It's insurance. Thankfully I haven't needed it yet.
You don’t need a service.
Put a credit freeze on all accounts.
Get an IRS pin.
Check all bills carefully.
I personally believe that the main thing LifeLock does is freeze your credit reports, which you can do yourself for free.
They say right up front that nobody can prevent all identity theft, so they’re pretty much saying that it could still happen.
In my opinion, the two most important things you can do is:
1) Freeze your credit reports
2) Store all your username/passwords/URLs in a password safe like KeePass.info and NEVER type any of those three pieces of information. Always copy and paste them from the password safe.
Keyloggers are your primary online danger, and if you never type in a user name or password they are safe from keyloggers.
I have had LifeLock for several years .. and they really do pay attention to what is happening with all your accounts. They also send me a month end report which also shows my credit score.
And, I have Norton Anti-Virus on my computer, so I rarely have anybody trying to mess with my stuff.
I pay $25.00/mo.
Lifelock.
Cheap compared to the agony, time and money needed to try to restore your credit if your identity is stolen.
So cheap I don’t think of it as a cost.
I have always been suspicious of ‘who’s watching the watchers’.
Should I get Lifelock!
Are you sure that this call is not a scam in itself????
I had my credit stolen some time ago....the thieves keep calling me, begging me to take it back....they cry that they don’t want to be me....too bad for them, they’re stuck with my credit now.....so sad!!!!!
I split the difference. I use an offbrand service, but I let the taxpayers pick up the bill for me.
I use Equifax, one of the big-three credit reporting agencies. Have used them for years. Costly (I’m rather cheap), but a lot cheaper than others, such as mentioned here. I also use a PO Box. Identity thieves don’t like them. Too much exposure I guess.
I had Life Lock for several years. My credit card was hit for $400. My credit card company contacted me- not Life Lock. Costco.com has an Identity Protection Service that is much cheaper than Life Lock and as complete. The main advantage with both services is the $1 million credit restoration services they provide if you need them. Most credit card companies are pretty alert to spot fraudulent services and protect you.
There are simple things you can do yourself. As one other stated, lock you reports. When online, always use a credit card, NEVER a debit card. Destroy your card annually and request a new one, change your pin as often as tolerable. I tend to not worry too much about credit card theft, the c/c company already protects me against that. Just be damn careful with your debit card. I’ll go so far as to say just don’t use the damn thing, there are too many skimmers floating around. Just use the c/c and transfer funds weekly. The debit card gives direct access to your cash, don’t risk it... most especially online. Use a shredder, it’s a PITA, but do it anyway. Don’t do business with companies that want your ss# (I’ve even had comcast ask me for it). Don’t save your c/c number with online retailers like Amazon. You don’t control their security. don’t save your passwords in your web browser or anywhere else for that matter.
I run an identity theft racket, er, service. Send me all your info. Don’t even need to send me a fee. That will be, um, “taken care of.”
My guarantee: If anyone steals your identity and assets, it won’t be me. Honest!
I use Lifelock for my son and myself. just $20 a month for both of us. they watch activity, I have had them call me to verify if I am opening an account that requires a credit check (like when I changed phone service, moved my internet etc). I think they are definitely on the ball.
After filing for an extension, we e-filed our taxes to the IRS this October. The IRS rejected it because someone stole our identity via Social Security number. Started the process of getting things resolved. Was told by the IRS agent, during a two hour 45 minute conversation, that stealing Social Security numbers is epidemic. Apparently this happens so often they do not go after single thefts. I asked if it was within our country or China or Russia. They would not tell me. They are supposed to issue us a pin to use as identity.
I'm going through ID theft right that now.
I got whacked in august.
They had my SSN,(pretty sure they got it from my cell phone account).
I got hit with heavy charges from a spit load of credit opened in my name, to include a car loan,(which was denied).
They changed my profile info to a legitimate phone number and email address that didn't belong to me and turned off all alerts I had set up.
They like to open department store charge cards and cell phone service accounts as you can get instant\immediate credit now.
The stores don't verify til later.
By that time, the bad guys are gone with the goods and you have thousands in charges. You don't get the bill or the credit rejection until 30 days later.
Having your SSN also has the potential to compromise your tax return. (they beat you to filing and claim a refund).
There are the things I did.
1.I rec'd all my credit reports. Looking for any new credit inquires or new accounts. I immediately contested any new accounts I did not open.
2.a. I activated free monitoring of my credit reports.
2.b. I Froze my credit reporting to the major firms Equifax\TransUnion\Experian.
3.I filed a police report.
4. I filed an FTC Identity Theft Victims’ Complaint and Affidavit. The instructions that come with this affidavit has an outstanding road map of what to do and when and how to do it when chasing Identity theft. Can go to the FTC web site to get it.
5. I contacted the fraud department for each account that was opened in my name and explained the circumstances\situation. I was required to fill out a each company's version of a fraud affidavit.
6. Filed with the IRS and they approved my SSN be flagged with an identity theft marker. They also recommend I set up am PIN number. Once that is set up, it must be used to identify yourself when doing any business with the IRS.
The sooner you do it, the better...research everything to make intelligent decisions about how to handle it.
As an IT infrastructure professional, I can tell you that information security is an illusion. If the ner-do-wells do not have your personal information today, they will have it someday soon.
I use Experian ProtectMyId. It was free to me as a company benefit. It does work. Beyond that, I also have a rider on my home owners policy that covers any legal expense for restoring my ID should it become compromised.
I view both as essential protections/services.