Identity Theft Protection?

[Cienja]

Hi. Do you use LifeLock or Experian, or some other "identity theft" service? I've used Experian for about three years and my annual fee is due next month, so I'm looking to find out what is recommended by any of you. Please.

Thanks

 

[John Connor]

What I find funny about Lifelock is that I guess it's not available in New York, yet Rudy Giuliani (I think lives in NY) is seen advertising it on TV saying he uses it.

Interesting.

The CEO of Lifelock, Todd Davis, became famous for advertising his Social Security number on television ads and billboards promising his $10 monthly service would protect consumers from identity theft.

The company also offered a $1 million guarantee to compensate customers for losses incurred if they became a victim of identity theft after signing up for the service.

But the Federal Trade Commission said Tuesday that the claims were bogus (.pdf) and accused Lifelock, based in Arizona, of operating a scam and con operation. The commission announced, along with 35 state attorneys general, that it had levied a fine of $12 million against the company for deceptive business practices and for failing to secure sensitive customer data. Of that amount, $11 million will go to refund customers who subscribed to the service. Consumers will receive a letter from the FTC and their attorney general explaining how to take part in the settlement.

Source: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=646606

 

[John Connor]

I didn't know Experian offered an identity protection. I'll have to look into that.

 

[Cienja]

Experian is who I've been with for credit monitoring for three years. I like the service. They do a great job, but I haven't used the identity protection.

 

[Cienja]

What I find funny about Lifelock is that I guess it's not available in New York, yet Rudy Giuliani (I think lives in NY) is seen advertising it on TV saying he uses it.

Interesting.



Source: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=646606

LifeLock hasn't had a good time in years. I was hoping to hear someone is happy with them, but nope.

 

[RearAdmiral]

My credit card information gets stolen enough to get practically lifetime free credit monitoring from various companies. I feel like I've had it for 5 years now.

 

[KeithP]

Just put a "credit freeze" in place.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit_freeze

-KeithP