Identity Theft Protection (LifeLock) | FerrariChat

Identity Theft Protection (LifeLock)

Discussion in 'Technology' started by tl731, Feb 15, 2008.

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  1. tl731

    tl731 Formula Junior

    Oct 13, 2004
    640
    Staten Island , NY
    Full Name:
    Thomas L.
    Hello

    Has anyone used LifeLock.com as a means to secure your identity on and offline ?
    I recently had 2 accounts opened with my ss# with an address that I have not lived at since 1994.
    I want to do whatever I can now in order to stop this from happening again.
    I was this company awhile ago and its one of the first that is listed when google searching (I relaize that doesnt mean its the best, its just the only one I have heard of)

    http://www.lifelock.com/


    Any opinions/reccos are appreciated

    thanks
     
  2. PaulC

    PaulC Formula 3

    Feb 11, 2003
    1,407
    San Antonio, TX
    Full Name:
    Paul
  3. tl731

    tl731 Formula Junior

    Oct 13, 2004
    640
    Staten Island , NY
    Full Name:
    Thomas L.
    Thank you. I am looking at the site now... Do you know if they are proactive ? If a credit line is attempted to be opened, will they contact me and put a stop to it ?

    **edit - ''Credit Monitoring and Alerts'' I just noticed this now **

    I appreicate the link and will look into this further.
     
  4. PaulC

    PaulC Formula 3

    Feb 11, 2003
    1,407
    San Antonio, TX
    Full Name:
    Paul
    I think their technology is different than most companies. I know they have an "institutional" product so businesses can run constant backgraound checks on their employees. They do this for a school district, that way they can tell if any district employees get in to trouble out if their home state and after they are employed. They explained to me the differences between what they do and Lifelock, and they just seem to be more thorough. Example is the payday loan fraud that happened to the CEO of Lifelock. CSId has that covered.
     
  5. spike308

    spike308 F1 Rookie
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Nov 8, 2003
    4,462
    Austin TX!
    Full Name:
    Mike Z
    Anyone buy ID theft insurance?
    My Allstate agent offered it to me... $3 / 6 months.
    will pay (they say) up to $25,000 in fees related to getting your life back in order (I'm assuming they would be legal fees).
    I bought it... have not (knock on wood) had to use it... but for the price of a beer every 6 months... why not?

    Sure, better not to let it happen...
     
  6. BAKY

    BAKY Formula 3

    May 23, 2007
    1,296
    USA
    Full Name:
    Bobby
    I am not a user of either, but if someone applies for credit and the business giving the credit doesnt do a credit check, and then reports a charge off or past due at a later date.....your identity has still been stolen...and either of these 2 companys are worthless...except for the cleanup.
     
  7. Bullfighter

    Bullfighter Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Jan 26, 2005
    22,352
    Indian Wells, California
    Full Name:
    Jon
    I've been using Identity Guard. They email me whenever there's an inquiry or change to my credit record; also you get credit reports whenever you want.

    Not sure if it's the best, but for $13/month it gives me some peace of mind. I doubt it's failsafe though.
     
  8. Monteman

    Monteman Formula 3
    Rossa Subscribed

    Feb 9, 2006
    2,323
    Santa Barbara, CA
    Full Name:
    Monte
    I was at a conference for the intelligence community and the subject of identity theft came up since the bad guys don't really like to use their own identities for some reason. While the government is doing its own thing to track these guys down, it seemed like quite a few of the people there were using LifeLock for their own personal use. I have a tremendous amount of respect for that community of people so that was good enough for me and I've been using LifeLock for over a year now. I should note that I had my identity stolen twice the year before but no problems since.

    Hope this helps.
     
  9. spike308

    spike308 F1 Rookie
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Nov 8, 2003
    4,462
    Austin TX!
    Full Name:
    Mike Z
    So I just cleaned out my mailbox at one of the hospitals I work at to find a letter from some company I have never heard of (some managed care support contractor, whatever that is). (letter is from over a month ago)
    Well, I guess I have seen at least one of their patients, so my info, including my name and SS# is in their data base, which was breached. They are offering me a free year membership to "ID TheftSmart".

    Never heard of them, but they claim to be "one of the most comprehensive programs available to help protect your name and credit against ID theft..."

    I guess loads of organizations have your data... just a matter of time before another person screws up and allows people to fish out your data...

    looks like I'll try it out for a year... got nothin' to lose!
     
  10. SonomaRik

    SonomaRik F1 Veteran
    Silver Subscribed

    Dec 15, 2006
    6,880
    Sonoma, CA
    always wondered about this:

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080522/ap_on_hi_te/identity_fraud_flap;_ylt=Aqrr87GSfTTjJOt1FeMIvNus0NUE

    By JORDAN ROBERTSON, AP Technology Writer
    Thu May 22, 7:09 AM ET



    SAN JOSE, Calif. - 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.

    ADVERTISEMENT


    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, Ariz.-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."
     
  11. Whisky

    Whisky Two Time F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Jan 27, 2006
    25,287
    Upper Great Plains
    Full Name:
    The original Fernando
    ah, that treacherous 'fine print' in the contract - IMAGINE THAT !!!!
     
  12. jcor360

    jcor360 Karting

    Nov 3, 2003
    65
    Del Mar Ca
    Full Name:
    John C
    Give me a break.LIfelock has over 1,000,000 users. One guy was able to steal $500 by using Todd Davis's social security number from a bucket shop check cashing store that DID NOT run a credit check which would have stopped the guy in his tracks. As for all the class action lawsuits over the 1 million dollar guaranty it's a bunch of ambulance chasing lawyers looking to shake down a sucessful company. This product works.
     
  13. SRT Mike

    SRT Mike Two Time F1 World Champ

    Oct 31, 2003
    23,343
    Taxachusetts
    Full Name:
    Raymond Luxury Yacht
    You seem overly upset over this - do you work for LifeLock or something?

    The facts are clear... all LifeLock does is put fraud alerts on your credit reports which then notify of all inquiries and such. That's something you can do yourself for free. They also offer a "million dollar guarantee". They make it sound as if they will pay up to $1mm to correct identity theft - people think it's some sort of insurance policy, but it is not. It is only effective in the case where there was a defect in LifeLock service. So the $500 payday loan would NOT be covered. Also, someone getting a drivers license in your name - not covered.

    No doubt the lawyers are looking for $$$$ but where there is smoke there is fire and there is a reason that numerous people are banding together and seeking class action status against LifeLock.

    Experian and the others will also be lobbying hard to stop the fraud alert mechanism these companies use. It must be costing them a bundle in additional paperwork and fees..
     
  14. Spasso

    Spasso F1 World Champ

    Feb 16, 2003
    14,648
    Land of Slugs & Moss
    Full Name:
    Han Solo
    I use Credit Notify. It's 24/7 with email alerts 24/7 and a monthly online report.

    My company had two laptops stolen in one year so I am also on Triple Advantage at no cost. Works the same as Credit Notify.

    Passwords on all of my accounts, online and in-person.

    All bank accounts are "stand-alone", meaning savings and checking are not related and I get separate statements for each.

    All documents, credit cards, I.D.'s and records (anything with my name on it) are locked in a gun safe when I walk out the door everyday
     
  15. Innovativethinker

    Innovativethinker F1 Veteran
    Silver Subscribed

    Aug 8, 2009
    8,601
    So Cal
    Full Name:
    Mark Smith
    anyone have updates on identity theft protection?

    I just started getting credit cards I never applied for - crap
     
  16. Innovativethinker

    Innovativethinker F1 Veteran
    Silver Subscribed

    Aug 8, 2009
    8,601
    So Cal
    Full Name:
    Mark Smith
    Just locked my credit with experian, now making calls.
     

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