Identity Theft

Make no mistake – we are under an unrelenting onslaught of identity theft. There should be no doubt in your mind, the stakes are high, the con artists are becoming more sophisticated with each passing day, and the attempts to steal your identity will only continue to increase.

We hear all too often of laptop computers containing the confidential information of tens of thousands of Americans accidentally left behind on subways, hackers stealing account information on millions of credit cardholders, and personal information being transmitted without proper encryption.

And this is not to mention the modern day con artists who operate within the unseen confines of the world wide web, emailing, phishing and pharming – all techniques designed to fool unsuspecting individuals into providing key information such as account numbers or social security numbers under the guise of some legitimate business activity.

Many of the identity theft preventative steps are built on exercising common sense.

  • Don’t ever give your social security number to someone who has called you.
  • If you already have a business relationship established with a company, they can generally verify your identity with only the last four digits of your SSN.
  • Don’t respond to inbound emails where they request your name, address, credit card account number, etc.
  • And of course, always beware of the opportunity for fast easy money. The old adage is still true today – “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

In addition, you may want to consider one other step to the prevention and / or early detection of identity theft. Consider buying an identity theft service. Two quality identity theft programs are outlined below.

The CEO of LifeLock publishes his SSN for the world to see because he is so confident that his company’s service can protect his personal information – and yours too. ID Patrol is a product of Equifax. Equifax is a well-known, highly reputable firm that has been in business for many decades. They are one of the three national credit bureaus and helped set the industry standard for credit bureau reporting.
30 day Free LifeLock Product Trial 30 day Free ID Patrol Trial
$10 / mo. thereafter $14.95/mo. thereafter
Free reports from Equifax, Experian, TransUnion Free reports from Equifax, Experian, TransUnion
Key Features:
  • Proactive credit locks are established requiring creditors to contact you whenever you or someone tries to get credit in your name.
  • WalletLock contacts banks, credit companies, and other document providers to prevent illegal usage of your items, and completes the paperwork necessary to replace drivers license, credit cards, etc.
  • eReconTM scours known criminal websites for the illegal selling or trading of the personal information.
  • $1 million service guarantee.
 Key Features:
  • Ability to lock and unlock your Equifax credit file in real time, so you control who sees it and when.
  • Scans the Internet for your personal information and alerts you if it is found on suspected underground trading sites.
  • Alerted to key changes at any of the three credit bureaus.
  • Up to $1 million in credit theft insurance.
  • Unlimited Equifax credit reports.
  • 24 x 7 fraud specialists.
For more information please visit LifeLock. For more information please visit Equifax.