Five minutes is all it takes for fraudsters to wreak havoc with your personal and financial information. That’s why, starting today, MasterCard is launching its “Take 5 to Protect Yourself” initiative, a campaign to encourage cardholders to fight fraud by taking just five minutes to sign up for MasterCard ID Theft Alerts. The “Take 5 to Protect Yourself” campaign is the latest in the company’s ongoing commitment to protecting consumers’ financial and personal information.
Signing up takes less than 5 minutes, less time than it does to apply sunscreen. A cardholder simply goes to the ID Theft Protection website and enters the first 6 digits of his or her MasterCard-branded card. The secure site then provides simple instructions to complete the sign-up. There is no additional cost for the service, and a cardholder can opt in or out at any time and decide how much and which information he or she wants monitored. Afterwards, the cardholder will immediately receive email or text alerts if their personal information appears on the dark web.
“Taking advantage of ID Theft Alerts is a no-brainer because we’re all busy and don’t have time to worry about whether or not our data is improperly circulating on the dark web,” said Robert Siciliano, Identity Theft and Personal Security Expert. “From an emotional and educational standpoint, having access to identity theft specialists is a key value add because victims simply need some basic guidance to get through the situation.”
MasterCard created ID Theft Protection to help cardholders from the early detection of fraud through filing police reports and alerting credit bureaus to providing emergency services if cards, wallets or documents are lost or stolen.
“We all take smart precautions to protect our personal information in the physical world, like setting up mobile phone locks or putting our personal documents in hotel safes,” said Cheryl Guerin, executive vice president, U.S. Products & Solutions for MasterCard. “It’s just as important in the digital world. ID Theft Alerts and five minutes is all it takes for our cardholders to take control of their identities and fight online fraud.”
