The consequences and time demands may be more than you're prepared to handle. You may find yourself unable to afford the expense of regaining complete control of your identity or stymied in your effort to protect your personal information from future assaults. Will you be able to stop the financial bleeding? What if you need to take time off from work to deal with the details and complexities of your situation?

Capital Insurance Group (CIG) (http://www.ciginsurance.com) has announced the addition of an Identity Fraud Expense Reimbursement Program to its 65,000 homeowner policies -- at no additional charge. CIG is committed to helping its policyholders reduce their risks by encouraging prevention efforts and minimizing damage through its rapid-resolution response team.

Peter Cazzolla, President and CEO, said: "We are focused on delivering significant value-added benefits that exceed customer expectations. Providing customers with round-the-clock personal assistance to help with identity fraud resolution and prevention is one of the most creative features available from any insurer. Our goal is to help customers feel more secure. They can rely on our agents and support team to protect their interests."

CIG is licensed to offer commercial and personal property and liability protection in California, Nevada and Oregon. The company plans to expand its reach to additional Western states in the near future. Its Homeowners Identity Fraud Expense Reimbursement Program has been introduced in California and Nevada. Coverage goes into effect immediately.

Identity fraud is the fastest-growing crime in the United States. It involves the unauthorized use of another’s personal information for abuse or gain, which may result in the hijack of a victim’s social security number, credit cards, bank accounts and other private assets. Nearly 10 million people each year may be impacted at home, online, or at their jobs or place of business. It is the most common form of complaint filed with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in each of the past six years in spite of increased awareness and authentication processes (686,683 complaints in 2005).

In 2005, the personal information of more than 55 million consumers in the U.S. alone had been compromised by banks, retailers, corporations and academic institutions. Taking precautions may minimize risk, but they don’t always work. For example, "phishing" schemes dupe people into voluntarily providing private information to criminals masked as legitimate enterprises.

The costs incurred by ID fraud victims may mount quickly when legal services are needed to defend against lawsuits and undo civil judgments or criminal records. Resolving the misdeeds and their consequences could require taking time away from work. Expenses add up for documentation retrieval, credit correction appeals and loan application fees, as well as out-of-pocket expenses for notary services, long-distance phone charges or costs associated with certified mailing.

People looking for insurance protection have been charged premiums of $25 - $60 and $500 or more in deductibles. Many policies do not cover ID fraud, are limited by a variety of exclusions and restrictions, or make the claim process too difficult to cope with. Victimized consumers have paid hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars for services promising to clean up their case.

CIG aims to bring greater attention to the real financial impact of ID fraud incidents by raising awareness and providing customers with generous recovery-expense coverage at no cost.

The CIG program announced today covers:
The homeowner, spouse, children, relatives, and persons under 21 living with and in the care of the policyholder…no matter where or how the incident occurred -- at home, work, online or while traveling anywhere in the world.

Expense reimbursement features are:
- Zero deductible
- $15,000 per case
- Up to $2,000 in lost wages ($500 per week)
- Reasonable attorney fees, resolution and recovery expenses.

CIG personal support services include:
- Toll-free 24/7 rapid-resolution response
- Dedicated specialists assigned to assist and guide you through each step of your case -- no matter how simple or complex
- Online access to your case so you can track your resolution progress
- Help with correcting your personal records and preventing future fraud
- Help you with legal, police and creditor resolution.

About Capital Insurance Group (CIG): CIG is a property and liability insurance company serving California, Nevada and Oregon residents and business owners. Founded in 1898, the group is comprised of the California Capital Insurance Company, Eagle West Insurance Company, Monterey Insurance Company, and Nevada Capital Insurance Company. The company provides personal and business lines of insurance for residential, transportation and property owners through its network of authorized independent agents. For information on finding an agent near you, go to the Agent Locator page at the CIG website.