If you fall victim to identity theft, remember that you don’t have to go it alone. LifeLock is there to help.

After having been through the nightmare of identity theft, you may ask yourself, “How do I protect myself and stay safe afterwards?”

This is a legitimate concern, and the solution is easier than you think. You can make prevention an everyday part of your life by following these simple measures:

• Purchase a cross-cut paper shredder. All documents containing personal information, such as junk mail, credit card receipts, and bank and credit card statements, should be shredded. This will prevent thieves who go through trash from obtaining your personal information.
• When you order checks,, have them delivered to your bank, rather than to your home address.
• When using ATMs and phone cards, be wary of anyone who might be close enough to see your numbers. “Shoulder surfing” is a common way that thieves obtain your personal identification numbers to gain access to your accounts.
• If you order a new credit card, or if your old one has expired and you’re expecting a replacement, make sure it arrives within a reasonable amount of time. If not, contact the creditor to find out when the card was mailed.
• Do not mail checks from your home mailbox. Drop them off instead at the post office or at a secured mailbox. Thieves can take your checks from your home mailbox easily, and with a simple acid wash, change the name of the recipient.
• Never carry your passwords and your Social Security number or card with you. Keep them stored in a safe and secure location.
• You may want to consider opting for a secured and locked mailbox at the post office, rather than an open mailbox at your home.
• Don’t use your mother’s maiden name for any password. It is too easy for thieves to discover and use.
• If you have not used a credit card in at least six months, close the account. Thieves an use that credit all too easily, and if you aren’t using it, chances are, you aren’t monitoring it closely either.
• Make sure anyone you do business with shreds your personal information.
• Do not carry extra credit cards or other identifying information in your wallet.
• Never give your personal information over the phone to people you do not know, including your Social Security number, name, address and date of birth.
• Check your credit reports annually.
• Have your name removed from all promotional lists by contacting Experian, Equifax and TransUnion to opt out of pre-approved offers.
• Never put your phone number or your Social Security number on your checks.
• Obtain credit and bank cards that feature your photo.
• Contact your credit card company, and request that they not print your address, phone number or driver’s license number on your monthly statement.
• Check all of your monthly statements carefully and regularly. If you see anything unusual or suspicious, contact your creditor immediately.

To really lock down your personal information, contact LifeLock. LifeLock will protect your information, even if it falls into the wrong hands. You will be alerted immediately about any identity threats, and LifeLock will help throughout the recovery process, so you never have to go it alone.

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It’s impossible to write about the Red Flag Rules without an apologetic “stop me if you’ve heard this one before” preface. So don’t shoot the messenger, but the deadline for the Feds’ identity-protecting Red Flag Rules has been delayed. The newest deadline—the fifth—replaces the January 1 deadline with one of June 1, 2010.

Congress created the program in 2003 in an attempt to stem the tide of identity theft by forcing creditors to use a common sense approach to identity theft prevention. It was originally slated to take effect in November 2008.

From its inception the rules have met with formidable pushback from the American Medical Association, the American Bar Association and the nation’s bankers, each group taking exception to the FTC’s interpretation of “creditor.”

According to the FTC, anyone who provides goods or services but allows for later payment is a creditor, but the FTC website explains the delays are because of an “ongoing debate about whether Congress wrote this provision too broadly.”

Ironically, the Red Flag Rules aren’t particularly onerous; they require only that businesses have written policies for recognizing signs of identity theft, training programs for their employees and response plans. In most cases, the entire process can be contained in a one-inch binder at the front desk or presented to employees within five minutes.

Perhaps the real contention is that powerful lobbies represent the doctors, attorneys and bankers that refuse to be regulated. Perhaps they don’t particularly care that the identity theft of millions of Americans could have been prevented since 2003 if only creditors were willing to take common sense steps to protect them.

Anybody want to place money on whether the Red Flag Rules take effect June 1?

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I’ve decided to do most of my Christmas shopping from home this year, using only well-known sites to make sure I don’t become an ID theft or credit card fraud victim. The only thing that will get me to the mall or the big box stores is the Black Friday bargains. Other than that, I’m doing the rest of my shopping over the Internet from the comfort of my home office. Unfortunately, while this strategy will get me the best bargains, it also presents ID theft risks.

To get the best deals, shoppers have to get in line for a coupon at 3 A.M., and then wait till 5 A.M. to rush the doors with hundreds of other shoppers. Once they have their loot in their carts, they’ll wait in line again to check out. It’s the perfect opportunity for pickpockets who take advantage of the mayhem to steal wallets for credit card fraud and ID theft.

Every year pickpockets work their way through the crowds searching for unzipped purses or those slung over the backs of chairs in the food court. In the crush of shoppers, it’s easy for pickpockets to melt into the throng, and work their way through the mall harvesting one set of identification after another. Once they have it, they can max out existing credit card accounts and commit ID theft to open new ones within minutes.

These tips can protect you from ID theft during the holiday season:

• Don’t take your purse. Instead slip a mall wallet into your front pocket. You only need to carry your driver’s license and a bankcard or credit card.
• If you plan to use checks for your purchases, leave your checkbook at home and carry only one or two checks with you.
• If you’re determined to carry a purse, carry it diagonally across your body and hanging in front. Never drape it over the back of your chair. Instead, sit with it in your lap or hanging from your knee.
• Men should empty as much as possible from their wallets and carry them in a front pocket.

Nothing could ruin your holiday season faster than ID theft; imagine the shock of reaching the cash register only to reach into your purse and find your wallet missing.

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Could cloud computing lead to more data breaches and Identity theft? The growing trend of document being stored and created on provider’s servers to be accessed from anywhere has become a topic of security discussions for some time now. Could this trend drive up the amount of data breaches we see in the media.

For those of you who don’t know, cloud computing refers to the use of web applications and storage. Creating documents on the web is something that has become popular for some time now. With providers like Google Docs and now the New Windows Live Documents providing enticing way to create and share documents with other people with a simple web browser. It’s great for productivity but is it good for security.

With a recent study showing that 1 out of 5 business use Google docs to store and create documents; what does this mean for the security of those documents. I am not implying that a company would store a customer database on a cloud like setting but what about referring to customer information in shared documents.

Where are your files stored when you use a cloud like service? It’s hard to tell might be a server on the other side of the world that stores your data. Is their security as good as a homeland server? We hope so but how do we know.

Service providers are subject to external audits, but are they good enough to protect your data? Some providers refuse to undergo such an audit and these service should really only be used for trivial functions.

Outside the corporate threat what information have you saved on a cloud like service? Have you checked out the security policy and made sure they undergo audits of their security measures. What about where their information is stored. Do you know the server location where your private information is stored? I would encourage you to inform yourself of these things and make good decisions on what you store on external servers.

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With the FTC’s announcement that 10 million Americans became identity theft victims in 2008, you might be wondering how to protect yourself. You have three options: Do-it-yourself, credit monitoring or comprehensive identity theft services.

DIY IDENTITY THEFT STEPS

• If your identity has been stolen, or if you think it will be, experts recommend placing fraud alerts on your credit reports and renewing them every 90 days as they expire.
• Remove your name from direct marketing lists to limit junk mail and pre-approved credit offers.
• Order your credit report annually and review it for suspicious activities, address or employment changes and new credit accounts you didn’t open.
• Strength: Totally free, other than the time it will cost you.
  Weakness: This requires time, commitment and organizational skills, and provides very limited improvement.

CREDIT MONITORING

• Credit monitoring services notify you if there is suspicious activity in your credit file, e.g., a new account is opened, there’s a sudden spike on an existing account or there’s been a credit inquiry.
• Strength: Limits the damage done by identity theft if it’s detected in time.
  Weakness: Costs $50 to $180 a year, and might monitor only one reporting agency. Does little to actually prevent identity theft.

LIFELOCK, COMPREHENSIVE IDENTITY THEFT SERVICES

• Provides all the services recommended for do-it-yourselfers without the hassle, plus these exclusive services:
• WalletLock™—WalletLock™ representatives help you cancel and replace official or financial documents from a lost or stolen wallet.
• TrueAddress™—Monitors millions of address change requests so you’ll know if anyone’s trying to divert your mail.
• eRecon™—Scours thousands of websites used for buying, selling and trading stolen identities.

Strength: Comprehensive, innovative and proactive identity theft service for only $9 a month when you use the LifeLock promotion code DEFENSE.

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The global financial crisis has given people plenty to worry about: diminished retirement accounts, decreased job security, upside down mortgages and failing businesses to name a few of the common concerns. But even greater than all these is the worry about identity theft and credit card fraud, according to a recent Unisys Security Index report.

After surveying more than 1,000 American adults, the related findings were:

• Two-thirds of respondents placed themselves in the categories of “extremely” or “very” worried about credit card and debit card fraud.
• Nearly half said they worry about viruses and phishing attempts.
• Two-thirds worry about identity theft.
• Two-thirds are very concerned about abuse or unauthorized access to their personal information.

This is the first time survey participants said they are more worried about finances than national security.

There are a number of steps people can take to protect their credit and general finances, but despite a concerted education efforts, few people practice most widely proscribed recommendations:

• Carry only the essentials in a wallet
• Eliminate mailed credit card offers
• Maintain computer security
• Monitor credit reports and financial statements
• If you think you are or may become and ID theft victim, place fraud alerts and renew them every 90 days
• Shred mail
• Use public mailboxes

Some identity theft services offer many of these services as a convenience, charging roughly $180 to $200 a month. LifeLock provides assistance with many of these services, and offers other innovative security services, including WalletLock™, eRecon™ and TrueAddress™.

Visit LifeLock.com to learn more about their comprehensive services. Use the LifeLock discount code DEFENSE and pay only $9 a month after a 30-day free trial. At the end of the 30-day free period, your card will be automatically billed $9 monthly unless you cancel within that first 30-day period. You can cancel anytime without penalty by calling 1-800-LIFELOCK. This offer is for new LifeLock members only.

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We’re all experiencing anxiety (or outright panic) in the face of diminishing job security, escalating interest rates and sinking home values. I hate to add to the daily financial sturm und drang—and I beg your forgiveness—but you need to know about the increasing risk of identity theft related to data breaches and this recession.

The threat comes from those who are unemployed and desperate; those who are bitter about imminent layoff or job loss; and a shrinking workforce that can’t maintain security as they perform work with fewer resources. In fact, there were 47% more data breaches in 2008 than in 2007.

If there’s a silver lining to be found in our ailing economy, it’s the abundance of sales and discounts currently available to consumers. Home sellers, car dealers, restaurants and retailers are all trying to lure nervous customers to their goods with ever deepening savings. Of course, some of us have always been reluctant to pay full price for any products or services. Canny consumers pride themselves on their parsimony and insider information on where to find the best deals.

If you count yourself among this elite, penny-wise club, or want to, you should know about LifeLock’s identity theft service and their promotional codes for discounted services. LifeLock is the ID theft service chosen by nearly 1.5 million Americans because of their comprehensive and innovative strategies. And, the fact that 93% of their members choose to renew after their initial enrollment is a testament to LifeLock’s customer service.

Visit LifeLock.com and enroll using the LifeLock promo code DEFENSE to get the lowest price AND 30 days of free services.

At the end of the 30-day free period, your card will be automatically billed $9 monthly unless you cancel within that first 30-day period. You can cancel anytime without penalty by calling 1-800-LIFELOCK. This offer is for new LifeLock members only.

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As of January 2009, 11.6 million Americans are unemployed, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs are hard to come by these days, and job seekers are desperately applying a shotgun approach, using headhunters, professional networking and a number of online job sites.

Unfortunately, rather than becoming full-time employees, many applicants may become identity theft victims instead.

Scammers have been known to use information from applicants’ online resume to contact them and conduct bogus phone interviews. After the interview the scammer enthusiastically expresses an interest in hiring the applicant and requests the applicants’ Social Security number and driver’s license number under the guise of conducting a pre-employment background check.

What they’re really doing is using all that information to steal the job seeker’s identity to obtain credit.

Underscoring the need for caution while job searching is news that the online job search site Monster.com was hacked in January. More than 75 million people use Monster.com and the federal job site USAJobs.gov that is run by Monster.com’s parent company, Monster Worldwide Inc.

Pam Dixon, a privacy expert who runs the World Privacy Forum offers these tips to those using online job sites:

Use only your first initial and last name on your resume.
Do not include your phone number or address.
Use a new email account as contact information.

In addition, conduct extensive research on any companies that express an interest in hiring you. Contact the company’s human resources department to confirm that the person posing as the interviewer is employed there.

In such a challenging employment climate it’s easy to understand why a job searcher would throw caution to the wind, but there are worse things than being unemployed. For instance, being unemployed and contacted by collection agencies demanding payment for credit card accounts you never opened.

It’s hard to justify new expenses when you’re unemployed, but for only $9 a month LifeLock will help you protect your credit, reputation and your finances. Simply visit LifeLock.com and enroll using the promotion code DEFENSE to receive the lowest rate and 30 days of free services.

At the end of the 30-day free period, your card will be automatically billed $9 monthly unless you cancel within that first 30-day period. You can cancel anytime without penalty by calling 1-800-LIFELOCK. This offer is for new LifeLock members only.

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Reading this blog is one way to learn more about identity theft and how to protect yourself from it. But if you belong to an organization whose other members are interested in learning more, you can take advantage of the new LifeLock Speakers Series.

“The series has been designed so that individuals with similar interests can come together and learn about the latest identity theft trends, the inherent risks associated with the crime, as well as the types of proactive measures all consumers should take in order to minimize their risks of becoming a victim,” said Mike Prusinski, LifeLock’s Vice President of Public Affairs.

LifeLock provides this service free of charge as part of their mission to reduce the number of identity thefts. The US Department of Justice has called identity theft the number one crime in the United States, surpassing drug trafficking. Every three seconds another American becomes an identity theft victim.

By simply sending an email or making a quick phone call, you can arrange for one of LifeLock’s Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Specialists to meet with your group.

For more information about the Speakers Series or to schedule a speaker for your organization, send an email to speakerrequest@lifelock.com, or call Cortney Read at (480) 457-2032.

To learn more about identity theft and LifeLock’s services, visit their website at LifeLock.com. Enroll using the LifeLock promo code DEFENSE to pay only $9 a month and receive a month of free protection.

At the end of the 30-day free period, your card will be automatically billed $9 monthly unless you cancel within that first 30-day period. You can cancel anytime without penalty by calling 1-800-LIFELOCK. This offer is for new LifeLock members only.

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Last year someone used my husband’s identity to buy almost a thousand dollars worth of Star Wars light sabers online. After filing the police report, canceling the card and doing battle with the bank, I began researching identity theft services.

The first thing I did was go to LifeLock.com because I’d seen their commercials. (I have insomnia, so I see a lot of their commercials!) Besides giving out his Social Security number (a lot), their CEO Todd Davis goes on (a lot) about all the wonderful things LifeLock does.

Is LifeLock that good? I visited the websites of a half dozen other ID theft services. I checked them all out with the Better Business Bureau. I read the reviews. I compared prices. In the end, I chose LifeLock.

When I went to LifeLock.com to find out about their services I found out they offer services none of the others do. If I lose my wallet, or it’s stolen, they’ll help cancel and replace any financial or official documents before an ID thief can use them. They monitor the Internet to see if any of my personal or financial info is being passed around. They even do periodic checks with the credit bureaus to make sure nobody ever tries to use my 7-year old’s identity. (I didn’t even know people could use a kid’s identity for credit or jobs until I went to their website!) If they foul up, they back me up with a $1,000,000 total service guarantee.

When I looked at the prices I learned that LifeLock was cheaper than some, and more expensive than some others. Because I’m cheaper than most, I googled around until I found the best deal. Go to the website and enroll using the LifeLock promo code DEFENSE. With that code you get a discount and a free month and pay only $9 month. My son’s coverage is only $2.25 a month.

At the end of the 30-day free period, your card will be automatically billed monthly unless you cancel within that first 30-day period. You can cancel anytime without penalty by calling 1-800-LIFELOCK. This offer is for new LifeLock members only.

Is LifeLock that good? Yes. And it’s cheap, too.

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