Generali Global Assistance Provides 2020 Identity & Cyber Protection Recap, Sees Significant Increase in ID Theft Cases

BETHESDA, Md., Jan. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Generali Global Assistance ("GGA") today announced a recap of the types of identity theft cases received last year, product growth metrics, and a summary of corporate highlights in 2020.

Resolution Highlights

GGA's identity theft resolution department saw an increased level of activity during 2020 likely due to the pandemic as resolution team members saw a massive spike in employment-related fraud and ID monitoring inquiries.  

• Generali Global Assistance saw an eighty percent (80%) increase YoY in the number of identity theft resolution cases that they handled.
• As a result of the enhanced unemployment benefits distributed during the pandemic, GGA saw a massive increase (5,630%) in employment-related fraud from approximately 20 cases during 2019 to nearly 750 cases in 2020 alone.
• Due to the increase in pandemic-related ID theft scams, the team also saw a significant uptick (220%) in the number of inquiries for ID Monitoring from approximately 950 inquiries in 2019 to almost 3,100 in the past year alone.
• GGA also sustained a Net Promoter Score (NPS) in the high 70s throughout 2020. An NPS is a measure of how likely a customer would be to recommend the platform rated on a scale of 1-100.

Product Milestones

Generali Global Assistance's Identity Portal was enhanced for both GEICO & Nationwide customers using the service. GGA's Identity & Cyber Protection services remained resilient while the platform saw a significant spike in the number of ID email alerts generated.

• In 2020, GGA launched Email Health Check for GEICO's identity protection customers. Email Health Check is an interactive tool that searches data that's been leaked in a breach in order to notify a user if their email address has been compromised.
• GGA also enhanced the Identity Theft Protection Program it offers through Nationwide by adding additional cyber protection-focused services. The new features provide an added layer of protection to consumers' identity security with an online data protection suite, including RansomStop™, DataScrambler^®, and PhishBlock^® software, data recovery, home internet security restoration, and 24/7 identity theft resolution with cyber advice.
• GGA saw a 186% increase in the number of alerts sent per customer, helping them to better monitor and address threats to their identity. The surge in the number of alerts is likely due to the hike in scams and breaches in 2020.
• During the course of the year, GGA maintained an uptime of 99.99% for its identity & cyber protection portals.

Corporate Updates

Generali Global Assistance expanded its international footprint in 2020 by launching its Identity Protection platform in 68 additional countries. As a result of this significant international growth, GGA was awarded the Gold Stevie for Achievement in International Expansion at the American Business Awards. Its team was also recognized for its industry-leading customer service with the Silver Stevie for Customer Service Department of the Year and ranked 9^th overall among the Top 25 Cybersecurity Companies of 2020. GGA also continued its longstanding partnership with the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) to educate the public on the best ways to protect themselves online.

• GGA's Identity & Cyber Protection Services division was ranked 9^th among the Top 25 Cybersecurity Companies of 2020 according to The Software Report. 
• Generali Global Assistance won two Stevie Awards for Achievement in International Expansion at the American Business Awards (Gold) and Customer Service Department of the Year at the American Business Awards (Silver).
• The Identity & Cyber Protection Services Division continued its work with the NCSA releasing a  number of webinars and educational resources to help consumers and business owners better protect their data, and served as a Cybersecurity Awareness Month Champion for the fifth consecutive year.  
• The Identity & Cyber Protection Services division also expanded its international footprint in 2020 with the rollout of its identity and cyber protection platform to 68 additional countries across the globe, making its services available in 90+ countries. In support of this expansion, GGA has also made the U.S. version of its Iris Identity Protection portal bilingual, with languages in both English and Spanish.

Paige Schaffer, CEO, Global Identity and Cyber Protection Services at Generali Global Assistance, commented on today's news, "When transformative events like the COVID-19 pandemic occur, it's only natural for us as consumers to be distracted by the steady stream of new information as we look to get a handle on the situation. Unfortunately, this distraction creates an ideal environment for scams and misleading information to thrive. In 2020, we saw scammers stoop to new lows by taking advantage of everything from American's much-needed stimulus payments, their charitable natures, and even their desire for canine companions. Taking proactive steps to combat scammers in combination with a reliable identity and cyber protection service is essential to helping to ensure peace of mind when it comes to protecting consumers' identity during these moments of crisis." 

Download Generali Global Assistance Identity & Cyber Protection's 2020 Highlight Reel infographic for a snapshot of the division's 2020 accomplishments.

About Generali Global Assistance 
Generali Global Assistance has been a leading provider of identity and cyber protection solutions, travel insurance, and other assistance services for more than 35 years. The Company offers a full suite of innovative, vertically-integrated travel insurance and emergency services, identity protection solutions, and beneficiary companion services. Generali Global Assistance is part of the multinational Generali Group, which for over 185 years has created a presence in 60 countries with over 71,000 employees. Our success has been built on the foundation of trust that clients have placed in our ability to provide assistance in the most difficult of circumstances.

To learn more about Generali Global Assistance's identity & cyber protection offerings, please visit https://www.irisidentityprotection.com/

GGA Media Contact 
Jay A. Morakis 
M Group Strategic Communications (for Generali Global Assistance North America)  
+1 646.859.5951 
[email protected] 

SOURCE Generali Global Assistance