Alternatives To Lifelock

Lifelock have been getting lawsuits thrown at them left right and center including false advertising claims by among others the state of NY (which accounts for the new marketing manager they just announced).

The guarantee isn't worth a light as the small print says 'if losses are due to a fault with their service' Trouble is they don't provide a service anymore. Not since a Judge ordered them to stop placing fraud alerts illegally.

Its up to you dude but I wouldn't give them 10c a month never mind 120 bucks a year. At least read the stuff at Lifelock Scam before deciding. http://lifelock-scam.com

EDITOR'S NOTE: I agree, everyone should do their research. I don't have a vested interest in ANY of the players.

The best DIY protection: common sense.
Don't carry your checkbook everywhere "just in case".
Don't use a debit card as you are more vulnerabble to loss. Use a credit card instead.
Pay bills electronically, preferably on your own computer.
If you pay bills via the Post Office, put the envelopes in a secure mail box as close to pick up time as possible.
Learn more about this on FTC.GOV, and other government agency based web sites.
Read books by Frank Abagnale.

Tom, volunteer identity theft investigator at my local PD

I once heard a security professional recommend debix.com in a convincing manner. It's cheaper than most of the services listed above. I haven't had any problems since signing up with them - but I didn't have problems before joining their service either.

I spent a total of 28 yrs working for American Express as a credit analyst. I also worked for department stores and their credit problems. We never charged anybody the maximum $50 limit for fraud. I believe that any fraud is usually started in a dept. store, or by postal thieves. Still, I do not see any reason a lawful charge should be incurred by a consumer. It is my understanding that this is industry-wide. A note to people who use the credit reports, and find derogatory reports, has the right to put their own note in the file, along with a copy of a police report (if there is one). Re-check with them at least every 90 days to make sure your note is posted, as this information should be known to anybody who has a reason to check up on you.

Why not look into Pre-Paid Legal Services and Identity Theft Shield. These are two nationwide services that offer much more than any of the services listed above. A good identity theft protection service should: be able to identify the problem, stop it and restore the identity as if it had never been stolen in the first place. Identity Theft Shield is the only service that really restores it. I am a Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist and a Pre-Paid Legal Services associate.

I heard that Lifelock merely puts a lock on your credit with the credit reporting agencies, which prevents anyone from opening new credit on your account. In many States, including Georgia, consumers can now do this themselves for a modest fee of about $10, and also unlock the file for another modest fee.

I like to use Cards that offer VIRTUAL account numbers--e.g. Citibank and Discover. With these, if the number is stolen it has limited use for the thief. For Citibank, the number is good for one time use only and expires in 30 days; for Discover, it is good that that merchant only but does not expire until the card does.

With both program, you install a small program on your computer and click to create a virtual account number.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Lifelock does a Fraud Alert, which anyone can do for free, but it expires every 90 days. A Credit Freeze is different. See the article for more info, as I discussed it in detail.

If you lose your debit or credit card, whoever finds it can use it to go shopping. Stores are supposed to ask for ID, but they rarely do...since they know they'll still get the money from the sale, as the banks will not demand reimbursement from the stores that illegally process the card. If banks *did* make the stores culpable--and they should--you'll see a sudden change in behavior: all shops will demand to see your ID before processing a purchase. This will make customers much saver from theft, whenever they lose their debit or credit card...or have them stolen.

BTW, I only have a debit card, never used a credit card in my life. Nonetheless, I am just as well protected as if I owned a credit card. This is true for most debit cards, as they are Visa or Mastercard secured.

EDITOR'S NOTE: As a merchant who accepts credit cards for quite a few years, I can tell you that card issuing banks almost ALWAYS side with the consumer. The merchant almost always has to eat the loss.

I have both a MasterCard and a Visa credit card. Here are some things I have been able to do in order to protect my accounts in case of the physical loss of the cards, or in case someone gains access to the account numbers.

I have not signed the backs of my cards, but instead have written "See photo ID." At any local store that accepts my card without looking on the back, I immediately call for the manager and politely request that they change their store policy. If, within 6 months, they have not, that store is added to a list, held by the card companies, of stores at which purchases on my account are not authorized. I have been especially diligent in targeting high-dollar and electronics stores, as these are often the places where stolen cards are used. The few places who have not complied do not put much of a crimp in my shopping habits. This probably would be more difficult if I lived in a city with a million or more people.

All online and out-of-town purchases, except gasoline, must be pre-approved by me with a phone call to the card company, and I must give them my home phone number (which is not written anywhere in my purse or in my house), and a PIN that is stored only in my head.

When my purse was stolen several years ago, my credit card companies reported one attempt to use each card, but the purchases were denied. Hopefully it was because of my precautions.

I recently purchased indentity theft protection through my homeowners policy with State Farm for $25.00 per year.. It has all the coverage that most all the others offer.
J.L.T.

Lifelock digusts me. Their dubious far-fetched stories like the one from a police officer who had unauthorized transactions appear on his credit report for 8 yrs...hmm.

I do not buy it, or he's dumber than a bag of hammers. A cop? Though not usually the brightest crayons in the box, but oh please. He should be fired for being stupid.

The rest of the 'stories' sound like a crock as well. I have never known anyone who this has happened to and yes this service is available through my homeowners for a fraction of what these fear mongering thieves charge.

If ID Watchdog charges $19.95/month, how can Identity Guard Total Protection which costs $17.99 per month, be "the most expensive of the services mentioned here"?

Please note that when I signed on to LifeLock, it stated a new updated policy was in force--you had to click on submit to even access your account. By clicking, you agreed to their new (2018) terms:). BY ENTERING THESE SERVICE TERMS, YOU AGREE TO RESOLVE ALL DISPUTES WITH LIFELOCK THROUGH SMALL CLAIMS COURTS OR THROUGH ARBITRATION ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS RATHER THAN JURY TRIALS OR CLASS ACTIONS (SEE SECTION 17 BELOW). Guess what? You may have $1,000,000 in coverage, but, if you dispute that they did not do what they promised, our local small claims court is capped at $10,000!!! People REALLY need to know about this!!!