Identity Theft Prevention

[TWork]

I've had a few friends become victim of identity theft over the last couple years and it seems like it's an incredible hassle. I did a little searching here and on the net generally.

Curious if anyone here has experience with companies like LifeLock or similiar services? I've just seen their ads in Time and other places. Sounds like LifeLock in particular has had some bad PR. Anyone ever used one of these services with success? Any thoughts on better ways to prevent ID theft?

[stomachmonkey]

Buy a PC Security Suite form CA, (computer associates). It will come with a $5000 insurance policy issued by Assurant.

Covers all forms of Identity Theft even if not related to a compromised computer.

The CA products can be had for free, just find the Net to Zero rebates. They are everywhere.

[stomachmonkey]

Buy a PC Security Suite form CA, (computer associates). It will come with a $5000 insurance policy issued by Assurant.

Covers all forms of Identity Theft even if not related to a compromised computer.

The CA products can be had for free, just find the Net to Zero rebates. They are everywhere.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

If you're concerned, put a security lock on your credit bureau reports. It's free.

[MikeSid]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

If you're concerned, put a security lock on your credit bureau reports. It's free.

I just went through this and they required a copy of the police report. But yeah, in all other respects it's free. My credit report is now secured by a PIN at Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax.

Also, for a $20 per year (yes - per year) I added a identity theft rider to my homeowner's policy. I doubt I'll ever use the protection but I won't miss the $1.70per month.

[TWork]

I'll have to check out the CA product.

I'm curious about the homeowner's rider. Do they just cover your costs if you're tagged? The costs are certainly a concern, but the time/hassle factor of fixing the problem seems to be huge also.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

If you're concerned, put a security lock on your credit bureau reports. It's free.

It's actually $10 for each, but in my case, it was $30 well spent

ps: it's worth it just to cut down on the "junk mail" credit offers too!

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Hmm. I thought those were supposed to be free, but even so, for $30 it doesn't sound too bad either. . .

Back in grad. school I remember reading an article about a guy (in CO, IIRC) who heated his house for an entire winter on nothing but junk mail flyers - he deliberately tried to get on as many mailing lists as possible, catalogs, etc. It was hilarious and impressive at the same time. I'll see if I can find it.

[MikeSid]

Originally Posted by TWork

I'll have to check out the CA product.

I'm curious about the homeowner's rider. Do they just cover your costs if you're tagged? The costs are certainly a concern, but the time/hassle factor of fixing the problem seems to be huge also.

I didn't check into everything it covers, but I know it covers cost of counsel to defend any litigation brought about by a bad debt caused by identity theft. That was all I was really worried about. Minor identity theft is an inconvenience of modern life - just like any other petty theft and in most cases it is absorbed by the financial institution.

What I didn't want was someone to take out a $40K car loan pretending to be me and chop the car or ship it overseas. Getting a PIN to protect your credit report is probably about you'll need.

[Sonic dB]

Lifelock has a bad reputation and there are many lawsuits and a class action lawsuit against them...according to the lawsuits, they have done a bunch of crappy stuff, such as advertise guarantees that they do not honor, and charge fees for stuff that you can do yourself.

In addition, one of Lifelock's founders was charged with identity theft himself...apparently he stole his father's ID and ran up a bunch of bills on it...a real lowlife.

Google this for more info.

I had my Identity stolen last year, when someone tried to steal money out of an ETrade account I had. Etrade was very sketchy and uncooperative with me and wouldnt tell me exactly what this person had, in terms of my personal data.

So....(as mentioned above) what I did was put a "credit freeze" on my credit with the 3 reporting bureaus. It was free because I had a police report, but costs $10 each service if you just want to put one on (and were not yet a victim of an actual crime). What the freeze does, is does not allow anyone to even access your credit files via your SS#, and does not allow anyone to open credit on your SS#...

You can, however have a temporary 10 day lapse in the freeze, if you want to open credit under your SS#...this costs $10 and they give you a 10 digit security number which you use to access you file, they drop the freeze for 10 days and then it goes back on again.

[Hugh R]

Quit posting all your personal info on Pelican!! Honest to god I can't believe how much personal info people post here like cell phone numbers. I remember a thread a few years ago about hide-a-keys and people posting that they stuck them in the jack point behind the rubber cover. I saw their city, model of car and color. Even when they were going to park their car at a named airport while they went on vacation! Let's see... black 85 Carrera parked at Burbank Airport "C" lot between x and x dates, another thread "Oh I hang a spare key under the car on a piece of wire near the Cat. I mean come on.

[afterburn 549]

What can some one do with your cell number ??

[dhoward]

Originally Posted by afterburn 549

What can some one do with your cell number ??

"Is your refrigerator running?"

[afterburn 549]

????????????
Do not think that was use full / or over my head..747 like..
most every one post cell phones on their buss cards
what is the harm or danger ??? ............refer on ?? hmmm

[afterburn 549]

Still no ans .??

[WolfeMacleod]

I'm told the owner of LifeLock also had his own identity stolen...



http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/05/22/lifelock.flap.ap/index.html


SAN JOSE, California (AP) -- Todd Davis has dared criminals for two years to try stealing his identity: Ads for his fraud-prevention company, LifeLock, even offer his Social Security number next to his smiling mug.


Todd Davis, CEO of Lifelock, uses his real Social Security number in his company's advertisements.

Now, LifeLock customers in Maryland, New Jersey and West Virginia are suing Davis, claiming his service didn't work as promised and he knew it wouldn't, because the service had failed even him.

Attorney David Paris said he found records of other people applying for or receiving driver's licenses at least 20 times using Davis' Social Security number, though some of the applications may have been rejected because data in them didn't match what the Social Security Administration had on file.

Davis acknowledged in an interview with The Associated Press that his stunt has led to at least 87 instances in which people have tried to steal his identity, and one succeeded: a guy in Texas who duped an online payday loan operation last year into giving him $500 using Davis' Social Security number.

Paris said the fact Davis' records were compromised at all supports the claim that Tempe, Arizona-based LifeLock doesn't provide the comprehensive protection its advertisements say it does.

"It's further evidence of the ineffectiveness of the services that LifeLock advertises," said Paris, who is lead attorney on the three new lawsuits, the latest of which was filed this month.

Davis learned about the fraud in Texas when the payday-loan outfit called to collect on the loan, he said. He didn't get an alert beforehand because the company didn't go through one of the three major credit bureaus before approving the transaction.

Davis said it's possible driver's licenses have been issued to other people in his name because of the widespread availability of his personal information -- and because of what he described as the flimsy mechanisms in place to report that kind of fraud.

Paris noted that LifeLock charges $10 a month to set fraud alerts with credit bureaus, even though consumers can do it themselves for free.

But Davis stands by his company and his advertising gimmick, which has appeared in newspapers and on billboards, radio and MTV. He even broadcasts it by bullhorn on walking tours through crowded downtowns.

"There's nothing on my actual credit report about uncollected funds, no outstanding tickets or warrants or anything," he said. "There's nothing to indicate my identity has been successfully compromised other than the one instance. I know I'm taking a slightly higher risk. But I'll take my risk for the tremendous benefit we're bringing to society and to consumers."

The lawsuits, for which Paris is seeking class-action status, highlight the fundamental limits on how much security identity-theft companies can provide.

Companies like LifeLock can help guard against only certain types of financial fraud by helping consumers set up alerts with credit bureaus, which inform them when someone tries to open a new line of credit or boost their credit limit to finance a buying binge, for example.

The services don't guard against many types of identity theft such as use of a stolen Social Security number on a job application or for medical services, or even the instance of an arrestee giving police a stolen Social Security number to shield his own identity.

LifeLock is also being sued in Arizona over its $1 million service guarantee, which the plaintiffs claim is misleading because it only covers a defect in LifeLock's service, and in California by the Experian credit bureau. Experian accuses LifeLock of deceiving consumers about the breadth of its protection and abusing the system for attaching fraud alerts to credit reports.

Security experts say complaints about the company reinforce the time-honored wisdom of keeping your Social Security number secret.

"There's been a lot of marketing, a lot of hype about LifeLock," said Paul Stephens, director of policy and advocacy with the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization. "The question is, 'How much protection does it really buy you?"'

"There is no company that can guarantee they can protect you (completely) against identity theft," Stephens said. "Absolutely nobody can do that.




Reposted: CEO of LifeLock Identity Stolen
Friggin’ hilarious… what a ‘tard…

You may have seen the ads around for LifeLock, they provide identity theft protection. The CEO, Todd Jones, publishes his Social Security number on LifeLock’s web site and in the company’s TV commercials to demonstrate how effective the company is in protecting the identity of its customers.

Someone took out a $500 loan in his name. However, the man who stole the identity of LifeLock co-founder Todd Davis won’t face criminal charges, police say, because LifeLock stepped in before the police could finish investigating the crime and coerced the suspect into making a videotaped confession that isn’t admissible in court.

“They went to his house with a camera crew and they yelled at him and browbeat him into signing a confession that they had already typed out,” Moore said.

The man told police he was informed that if he did not sign the confession and agree to do community service, police would be coming to arrest him.

The man acknowledged illegally obtaining the loan and said he did it because he was desperate. The man also admitted that he got Davis’ Social Security number from LifeLock’s Web site, Moore said.

Tags: identity, identity theft, lifelock

[azasadny]

I use LifeLock and it has paid for itself...

[Joeaksa]

Originally Posted by Hugh R

Quit posting all your personal info on Pelican!! Honest to god I can't believe how much personal info people post here like cell phone numbers. I remember a thread a few years ago about hide-a-keys and people posting that they stuck them in the jack point behind the rubber cover. I saw their city, model of car and color. Even when they were going to park their car at a named airport while they went on vacation! Let's see... black 85 Carrera parked at Burbank Airport "C" lot between x and x dates, another thread "Oh I hang a spare key under the car on a piece of wire near the Cat. I mean come on.

Totally agree. As well the people posting photos or descriptions of their guns, cars, watches, houses and so on. They are just inviting someone to come and relieve them of their toys.