Credit Protection and Identity Theft Protection Services
LifeLock™
When it comes to your identity you do not want to mess around. Having your identity stolen is something that could haunt you for the rest of your life. One of the best ways to make sure that you identity remains safe and that you never have to worry about what a theft is going to do to your reputation and financial stability is by employing the services of an identity theft prevention company such as LifeLock™.
LifeLock™ is an American identity theft protection company that was founded in 2005. To receive identity theft protection from this company, there is a $10 a month membership fee and for this fee you will receive a number of identity theft protection services.
Before you sign up for a protection companies services, it is really important that you know exactly what types of services you are going to be getting. One of the first things that LifeLock™ is going to provide is credit monitoring. This means that as soon as you have signed up for their services they are going to run a routine credit check and they will make sure that pre-approve credit offers do not have your name and personal information on your list. If there is a cause for concern, LifeLock™ will take preventive measures and also alert you to the issue.
When it comes to protecting your identity, you do not want to waste any time. The faster you are able to act, the less damage that will be done. Speed when it comes to dealing with identity theft possibilities is one of the traits that LifeLock™ prides itself on. As soon as they detect a potential threat, they spring into action, making sure that the problem is eliminated before it can even really form.
These services include:
Identification of fraudulent applications for some forms of credit
- Some retail credit cards
- Mortgage loans
- Auto loans
Non-credit related services
- Wireless services
- Utilities
- Check orders and reorders
- Payday loans
Another great feature of LifeLock™ is that in order to reduce the unwanted mail, they will opt-out their members for pre-approved credit card offers.
In August of 2010 LifeLock™ was also recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the Top Ten Ranking on their Inc. 500 list and was also named Most Admired company in Arizona in September 2010.
LifeLock™ is proud of their services and they are also confident that they will be able to keep you identity and you safe. To let you know that they stand by their word, they offer a service guarantee. If you are a member of LifeLock™ and the worse happens and your identity is stolen, LifeLock™ will do everything they can to help rectify the problem.
Identity Guard™
Lately it seems like every time you turn around you are hearing a new horror story about someone whose identity has been stolen. The fallout from stolen identity is a nightmare. It can take months to get things settled and by the time you have corrected the problem there is a chance that you might have put your financial wellbeing in serious danger. The really alarming part is that many of the people who are currently having their identity stolen are careful. They are very good about how they bank, who they give their personal information to, and which internet sites they visit, and still, despite all of that care, they find themselves fighting to reclaim their identity. One of the things that can help preserve your good name is taking advantage of the services that identity protection companies like Identity Guard™ have to offer.
One of the best things that Identity Guard™ does is protect your computer. Many of the people who are currently dealing with identity theft are doing so because their computer was not properly protected. A bit of spyware made it onto their hard drive, corrupt websites use the spyware to gather the computer owner’s personal information which is then sold. One of the things that Identity Guard™ does is make sure that your computer is completely protected. They do this by including top of the line anti-spyware, virus protection, malware, phishing, and keylog software that is available on the market. The better protected your computer is, the safer your identity is going to remain.
Another service that Identity Guard™ is very proud of is their Total Protection Program. When you become a member of the Identity Guard™ program you can rest assured that the company is doing everything in their power to keep you as safe as possible. Identity Guard™ has several different protection plans that individuals can purchase.
The most basic plan that they provide is the Basic Protection Program which includes:
- Identity Monitoring
- Online Financial Tools
- Lost Wallet Protection
- Identity Theft Insurance
- Identity theft Recovery Assistance
- Internet Surveillance
The premium Identity Guard™ membership is called Total Protection and it includes all the features that the basic protection program offers as well as several others. The services that come standard with the Identity Guard Total Protection membership include; 3 quarterly Credit Scores, Credit Bureau Monitoring, Public Record Report & Monitoring, ZoneAlarm® Internet Security Suite, MOBILE LOCKBOX®, Quarterly Credit Updates, and PRIVACYPROTECT®. The cost of the Basic Protection plan is $4.99 monthly and the cost of the Total Protection plan is $17.99 every month.
Identity Guard™ knows that protecting your identity is important and they know that it can be difficult to trust that a company is going to do a good enough job. To help you feel more proactive about protecting your identity, they have created a dashboard that allows you to see everything that the company has done to protect you from identity scams.
Identity Guard™ is constantly working to do everything they can to see that your identity does not get stolen.
Trusted ID
The instinct is to handle our own identity protection, to stay in control of it ourselves, sadly, this is not always an option. There are simply too many ways for your identity to be stolen for you to protect yourself. Your best bet is to pay an identity theft protection company to protect your identity for you. These companies have resources that they can use to keep you safe and make sure that you never have to go through the process of trying to recover your identity. One such company is Trusted ID.
One of the services that Trusted ID offers is protection against websites that are trawling for people’s identities. The websites collect your information and then sell it to the highest bidder. Trusted ID knows the signs that you identity could be going up for auction and has the tools needed to make sure that it never gets sold.
Trusted ID has 3credit bureau monitoring which allows them to carefully monitor your credit report. The second anything on your credit report changes, Trusted ID will alert you of the change. If you feel that the change is the result of identity theft, you can contact Trusted ID and they will help you get the issue resolved. The sooner you are able to act, the less damage there will be.
One of the great things about Trusted ID is that they do not want you to take their word about how amazing their services are. They want you to experience it for yourselves. To help you do that, the website has a 14 day trial period where you can test drive the company. If you decide that it is not a good match for you, all you have to do is cancel your membership and look somewhere else. The 14- day trial membership is a great way to really compare different identity protection programs and find the best one for you. It is a program that everyone should take advantage of.
Before you make a final decision about which credit and identity protection company you should choose, you should set aside a block of time to compare several different companies and make sure that you are making the correct decision for your needs and your budget. Your identity is the one thing that you can truly call your own, you deserve to do everything in your power to make sure that it stays protected and that your financial future remains secure.
Protect My ID
One of the services that ProtectmyID is set up to help provide you with is protection against medical theft. Not only can medical theft play havoc on your finances, it can also be a problem when it comes to your medical records. Another problem that happens if you have been a victim of medical theft is that it can be harder for you to get a good rate on health insurance because you records indicate that you have needed additional medical care that the insurance company might not be willing to cover.
ProtectmyID monitors websites that have a reputation for selling identities. If any of your personal information pops up on one of these websites, ProtectmyID will alert you and then promptly start taking steps to make sure that you identity is not sold and that your future remains bright. ProtectmyID provides daily monitoring of these sites.
You are not the only person that you have to worry about. Identity thieves are also after the identity of your children. ProtectmyID is one of the few companies that currently include protecting your children as a part of your membership. They keep the identity of your children safe, by monitoring their Social Security Number. If they suspect your child’s identity is at risk, they will notify you immediately.
If you are like most people, you keep a great deal of personal information in your wallet. The contents most likely include your driver’s license, you credit cards, social security card, and maybe even some banking information, all information that individuals who steal identities love to get. If you have purchased a membership to ProtectmyID, they will take the steps to make sure that you remain safe even if your wallet happens to get stolen.
You should not assume that you do not need any form of identity protection. Having your identity stolen leaves you open for getting turned down when you apply for an important loan, lawsuits, and even inaccurate medical records. When it comes to protecting your identity, you cannot be too careful.
ProtectmyID understands how important it is for you to feel involved in the task of protecting your identity. They also know that finding the time to do so can be difficult. To make things a little easier for you they have created a mobile application that can be installed onto your cell phone, which you can use to help you keep a careful eye on your identity.