Security Breaches are Increasing March 11, 2008
Posted by LifeLock Promo in Prevent Identity Theft.Tags: identity theft, identity theft protection, security breaches
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I visit the PrivacyRights.org site often to see what new breach has happened that may not have been reported on the news. It’s pretty scary to see how many there are.
Here’s one from a cell phone business that moved that really makes me nervous: “Two men found a box in a dumpster. The cell phone business recently moved and threw away documents that contained personal information from customers. The information contained driver’s license numbers, Social Security number, bank account numbers, credit card numbers, work and home addresses.”
They don’t even know how many people that affected but fortunately, the box was found by honest people. How many other businesses just dump info like that into a dumpster that we never hear about? No wonder dumpster diving is so popular. A full identity like that is worth about $100 each and can be sold many times over.
Universities, medical clinics, government offices and health insurers have lost tens of thousands of files. How can you ever think you’ll be safe?
You can put a fraud alert on your credit report for free by calling one of the credit bureaus. You can do it online at Experian. It’s free and doesn’t make it take longer to get new credit the way a security freeze does. The alert expires every 90 days, so you’ll have to remember to keep it renewed. The credit bureaus say the fraud alerts are for people who suspect they’re in imminent danger of becoming an identity theft victim or someone who already is. By following the trail of security breaches, I think we’re all in imminent danger of being the next victim. Our information is out there and we just can’t keep it controlled anymore.
LifeLock Review November 20, 2007
Posted by LifeLock Promo in Prevent Identity Theft.Tags: lifelock review, lifelock reviews
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LifeLock is the fastest growing identity theft protection company in the US. What they offer is unique, simple and inexpensive.
Identity theft is a big problem here in the 21st century. It’s no longer being committed by a small-time thief looking to make a quick buck. According to the FTC, identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America. Roughly 10 million Americans have their personal information stolen and misused in some way every year, costing consumers $5 billion and businesses $48 billion annually. The FTC also reports that it takes an an average of 177 hours over two years to fix your credit.
What does LifeLock do to protect your identity?
The first thing they do is immediately put a fraud alert on your credit files. A fraud alert requires a lender to call you at the number you provide before they can open any new accounts. You’ll still easily be able to apply for any new credit yourself. It’s different than credit freeze which completely shuts down your credit to everyone, including you.
Then LifeLock orders your credit reports from all three credit reporting agencies and has them mailed directly to you. This gives you a baseline on what your credit looks like and the accounts you have.
They will also stop all those pre-approved credit offers that you get in the mail every single day. You can’t just toss them, they have to be shredded.
That stuff above you can do yourself for free. But Life Lock does more.
They scan the internet looking for misuse of your personal information with a service called eRecon. Identity thieves sell, trade and barter pieces of identities 24/7. Stolen identities can be sold multiple times. Life Lock also monitors the address change database to be sure your address hasn’t been hi-jacked. Change of address is a favorite way id thieves operate to steal as much as they can.
Then, they’ll back up their claim to protect you with a $1 million total service guarantee. If your identity is stolen while you have LifeLock’s services, they’ll reimburse you for your losses up to $1,000,000 and hire someone to help you set things right again. That’s peace of mind.
Is LifeLock Safe? Can Employees or Hackers get my info?
LifeLock is certified ISO 27001. This is the most stringent security certification within the industry and is currently the only company in the identity theft prevention field who has achieved this status. They has taken every measure possible to keep information secure.
Who needs identity theft protection?
Anyone with a social security number – including kids!
If I lost my wallet and someone used my credit cards and drained my bank account, what would LifeLock do?
After the bank and credit card companies do what they can, LifeLock will reimburse you for the rest of your losses. They can also hire professionals to work on your behalf to oversee the process so you won’t have to spend your time doing it. LifeLock can’t stop someone from stealing money out of your bank account, but their million dollar guarantee will replace any funds that your bank doesn’t.
Most credit card companies will pay back items purchased by someone else once the card is reported stolen, there is still small print and a time period where everything must be reported. LifeLock will stand by you every step of the way and help you get through the process.
How much does LifeLock cost?
LifeLock is $10 a month or $110 a year.
If you use the promotion code – 9 – you can get protection for only $9 a month or $99 a year. Plus you get your first 30 days for free to try it out.
How do I sign up with LifeLock?
You can enroll online at LifeLock.com or call them at 1-800-LIFELOCK. Use the promo code – 9 – to get your discounted rate.
Nobody can 100% guarantee you’re identity won’t be stolen. Identity thieves are too good at what they do and security is way to lax with corporations, stores, schools and government agencies. With a service like Life Lock, you’ll have someone in your corner to fix your problem for you.
There are other identity protection plans you can choose and the prices and features vary – sometimes quite a bit. LifeLock is one of the two companies who include restoration services which I think is the biggest plus in their coverage. The service guarantee and the low price is why I chose LifeLock to protect me.
Identity Theft – Cyber Crime Pays November 18, 2007
Posted by LifeLock Promo in Internet Identity Theft.Tags: identity theft, identity theft protection, security breaches
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Identity theft is THE fastest growing crime in the world. It’s now bringing in more than drug trafficking.
One of the reason it’s so popular with thieves is because they are rarely caught. And even if they are caught, they generally aren’t convicted. It’s possible that only 5% of identity theft cases lead to an arrest. Of those 5%, only 30% are actually convicted. Electronic crime seems to be THE place to be nowadays.
Another reason cyber hackers don’t get caught is because so few people actually detect it. As a society, we’re still in the 1980’s mentality. Identity theft rarely happened back then because there wasn’t as much access to personal information.
Security breaches are now commonplace. A huge black market exists for bank account numbers, credit card numbers and social security numbers. They get sold many times over. For a thief, finding a spreadsheet full of credit card numbers is like hitting a lottery.
Bring yourself into the 21st century and pay close attention to your credit reports and what’s in them. Preventing identity theft is a lot easier than fixing it.
