You have to wonder how any company that says it will keep your identity safe goes about securing the personal information they collect about their members.  After all the huge data breeches that have happened this year, I sometimes think monkeys are running the show. Government agencies, universities, school systems, large corporations, banks, insurance companies, hospitals, even law firms have all lost sensitive data. PrivacyRights.org is a good place to find the latest 'happening'.

LifeLock knows they are under the microscope. They take on the burden of running a tight ship with strict security measures. LifeLock is ISO 27001 certified for data and operational security. That certification is the highest you can get and follows industry best practices.

Another precaution they take is to secure all data onsite. No computers anywhere outside of secure data centers have the member's critical information on them. That's important to me because it means no stolen laptops, no stolen backup tapes, nothing is misplaced.

Richard Rzasa is now LifeLock's CIO. He had a 24 year career in the securities industry as the CIO of TD Waterhouse - a brokerage firm.  With that background, I'm guessing he knows a little something about keeping information safe.

LifeLock has my personal information but I don't worry about them losing it. They are my 'go to' guys for keeping my identity safe.

Federal employees who have an account with Avue Technologies Corp®. will get LifeLock's identity theft protection free of charge starting July 2008. Avue Technologies Corp. provides human resources software to federal agencies. They are the premier provider of human capital technology solutions to the Federal Government and are a certified HR Line of Business Shared Service Center. LifeLock® is the nation's leading provider of identity theft protection services.

Avue Technologies and LifeLock have come together to create a joint effort to protect Federal Government agencies from liability for identity theft. Security breaches have become all too common and single incident or data breach could cost the Government hundreds of millions of dollars for credit reporting and fraud mitigation.

Full-time employees of Federal agencies who are subscribers to Avue can “opt-in” through their normal Avue Navigator® desktop portal to receive LifeLock at no charge. Full story on Avue's website.

LifeLock’s $1 Million Total Service Guarantee says:

"If our system ever fails and your identity is stolen while you are our client, we will do everything we can to fix the problem. No matter what it takes or how long it takes, we will spend up to $1 million to get the problem resolved, reimburse you for any financial losses you incur, and give you back your good name. The only requirement is that you be a paying LifeLock client when the theft occurs and that your report to us be lawful and genuine."

 The Federal Government has realized the dangers of security breaches that seem to be out of control.  Federal Agencies and contractors have found out that failed cybersecurity may lead to criminal investigations and potential prosecution.

Teaming up with LifeLock will go a long way towards preventing and/or minimizing the damage that happens with identity theft.

 

 

With identity theft on the rise, a huge concern to me and probably to you is how to prevent identity theft. LifeLock is the leading ID theft protection company. But does LifeLock really work?

Let's break down each portion of what a LifeLock membership does and analyze it.

LifeLock does these things anyone can do for free themselves:

• Place fraud alerts - renew them every 90 days
• Opt-out of pre-approved credit offers (I did this years ago.)
• Get a free credit report every year from http://annualcreditreport.com (I always get them myself.)

A fraud alert on your credit files is designed to alert you to anyone attempting to open a new line of credit in your name. Is it foolproof? Not as total identity theft coverage because it doesn't require a new creditor to call you first, it just requests it. Plus, it is only intended to stop new lines of credit. Fraud alerts can't keep someone from saying they're you if they've been arrested.

LifeLock's CEO, Todd Davis, publishes his social security and has had multiple attempts of people trying to get credit in his name. The only time a thief was successful was with a payday loan company in Texas where the company didn't follow the protocol requested by the fraud alert. The identity thief made off with $500 but no blemishes were put on Mr. Davis' credit report and he wasn't responsible to repay the $500.

What else does LifeLock do to protect your identity?

Because your personal information is 'out there' in so many places, there's no way you can gather it back up. In addition, since January 2005 to May 2008 there have been over 225,000,000 cases of security breaches as reported by PrivacyRights.org.

Because so many bits and pieces of your identity can be bought and traded on the black market by orginized crime, LifeLock now has a technology called eRecon^tm that patrols over 10,000 known criminal websites for the illegal selling and trading of your personal information. This is something that would be very difficult if not impossible for someone to do for themselves.

LifeLock also has a feature called TrueAddress^tm that monitors the databases for address changes. Thieves commonly submit change of address forms so they can intercept your mail. As a LifeLock subscriber, you'll be notified if your address they have on file is changed.

For me, the biggest benefit of using LifeLock's services is knowing they'll help me if my identity ever gets stolen. I don't believe there's anything I can do (or any company can do) that will 100% guarantee that I'll never become a victim. Identity thieves are just too good at what they do.

Knowing LifeLock will hire attorneys, investigators, case managers, whatever it takes to clear a theft is biggie for me. The moment I finished enrolling with LifeLock, I experienced such a feeling of relief - it's hard to even explain. And it was totally unexpected.

LifeLock currently has over one million subscribers. Of these, only 105 people have had to use LifeLock's $1million total service guarantee. That's about one thousanth of one percent -  much better odds than non-subscribers. The CEO has had plenty of attempts to steal his identity. Not a single one is recorded on his credit report nor has he suffered any harm from them.

So in my opinion, yes, I do believe LifeLock works and is a small price to pay for the peace of mind I now have.

Cost of LifeLock

LifeLock Identity Theft Protection costs $10 a month or $110 if you prefer to use the annual pay plan.

However, Life Lock offers a discounted price of $9 a month or $99 annually if you use a promotion code. The best promo code also has a special offer that gives you 30 days for free so that you can try out their services with no obligation.

To get the special offer with all the discounts and savings, use the promotional code '9'.

What's included in my LifeLock membership?

There are three things LifeLock will do for you that you can do for yourself for free:

1. 1. Place a fraud alert on your credit file - renew it every 90 days
2. 2. Opt you out of pre-approved credit offers - https://www.optoutprescreen.com
3. 3. Order your free annual credit reports

It's the things that LifeLock offers that you can't do for yourself that makes it such a good value:

• · $1 Million Total Service Guarantee
• · WalletLock - gives you help to replace the contents of your wallet if it's lost or stolen
• · 24/7 Helpline

What Can I do to protect myself from Identity Theft if I don't use LifeLock?

If you can't fit $9 a month into  your budget, please do the first 3 steps listed above to give yourself some protection from identity theft. When you get your credit reports, check them carefully for any accounts that you didn't open. Also look at them to be sure there are no mistakes - check all three because sometimes a mistake shows up on only one.

Get more tips for Identity Theft Protection.

 

A favorite way identity thieves steal is through address changes. The US Postal Service reports that  45 million change-of-address forms are filed annually. Most of these changes are legit. But many times they aren't.

These change of address forms can be used by identity thieves to obtain personal information for the purpose of identity theft. That’s why, in addition to the daily online scouring of the internet through eRecon^TM, LifeLock has also introduced TrueAddress™.

LifeLock’s new TrueAddress^TM service searches to see if members have had a change of address form filed and alert them if there are changes. This is the type of thing that we as individuals really can't do for ourselves. It's just one more way for LifeLock to provide the best value in identity theft protection!

LifeLock is committed to providing you the best identity theft protection you can find. They have now added eRecon^TM to their arsenal of features.

eRecon^TM patrols the internet in search of the unauthorized use of:

• social security numbers
• credit card numbers
• driver’s license numbers
• email addresses

This protects LifeLock members from having their information illegally traded or sold online in the internet's back alleys and blackmarkets. Identity thieves have created online marketplaces with millions of records where personal information is regularly bought and sold.

This new protection is included in the regular membership cost and covers everyone who has enrolled in the past as well as new members.

The recent incidents involving T.J. Maxx and Hannaford Brothers Supermarkets [affecting 4.2 milllion people] have dramatically illustrated the risks and realities of identity theft with millions of individuals suffering the loss of personal data.

With LifeLock protection, we can all sleep soundly!

 

LifeLock outstanding protection just got even better. LifeLock continues to pave the way for innovative and inexpensive identity protection.

LifeLock has added new additional layers of sophisticated, proactive identity theft protection that will search for threats of identity theft that can directly affect LifeLock members. The additional protections are included with LifeLock membership and are offered at no additional charge to members.

Effective immediately, LifeLock will begin rolling out eRecon^TM, a regular patrol of the Internet in search of the social security numbers, credit card numbers, driver’s license numbers and email addresses of LifeLock members to protect against the information being illegally traded or sold online.

Additionally, the United States Postal Service reports that 45 million change-of-address forms are filed annually. These change of address forms can be used by identity thieves to obtain personal information for the purpose of identity theft.

That’s why, in addition to the daily online scouring of the internet through eRecon, LifeLock will also introduce TrueAddress™. LifeLock’s new TrueAddress service searches to see if members have had a change of address form filed and alert them if there are changes.

Your identity theft protection just got that much stronger. LifeLock isn't content to rest on their laurels. They are determined to provide you with the best total coverage and protection.

LifeLock does more than protect your identity. They also protect the contents of your wallet with a service called 'WalletLock'. I think that's a pretty clever name and really describes what you're getting.

If your wallet is lost or stolen, the first thing you'd be worried about is someone using your credit cards. If you happened to have your social security number in your wallet, you're in for full-blown identity theft. Any cash you may have been carrying is small potatoes compared to the value of your identity to a thief.

Here's some things you may carry in your wallet:

• driver's license
• credit cards
• debit card
• insurance card
• social security card
• Medicare card
• voter id card
• blank checks
• your spouse and kid's social security numbers

.. All the kinds of things you just don't want to lose.

Because losing your wallet is directly connected to having your identity stolen, it's perfectly logical for an identity theft protection plan to also protect the contents of your wallet - yet LifeLock is the only company offering this service.

The quicker you can alert banks and authorities about the theft, the more you can minimize the damage identity thieves can do. That's where WalletLock simply shines. All you have to do is call LifeLock's toll-free 800 number (1-800-LIFELOCK) and you'll get a specialist to help you through this bad situation.

If you're travelling overseas and lose your wallet, you can make a collect call to LifeLock at 480-682-5100 and get the same help.

Visit the WalletLock page on LifeLock's website to download the WalletLock pdf file. Use it to record the account numbers, policy numbers and contact numbers of the contents of your wallet. Whenever you get a different card, list it on this sheet for your records.

Any card of yours that  you're carrying are covered - you don't have to register them with the WalletLock service. Now you've got even more peace of mind from LifeLock!

Fraud Alerts were created by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) that was passed on December 4, 2003. It went into effect on 1/1/04.

The FCRA established the right for any consumer to  to request a fraud alert for 90 days at a time. It requires one call to one of the credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian or TransUnion. Whichever one you call is required to notify the other two about your fraud alert request.

Any new creditor has a duty to honor your fraud alert. This means any business wanting to give you a loan or line of credit (like a credit card or home equity loan) needs to call you and ask for your authorization in person. They are to call you at the number you provided when you placed the fraud alert.

The concept of a fraud alert is to stop an identity thief in his tracks from opening a new line of credit with your information.

The alert expires after 90 days and needs to be renewed if you want your protection to continue. The exceptions to the 90 day rule are active military personnel or identity theft victims. An active duty alert will last for 12 months. An identity theft victim can place a fraud alert that will last for 7 years provided they have filed the required affidavits with the FTC.

Will a fraud alert make it hard for me to get new credit?

No, it won't make it hard to get credit. It will just slow down the approval until you're contacted in person. The main type of credit you won't be able to get is the 'instant' credit approval. You've heard the offers many times at stores. They sound like this, "If you apply for our Visa card today, you'll save 10% on your purchase."

Identity thieves LOVE instant credit. It's one of their main ways to rip you off, well, instantly before you even realize you're a victim.

Fraud alerts are free and easily done by phone or online. You do need to remember to renew them every 3 months. You won't find the credit bureaus advertising them or reminding you to renew because they can't turn a profit with them. They would rather sell you credit monitoring which only alerts you AFTER someone opened an account in your name.

Fraud alerts aren't a perfect solution to identity theft because they don't require a new creditor to call you - only request that they comply with the law. However, they're the best solution we've been given so far.

LifeLock has a media blitz happening. They're trying to let the entire US know about their company and the real danger of identity theft. Most of us are still living in the 20th Century thinking identity theft is rare. It's a problem because Baby Boomers think they're still in the 80's and the Generation Y's aren't paying attention to anything right now besides themselves and their social networks.

The X's, well, they're busy raising kids and making a living…

Someone has to shake us out of our little dream world of safety and tell us that identity theft is real. It's happening. And it's only going to get worse.

LifeLock's commercials and ads have shocked us out of our cocoon because their CEO is so willing to publish his social security number in HUGE letters anywhere he can. Up to now, we've believed we can keep our identity safe by shredding our statements, junk mail and any personal info. We carefully put our social security cards in a safe, secret place in our house. Memorize our PIN numbers and shield the touch pad when we use our debit cards. OK - we're safe. Right??

Unfortunately, it ain't so. Identity thieves have found the BIG payday in hacking or stealing computers with lists of thousands of identities. It's quite a well-paying and safe job. So safe in fact that it's surpassed drug trafficking as the crime of choice.

So no matter how safe we keep our personal data, it's still out there. Todd Davis proved that to us by telling us his social security number is 457-55-5462. GASP….

So if he's willing to do that, you have to believe that his company can protect you. And if it can't, you've got his word that LifeLock will do whatever it takes to fix your identity and restore your credit. He looks you in the eye and says that. I haven't seen any other identity theft protection company's officers do that.

Is it a gimmick?

Who cares? He does it anyway and stands behind his company with full faith that they're the best.

So, what's so great about LifeLock?

They've made us more aware of the problem of identity theft. They even tell us that we can protect ourselves for free if we want to. It's all over their website. Take them up on their offer to help you or not, they still have done us a service by making us realize that identity theft CAN happen to anyone.