emails from companies or people you don’t normally work for as cyberattacks run rampant during crises.

Mr. Bell added, “Consumers don’t have to feel alone during this time of crisis. Rather 

than leaving security or potential legal situations up to chance, consumers should proactively arm themselves with information.”

Protecting Your Personally Identifiable Information (PII)

Reports of potential consumer and medical scams abound in these trying times. Here

 are some quick tips to protect consumers’ wallets as well as their personal 

  information:

• Avoid products that specifically claim to be effective against the coronavirus. There currently aren’t any approved products available to treat or prevent the virus, so allegations to the contrary could be a red flag.
• Take care not to click on links promoting these kinds of unapproved products. It’s possible that thieves may be trying to install malware on your device in order to collect your data and steal your identity.
• Be cautious of unexpected emails claiming to be from health professionals. Do not click on any links. Always go to the alleged organization’s official website if you want more information.
• Donation scams are looking to cash in on your charitable nature. Do your proper  research to make an informed decision before picking out a charity. Be cautious of causes that demand you pay only with cash or money order.
• Don’t put your credentials into third-party sites unless you’re 100% sure you’re on the correct site.

Through the LegalShield and IDShield mobile apps (available on iOS and Android) 

there are several free services and freemiums available to help aid consumers and 

small businesses, including:

• LegalShield - free legal forms or ask general legal questions.
• IDShield - more important now than ever.

About LegalShieldand IDShield

A trailblazer in the democratization of affordable access to legal protection, 

LegalShield is one of North America’s largest providers of online legal subscription 

plans covering more than 4.375 million people. Its IDShield identity theft solution 

for individuals and families has more than one million members. LegalShield and IDShield serve more than 141,000 businesses. In addition, over 40,000 companies 

offer LegalShield and IDShield plans to their employees as a voluntary benefit. Both 

legal and identity theft plans start for less than $25 per month.

LegalShield’s legal plans provide access to qualified law firms and their attorneys 

with an average of 22 years of experience in family matters, estate planning, financial 

and business issues, consumer protection, tax, real estate, benefits disputes and auto/driving issues. Unlike other legal plans or do-it-yourself online services, 

LegalShield has dedicated law firms in 50 states and all provinces and territories in Canada that members can access at a fraction of typical law firm hourly rates.

IDShield provides identity monitoring and restoration services and is the only identity theft protection company armed with a team of Licensed Private Investigators to

 restore a member’s identity.

For more information about LegalShield, visit: Legalshield.com or for more 

information about IDShield, visit: IDShield information.

Identity Theft Shield - When "Close" Isn't Good Enough

Anyone else having computer issues the last few days? Are you sure that you haven't been a victim of ID Theft? Here are some tips...if you have more questions, call me!

Share This:   Investigator Insight:    Identity Theft and College Students   Typically, those entering college are also entering a new level of personal responsibility. Some of those responsibilities are more obvious than others.    Here, Kroll Advisory Solutions shares important information to give a college student insight and advice related to responsible handling of their personal identifiers.     click HERE to read tips for college students.   For questions about your membership, please contact LegalShield Customer Care at 1-888-494-8519   Investigator Insight:   When "Close" Isn't Good Enough   Misinformation is extremely dangerous when responding to an identity theft situation. Like a bit of truth that gets changed each time it is shared, the truth about any aspect of identity theft can end up grossly misrepresented once it is repeated many times.   For example, here is a common misrepresentation that is the mixture of both fact and fiction:   If a victim of identity theft does not report the theft of his or her identity within 48 hours, then he or she could be held liable for all debts created by the identity thief after that time. click HERE to read the Insight.   Quick Tip #3:   In this third installment of quick tips, we share insight to help you better manage your personal identifying information.    Set up security features on your electronic devices, including phones, laptops, and computer tablets. Use locking mechanisms and set pass codes that are not easily guessed. This will help protect the sensitive personal information stored on these devices.   Investigator Alert! Investigators are receiving calls about a virus posing as an FBI alert, freezing computers and alarming users across the country. Infected computers display a shocking pop-up that tells owners they have illegal materials on their PCs and demands a $200 fine.*   How the Scam Works:   Computers infected with the FBI MoneyPak malware display a message using the FBI seal and citing several legal documents. "Your PC is blocked due to at least one of the reasons below," reads the message. The reasons include owning/distributing copyrighted material, pornography or malware.    To unlock the computer, the virus demands a fine (amounts vary from $100 to $300) that must be paid with MoneyPak, a way to send cash without a bank account. It threatens criminal action against those who don't pay within three days.   The FBI calls the virus Reveton. Unlike many viruses that activate when users open a file or attachment, this one can install itself when users simply click on a compromised website.   What to Do if Your Computer is Infected: Do not pay any money or provide any personal information Only the most computer-savvy users will be able to remove the virus without help. See Microsoft's "Security Essentials" and select the "I think my computer is infected" option to contact a support person in your area. You can also search for computer repair shops at BBB.org. Be aware that even if you are able to unfreeze your computer on your own, the malware might still operate in the background. For More Information: See the FBI's scams webpage for more information and updates on the scam.   *taken from information directly from the Better Business Bureau     One Pre Paid Way | Ada, OK 74820 US opt out using TrueRemove®