Members of the military may be worried about their finances when they receive their call to serve our country. It is an understandable concern that your finances are vulnerable when you are not able to monitor them while on active duty. Luckily, you have solutions and and taking full advantage of them will ensure your various accounts are in good hands and your identity is protected.
Set up an active duty alert
One of the best things you can do to protect your good name is to speak with one of the three major credit agencies. These organizations, Experian, TransUnion and Equifax, can put an active duty alert on your accounts. This is not difficult, and setting it up can really protect you.
You won’t need to call all three organizations, as whichever you decide to contact will inform the others. Because you are out of the area, any credit movement involving your accounts will need to have extra steps taken before any transactions are approved.
When this is enacted, it will last for 12 months. You can have these alerts removed if you return from active duty prior to this point, but make sure to hang on to any documentation to ensure a speedy process. You should also keep in mind the date that your alert expires, as it can be extended for another 12 months.
Watch out for identity theft
Even when you are not on duty, you should be wary of the possibility of identity theft. Getting your identity stolen can ruin your credit score and make it extremely difficult to repair the situation. If this does happen, you should contact your credit card companies immediately to inform them of an account breach, and then speak to the credit agencies about the situation, as well.
While Omni Financial can’t keep an eye on your identity when you are away serving our country, we can still give you the financial advice you need when you are in a jam. Whatever your financial difficulty happens to be, Omni can ensure that you are given the right tools to navigate through the difficult situation and stay on your feet. In our 63 years of lending to the military, we pride ourselves as the people who understand the unique needs of service members and what financing plan is best for each circumstance.
