Friday, August 17, 2007

LifeLock helps protect your identity

This is a bit off topic, but it's my blog, and I'll...

Being in the credit card business, I've always been a bit concerned about identity theft. A couple of years ago, I subscribed to a service called Identity Guard, which for $12.95 a month keeps an eye on the three major credit bureaus for me and sends me alerts via email any time someone checks my credit. The service also gives me the ability to check my own credit reports and scores, and has a lot of useful advice about how to improve your credit.

But I never felt that Identity Guard and similar services went far enough.

I recently came across another service that is more proactive in protecting my identity. Called LifeLock, it automatically places and renews fraud alerts on my files with each of the three credit bureaus. This means that anyone checking my credit is forced to pick up the phone and call me to confirm that I have indeed applied for credit with them. In addition, LifeLock requests that my name be removed from pre-approved credit card and junk mail lists, which are common sources of information for identity thieves. A happy result is that junk mail is dramatically reduced.

You may have seen or heard advertisements or interviews in which LifeLock's CEO, Todd Davis, gives out his Social Security number to demonstrate his confidence in the system.

I'm not going to give out my Social Security number, but I do recommend the service, and I have obtained a promotional code that friends and acquaintances can use to get a 10% discount off the annual or monthly fees for the service. With the code, you will pay either $99 per year, or $9 per month, per adult, and I'll make a couple of bucks that will go toward Buzz expenses. I think it's well worth the protection it affords. Ask anybody who's been a victim of identity theft.

The service comes with a guarantee, by the way. LifeLock says, "If your identity is misused while you are our client, we'll spend up to $1 million to make it right."

To learn more or sign up for the service, visit the http://www.lifelock.com/default.aspx?promocode=AVID )" title="LifeLock website">LifeLock website. The promotional code is "AVID," which is the name of my company.