Lifelock?

[BarbC]

After having my Visa card compromised, and then my Discover card, I'm considering fraud protection.

In this month's American Rifleman there is an ad for Lifelock.

Any experiences with this?

 

[BarbC]

After having my Visa card compromised, and then my Discover card, I'm considering fraud protection.

In this month's American Rifleman there is an ad for Lifelock.

Any experiences with this?

 

[walkinghorse]

Klas has given some good advise, Lifelock is doing something that you can do for yourself, albeit it is more convenient for you if Lifelock does it. They also provide insurance if somebody gets ahead of the system and crreates something new, but your credit cards also offer this service.

Years ago (long before Lifelock and other credit checks were in vogue) we had to put a freeze on our cards and credit. It worked well, in fact so well that we needed to do something new with our credit, we had to call and confirm it was us. It also showed up in buying a house etc. It still showed up as a freeze years later, long after we had forgotten about it.

 

[ContinentalOp]

I wouldn't sign up for Lifelock. A bunch of their customers are suing them because they claim they weren't provided the services they paid for. This is on top of the fact that the owner, the one who publicly posted his SSN, had his own identity stolen.

 

[diamonback68]

Barb, you can do the same three things that Lifelock does FREE on the internet. My son sent me the the websites for these and I did all three, but now I can't find what and where I did it. I'll see if I can find them for you.

 

[The Highlander]

As a licensed financial advisor, I told my clients to do SOMETHING. Whether you choose Lifelock or one of its competitors, or try to do it on your own, doesn't matter. The advantage to the services is that they don't forget to ask for the reports, file the paperwork, and that sort of thing. They also provide, in Lifelock's case, $1,000,000 insurance. That may be worth the fee to you. I've also found that people start with the best of intentions to maintain their credit files, and do the due diligence. After about three months, the "fun" wears off, and after twelve months, I bet only a very small percentage are still doing it. For my money and piece of mind, it is worth using one of the services.

 

[boneman]

I've got to admit that I'm not very computer savvy so where do you go to do these things for free or low cost. Sorry Barb I can't help you, but you've got me thinking. Thanks Larry

 

[diamonback68]

I can't find all of them, but to stop unwanted credit card mail solicitations, go to www.optoutprescreen.com. You can also put a freeze on your credit report at www.experian.com/freeze, it's the same for Transunion and the other one. I think there is a $10 fee and if you need to un-freeze to buy a house or car or major expense like that, it's a $10 fee good for 7 days, 15days, 30 days whichever you choose. HTH

 

[ArcticFox]

I have the similar plan through Equifax. I get e-mail alerts on any transactions over my pre-specified amount or of any new loan origination or sudden use of an account after a specified period of time and they troll the dark side of the internet for my name and account numbers for sale. The alerts keep me on top of things and I sleep better now. For instance, I just got an alert about an (over my-specified-limit) withdrawal on my checking account, well, the IRS just cashed my tax check. It's $12.95 per month but I pay yearly which brings the price down some.

 

[creedekid]

Barb,
I have to agree with The Highlander on this one. My wife and I signed up for Lifelock almost a year ago. Within about six weeks they stopped someone from using our credit card and there is an investigation going on. I think it is money well spent.

 

[Damn Yankee]

Barbara,
Here is a good article on credit and debt cards by Clark Howard. He is not keen on banks but likes Credit Unions.

http://clarkhoward.com/liveweb...notes/category/7/40/

 

[Wheelgunner840]

What does it mean to "put a freeze" on your credit card(s)?

Hope you don't mind me asking a question in your thread Barb. I am guessing that there are a few of us who would like to know.

The cards I have seem to be self protected. By that, I mean that I just need to report any unauthorized charges, and they remove them from my bill. I had this happen last year. Two $800+ purchases from the other coast. I called the 800 number on the bill, and they removed the charges. They did send me a report to fill out, and I had them cancel the old card and issue me a new card with a different number.

Credit reports are a whole differnt thing I guess, and I know little to nothing about them. Identity theft does not necessarily happen with a credit card that you already have, but rather, someone steals your identity and order new cards in your name.

I had considered Lifelock too. I am watching the responses to this thread by those in the know. Thanks for posting this Barb.

WG840

 

[diamonback68]

Originally posted by Wheelgunner840:
What does it mean to "put a freeze" on your credit card(s)?

WG840

Just click on that website and it will tell you rather then for me to explain.

 

[Damn Yankee]

Wheelgunner840,

Go here and maybe this will help you understand your question.

http://clarkhoward.com/query/r....x=0&submit.y=0#1374

 

[Wheelgunner840]

Diamonback and Damn Yankee. Thank you both. Those sites were very informative.

WG840

 

[BarbC]

Thank you for the input. It's not just the credit cards, which I can log onto and check myself, but the thought that it seems that somewhere somebody has gained access to more than just my credit card numbers and might do something like buy an RV or a house under my identity.

I decided to try the Lifelock. With the NRA promo code NRA20, it's free for the first 60 days and only $9/month thereafter, with cancellation at any time I choose. So we'll give it a try.

 

[Wheelgunner840]

I'd be interested to know what you think about it after a few months, if you would care to report back.

WG840

 

[therevjay]

I signed up for 'lifelock' because of the ad in American rifleman. Is it a good deal? I dunno, but it makes me feel a little safer.

Oh crap I just thought about what I just said. "It makes me feel a little safer." Maybe I'm a 'closet liberal'.

 

[BarbC]

So far, they've taken me off "pre-approved" credit lists and ordered the credit reports.

 

[Jerry in SC]

I froze my credit some time ago.

It won't protect you from credit card fraud. Several cards offer a secure one time use number for the amount of the transaction only. Criminals always find new ways to commit fraud. They have insiders at businesses copying card numbers and checks, et al.

If someone wants to steal your identity, the reality is that there's not much you can do about it. Ever think about how many times you've filled out a form in the past with your address and ss # on it? Businesses go out of business, Doctors retire: ever wonder what happens to all those records?