Be aware that a data breach or an ID theft event is a lifelong problem that may affect you long into the future and in ways you likely weren’t warned about.

I’m always surprised how some companies are quick to tell customers in a letter or email that while they have experienced a data breach only some information was affected and no social security numbers were stolen.

Or when a breached organization tells you how you should change and/or use stronger usernames and passwords and review your financial, healthcare and insurance accounts more closely.

What data breach victims typically aren’t told, yet they need to know, is that 70 percent of identity theft victims last year were unrelated to a financial event, according the 2015 Federal Trade Commission Consumer Sentinel Data Book. Free credit monitoring services or changing passwords won’t help much with these non-financial breaches.

My primary point is that the full scope of any organizational data breach or personal ID theft event is rarely known due to the complexity of major organizations network and security systems.

This means that we are vulnerable for many years ahead to non-financial events such as taxpayer ID theft and refund fraud, medical ID theft and fraud, and driver’s license ID theft and fraud. We are also at risk when an employee’s identification number or a student’s identification is stolen and is being used for fraudulent purposes.

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June 24, 2015 by Mark Pribish, The Arizona Republic