You’ve seen the commercials…

Hi, I’m Todd Davis, and 457-55-5462 is my REAL social security number…

The company is LifeLock, the product is Identity Theft Protection, and the cost is, well, outrageous.

If you’re considering buying one of their plans, either $110/yr on the annual plan, or their $10/mo plan, you might want to consider what you’re actually getting for the money, because you can do it yourself.LifeLock logo

First, call the credit bureaus and put a fraud alert on your account. You can call the big 3 at:

  • TransUnion - 800-680-7289
  • Equifax - 800-525-6285
  • Experian - 888-397-3742

Make sure you repeat every 90 days.  You only have to contact one of the bureaus for the alert to go on your report for all 3. Then file a fraud alert online with Chex Systems.

Second, pre-approved credit card mailings at OptOutPrescreen.com.

Third, reduce junk mail by going to DMAConsumers.org. (Note: there’s a fee for this service of $1, I dunno why)

As for the $1M insurance policy against identity theft, well, I’m pretty sure you don’t get a million if someone steals your identity. There’s limitations, one I believe is proving your identity was stolen while you were a customer of LifeLock. I’m sure a thief isn’t going to get too far once you’ve filed a fraud alert on your credit reports.

This is not a 100% guarantee against identity theft, not even LifeLock can offer that (Todd Davis had his identity stolen while being a customer). However, this will get you 99% of the way there, and protecting your private information will make up a good portion of the remaining 1%.

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