More Than WE Know

If you’re still debating on resolutions for the New Year, here’s one you might want to consider:

• avoid identity theft

I’ve written before about the risks of online phishing schemes. But don’t overlook the offline opportunities that thieves have of obtaining your personal information:

• stealing your mail
• digging in your garbage
• skimming your credit card magnetic stripe
• overhearing your account information

I recently took a quiz at LifeLock.com and discovered I was at medium risk (59%) for identity theft. There are several things I need to do to improve my personal security practices to make it more difficult for thieves to get my information.

If they do get my information, I am also considering protecting myself with LifeLock.

LifeLock is America’s #1 Identity Theft Prevention Program. Their service:

• puts a fraud alert on my account at each of the three credit bureaus
• orders an annual copy of my credit report from each bureau
• keeps track of all my credit card information in case they are lost or stolen

With an alert on my account, I should be notified any time someone tries to get credit in my name. If it isn’t me, I can refuse to authorize it.

LifeLock is so confident in their service that they back it with a $1 million guarantee.

In reviewing the services, I can see that there isn’t really anything that LifeLock is doing that I couldn’t do myself. I can order an annual credit report and put fraud alerts on my account every 90 days.

But the question is, would I?

And the answer if I’m being honest with myself is, no.

I have enough trouble remembering to balance my checkbook - I wouldn’t remember to renew a fraud alert every three months.

The next question is, is it worth it to me to pay LifeLock to do it for me?

Identity theft is not as common as the media would have you believe. On the other hand, when it does occur it can cause a lot of aggravation and frustration. Victims have had their credit scores damaged, their tax refunds withheld, their power turned off and even been arrested for outstanding warrants for crimes they didn’t commit. They’ve had to spend considerable time clearing their names and getting the mess all straightened out.

That’s definitely aggravation I would prefer to avoid.

LifeLock’s full price is $10 per month or $110 for the full year. Because children are also at risk of having their social security information stolen and mis-used, they also cover children for $2.50 per month. However, the links in this post provide you with a special promotional discount.

There are a few other companies that offer services similar to LifeLock’s. You can compare them side by side at this link: Lifelock Promotion Code

If identity theft is causing you to lose your peace of mind, then you may want to look into using the services at Lifelock.

At the least, take their informative quiz to find out your current risk.

(sponsored review)

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