Protect Your Identity and Good Credit

Did You Know The FTC estimates as many as 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year? If you are a victim of identity theft, you may lose the ability to get and use credit cards, loans, and even the most basic services such as phone service and television. You could even end up in jail due to mistaken identity!

Loss of personal data is on the rise. Breaches were up by 40% in 2007, according to a Mercury News report . These personal losses present greater opportunities to the identity thieves profiting from it.




Guarantee Your Good Name
Identity theft can happen anywhere to anyone. In line at the store, online at home or when you're buying your morning coffee. If your identity is stolen, you can spend hundreds of hours cleaning up your credit and struggling to get back your good name. That's because stolen identities are used up to 30 times, with most victims only discovering the theft after they've been turned down for a loan or contacted by a collection agency. You may already be a victim, many times over, and not even know it. But not with LifeLock. LifeLock, the industry leader in proactive identity theft protection, offers a proven solution that prevents your identity from being stolen before it happens. We'll protect your identity and personal information for only $10 a month - and we guarantee our service up to $1,000,000. We also offer the only identity theft child protection program available in the market, so guarantee your good name today and enroll now.


What is identity theft?
Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personally identifying information, like your name, Social Security number, or credit card number, without your permission, to commit fraud or other crimes. The FTC estimates that as many as 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year. In fact, you or someone you know may have experienced some form of identity theft. The crime takes many forms. Identity thieves may rent an apartment, obtain a credit card, or establish a telephone account in your name. You may not find out about the theft until you review your credit report or a credit card statement and notice charges you didn’t make—or until you’re contacted by a debt collector. Identity theft is serious. While some identity theft victims can resolve their problems quickly, others spend hundreds of dollars and many days repairing damage to their good name and credit record. Some consumers victimized by identity theft may lose out on job opportunities, or be denied loans for education, housing or cars because of negative information on their credit reports. In rare cases, they may even be arrested for crimes they did not commit.
How do thieves steal identity?
Identity theft starts with the misuse of your personally identifying information such as your name and Social Security number, credit card numbers, or other financial account information. For identity thieves, this information is as good as gold. Skilled identity thieves may use a variety of methods to get hold of your information, including: 1. Dumpster Diving. They rummage through trash looking for bills or other paper with your personal information on it. 2. Skimming. They steal credit/debit card numbers by using a special storage device when processing your card. 3. Phishing. They pretend to be financial institutions or companies and send spam or pop-up messages to get you to reveal your personal information. 4. Changing Your Address. They divert your billing statements to another location by completing a change of address form. 5. Old-Fashioned Stealing. They steal wallets and purses; mail, including bank and credit card statements; pre-approved credit offers; and new checks or tax information. They steal personnel records, or bribe employees who have access. 6. Pretexting. They use false pretenses to obtain your personal information from financial institutions, telephone companies, and other sources. For more information about pretexting, click here. back to top What do thieves do with a stolen identity? Once they have your personal information, identity thieves use it in a variety of ways. Credit card fraud: * They may open new credit card accounts in your name. When they use the cards and don't pay the bills, the delinquent accounts appear on your credit report. * They may change the billing address on your credit card so that you no longer receive bills, and then run up charges on your account. Because your bills are now sent to a different address, it may be some time before you realize there's a problem. Phone or utilities fraud: * They may open a new phone or wireless account in your name, or run up charges on your existing account. * They may use your name to get utility services like electricity, heating, or cable TV. Bank/finance fraud: * They may create counterfeit checks using your name or account number. * They may open a bank account in your name and write bad checks. * They may clone your ATM or debit card and make electronic withdrawals your name, draining your accounts. * They may take out a loan in your name. Government documents fraud: * They may get a driver's license or official ID card issued in your name but with their picture. * They may use your name and Social Security number to get government benefits. * They may file a fraudulent tax return using your information. Other fraud: * They may get a job using your Social Security number. * They may rent a house or get medical services using your name. * They may give your personal information to police during an arrest. If they don't show up for their court date, a warrant for arrest is issued in your name.
How can you find out if your identity was stolen?
The best way to find out is to monitor your accounts and bank statements each month, and check your credit report on a regular basis. If you check your credit report regularly, you may be able to limit the damage caused by identity theft. Unfortunately, many consumers learn that their identity has been stolen after some damage has been done. * You may find out when bill collection agencies contact you for overdue debts you never incurred. * You may find out when you apply for a mortgage or car loan and learn that problems with your credit history are holding up the loan. * You may find out when you get something in the mail about an apartment you never rented, a house you never bought, or a job you never held.
What should you do if your identity is stolen?
Filing a police report, checking your credit reports, notifying creditors, and disputing any unauthorized transactions are some of the steps you must take immediately to restore your good name.
Should you file a police report if your identity is stolen?
A police report that provides specific details of the identity theft is considered an Identity Theft Report, which entitles you to certain legal rights when it is provided to the three major credit reporting agencies or to companies where the thief misused your information. An Identity Theft Report can be used to permanently block fraudulent information that results from identity theft, such as accounts or addresses, from appearing on your credit report. It will also make sure these debts do not reappear on your credit reports. Identity Theft Reports can prevent a company from continuing to collect debts that result from identity theft, or selling them to others for collection. An Identity Theft Report is also needed to place an extended fraud alert on your credit report. You may not need an Identity Theft Report if the thief made charges on an existing account and you have been able to work with the company to resolve the dispute. Where an identity thief has opened new accounts in your name, or where fraudulent charges have been reported to the consumer reporting agencies, you should obtain an Identity Theft Report so that you can take advantage of the protections you are entitled to. In order for a police report to entitle you to the legal rights mentioned above, it must contain specific details about the identity theft. You should file an ID Theft Complaint with the FTC and bring your printed ID Theft Complaint with you to the police station when you file your police report. The printed ID Theft Complaint can be used to support your local police report to ensure that it includes the detail required. A police report is also needed to get copies of the thief’s application, as well as transaction information from companies that dealt with the thief. To get this information, you must submit a request in writing, accompanied by the police report, to the address specified by the company for this purpose.
How long can the effects of identity theft last?
It's difficult to predict how long the effects of identity theft may linger. That's because it depends on many factors including the type of theft, whether the thief sold or passed your information on to other thieves, whether the thief is caught, and problems related to correcting your credit report. Victims of identity theft should monitor financial records for several months after they discover the crime. Victims should review their credit reports once every three months in the first year of the theft, and once a year thereafter. Stay alert for other signs of identity theft. Don't delay in correcting your records and contacting all companies that opened fraudulent accounts. Make the initial contact by phone, even though you will normally need to follow up in writing. The longer the inaccurate information goes uncorrected, the longer it will take to resolve the problem.
What can you do to help fight identity theft?
A great deal. Awareness is an effective weapon against many forms identity theft. Be aware of how information is stolen and what you can do to protect yours, monitor your personal information to uncover any problems quickly, and know what to do when you suspect your identity has been stolen. Armed with the knowledge of how to protect yourself and take action, you can make identity thieves' jobs much more difficult. You can also help fight identity theft by educating your friends, family, and members of your community. The FTC has prepared a collection of easy-to-use materials to enable anyone regardless of existing knowledge about identity theft to inform others about this serious crime.
Source: FTC

Testimonials

"We looked at a number of companies and found LifeLock had the best product for protecting people from ID theft plus much more. I wish we had found them before my wife and I recently became victims."
Bobby Joe Harris Retired Chandler (AZ) Police Chief

"I took all the precautions to fight ID Theft but never once thought about my son becoming a victim until he became one. Criminals don't care if you're 2 or 102, as long as they get what they want. I have now turned to LifeLock to protect my children and only wish I would've known about Lifelock before this happened to my son."
Lisa Terwillegar Hickory, North Carolina

"Trying to solve the problems from ID Theft is more frustrating than returning unwanted presents the day after Christmas. I'll never go through that again because of LifeLock."
Sean Simpson Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

"I have dealt with the results of ID theft for more than three years and read about all the so-called solutions. Until LifeLock came along, I never thought I would see an answer to the problem. LifeLock can stop this crime!"
Paul Fairchild Edmond, Oklahoma

"As the owner of a small business my employees are an extension of my family. I looked into LifeLock and immediately paid to sign everyone up. I just couldn't live with myself if one of my employees had to deal with the problems of ID Theft and I could have prevented it with LifeLock."
Brian Tritch President Applied Creative Phoenix, Arizona

"LifeLock is an ideal match for financial institutions. It is an ideal and unique solution to the very real fear we all have about ID theft."
Paul Clampitt President and CEO Institution Solutions, Inc.

"About 7 years ago, when identity theft was just taking off, I fell victim to a scam that I wasn't even aware of. Credit card companies still sent actual credit cards in their pre-approval mailings and one was stolen out of my mailbox. A year later, I received a collection notice that over $2000 was charged at a retailer blocks away from my home. It took me over 19 months to fight the charge, and an additional 12 months to get it removed from my credit. I most likely spent over 50 hours trying to fight this single attack and hundreds of dollars in mail, research and fees to get it cleared up. Since then I have been looking for a service just like yours - and I signed up today. Thank you for being there and I hope I never have to use your service, but it is nice to know you are there and ready to go to bat if it happens again."
Alan Wizemann Institution Solutions

"I saw in the news about a company called LifeLock that protects families from identity theft. My husband was skeptical, but I signed us up, and forgot about it. A couple of months later, on a family vacation, my husband received a phone call asking if he was applying for a new credit card. Someone was trying to steal his identity. LifeLock had stopped the thief cold. We continued on with our vacation knowing we were safe."
Kim Barnes

"Thieves broke into my home and got everything - my passport, birth certificate, social security card, and several othAaron Freeman Scottsdale, Arizonaer priceless items. They could have ruined me financially. I had heard about how LifeLock guarantees identity protection. So I put them to the test. A few days later, I started getting phone calls that the thieves were trying to open new credit accounts using my identity. LifeLock's system worked just like they said it would and stopped the thieves early." "I urge everyone to consider employing LifeLock to protect his or her Identity. I am grateful the thieves that tried to get to me were not able to succeed even though they have tried repeated times. LifeLock stopped them!"
Aaron Freeman, Scottsdale, Az

"I had seen a news report about LifeLock. The CEO gave out his social security number on TV! The reporter tried to use it to open new accounts and couldn't. That when I signed up. Later, I heard from the Navy and the VA that they had lost my private information. Then someone tried to open two credit card accounts under my name. They tried to steal my identity, but LifeLock came through. LifeLock saved me at least $30,000 and years of frustration, along with my good credit."
Earl Laurie