How Identity Theft Commercials Stop Theft
Identity theft commercials by Citibank’s marketing department are seen as quite clever by the majority of people. Usually the depict people doing ordinary things, but the voices are completely different. This signifies identity theft, with the thief having taken over his or her victim’s identity. Usually the thief is speaking about items they purchased, boasting about how easily they seem to have gotten away with their crime.
The identity theft commercials are meant to be amusing, but carry the ironic twist of someone’s identity having been stolen. Expensive items or services were supposedly purchased and the theft victim’s identity, in the thousands or tens of thousands of dollars. The victims are seemingly completely unaware of this, which sends a telling message to all viewers of the identity theft commercials. This is a very real and serious threat to everyone, and Citibank has come up with measures to take to protect its clients.
Citibank’s Identity Theft Protection Program
Citibank offers, as part of its protection program, a service that places a closer watch on credit card purchases. If any suspicious activity is shown, as the identity theft commercials state, Citibank will immediately place a hold on the transaction and notify the account holder.
Another service advertised in the identity theft commercials is called Virtual Card number. With it, the account holder can have a number randomly generated to use for purchase, without needing to give out the actual number.
A credit card with a photo identification is another excellent identity theft deterrent provided by Citibank. Unless the thief has a photo of his or her victim, often the requirement for photo identification will prove to be a deterrent against their attempted theft. Most other banks will offer this service as well.
If a credit card is lost or stolen, financial institutions will immediately deactivate the lost card and send the account holder a new one at no charge. Citibank extends this service to the full contents of a wallet or purse. They issue a new bank card and send the recipient money to replace important documents such as drivers’ license, in addition to offering information about how to replace documents.
Internet security is another feature advertised in Citibank’s identity theft commercials. Personnel are available to investigate any suspicious website or email, and to assist in bring computers up to date with proper virus protection. New Internet scams are also identified by personnel and sent to the proper authorities.
The program itself is an excellent precaution against identity theft, but the commercials that advertise it are what raise the awareness of people to the seriousness of identity theft.
