"Honey, I don't know how the thieves got in, but our bank accounts are drained. All our money is gone!"
"Honey, don't worry! I called Lifelock months ago and signed us up for their service. We're covered! We've got nothing to worry about!"
We've all heard the Lifelock Commercials- smarmy dope opens by telling us his Social Security Number (Oh My God! What's he doing?? Is this man CRAZY? Doesn't he know that his Identity can be stolen using his sacred, Top-Secret, used only on Driver's Licenses and Student IDs and countless other readily-available government documents Social Security Number?) He's not afraid, though, because he has LifeLock!
The guy in the commercial quoted above signed himself and his wife up for Lifelock "months ago," which means he handed over his SS number, and his wife's, and God Knows what other financial information, to some huckster he heard on the radio. You just learned something about your husband's respect for your privacy, lady- and how do you respond? "Thank goodness you made that call!"
But wait- what does Lifelock really offer? "They have a million-dollar guarantee- that means they'll spend up to a million dollars fixing our lost identity problem." Does that mean that if your bank accounts are cleaned out, like this couples has been, Lifelock will put back up to a million dollars? HELL NO! It means exactly what they say (give them credit for honesty on this point)- they'll spend up to a million dollars restoring your identity. The cash removed from your accounts? That's between you and your bank.
Sorry, lady- but despite what your incredibly disrespectful husband told you (and you really should sit down and ask him what else he has done in your name and without your consent- any Life Insurance policies you should know about? Investments? Time Shares?) you have plenty to worry about. Lifelock may be helpful in getting bad credit ratings created by imposters removed from your files, but they aren't going to be sending an agent down to the bank with a check to replace your lost cash.
And here's my cheaper alternative: If I'm ever dumb enough to sign up for Lifelock and I get my identity stolen, please don't spend a million dollars restoring it. For half that amount, I'll accept a brand-new identity. Just cut me a check, and I'll walk away. I like my name, but I'm not married to it. I'd even wish the very best to the poor sap who stole my identity and thought he was getting something of immense value. :>)
Change your identity, what a great idea. I hope a lot of people have found this blog.
ReplyDeletePlease carefully ready this newspaper article about what LIFELOCK does NOT want YOU to know !!!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wvgazette.com/News/200805172662
If you needed a parachute to save your life ...
would you try to find a cheaper alternative like at a garage sale, Army surplus store, or e-bay ???
Of course not !!!
Your good name and financial future affect your ability to live and earn a living. It is YOUR LIFE and also affects your loved ones lives. It affects your freedom, your ability to live where your can, your utilities including cell phones, your bank and credit cards, and your health.
I'm a certified Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist. C.I.T.R.M.S.
There are 5 types of PERSONAL identity Theft:
financial which ONLY accounts for 22 to 28% of the thefts;
criminal which can get you arrested for crimes done in your name;
driver's license which can get you arrested and your car impounded;
Social Security Number which can mess up every thing and put you in the HOT SEAT with the IRS;
and medical which can get you killed by being given the wrong blood type or medicine, use up all your insurance benefits, run up huge bills, and make getting insurance impossible if they show you have a heart problem, aids or other major problem.
Thus, a number of types of PERSONAL Identity Theft can cause a LEGAL EMERGENCY that requires a LAWYER after 5 PM, weekends, and holidays, ... even 3 or 4 AM !!!
To give you COMPLETE COVERAGE, two companies had to form a SYNERGISTIC PARTNERSHIP. BOTH are 35+ year old PUBLICLY-TRADED COMPANIES.
When Identity Theft became a RECOGNIZED problem, many companies SPRANG up OVERNIGHT like POISON MUSHROOMS. Many disappeared just as quickly.
There is one 35+ old PUBLICLY-TRADED company which is recognized as the WORLD'S LEADING RISK MANAGEMENT COMPANY. They offer REAL COVERAGE for a little more than the WORSE THAN WORTHLESS scams.
WHY would SOME plans be WORSE THAN WORTHLESS ???
If you "THINK" you are COMPLETELY COVERED ... even UP to ONE OR TWO MILLION DOLLARS, THEN YOU LET YOUR GUARD DOWN, AND STOP SEARCHING FOR BETTER COVERAGE. RIGHT?
If a smoke detector, fire extinguisher, or PARACHUTE fails to work JUST ONCE, then your LIFE CAN BE DESTROYED.
A news paper article revealed that LifeLock has FAILED to protect the co-founder at least TWENTY-ONE TIMES !!! At least 20 people have been issued DRIVER'S LICENSES using his Social Security Number (SSN) !!!
Plus, a mentally handicapped man in Texas got a $500 signature loan using Davis's SSN. They botch that so badly and apparently violated his rights so badly that police could not arrest the mentally handicapped man.
How many times had Todd Davis's identity been stolen for ALL FIVE types of PERSONAL Identity Theft that they have NOT told us about. That's "LYING BY OMISSION", as Zig Ziglar would say. If you take out all the FALSE or misleading information from their advertising that is represented by the letter "F" , then "TRUTH IN ADVERTISING" would change their name to "LieLock." IMHO
Now in baseball you get THREE STRIKES before you're out. In LIFE AND DEATH MATTERS, you only get ONE STRIKE, not TWENTY ONE STRIKES before YOU'RE OUT !!!
Now if a company FAILS 21 times, for just one person, the most important person for them to protect, and they don't fess up to their failures until the PRESS reveal it, how well can you trust them to protect your good name and financial future ???
How many times will you let them FAIL to protect you, before you get PROPER COVERAGE ???
LifeLock is $10 a month for what you can do yourself for FREE without giving your information to strangers. You might get it for $9 each month with a discount, but that is still $9 too much.
The SEASON EXPERTS do virtually all the work to RESTORE your identity. The ALTERNATIVE is having to DO-IT-YOURSELF for an average of OVER SIX HUNDRED HOURS !!! many fail and the NIGHTMARE can last 5, 10, or more years !!! These SEASONED EXPERTS are former CIA and FBI agents, retired law officers, forensic accountants, computer experts, licensed investigators, lawyers, and more.
These experts and the company were helping major companies with the corporate side of identity theft LONG before PERSONAL identity theft was recognized as a problem.
Thus, they were READY, willing, and ABLE to help to the same for families as they had been doing for companies for years !!!
Learn how to get the experts on your side for a FAIR PRICE for this vital service by going to:
http://www.prepaidlegal.com/idt/joebentson
The basic coverage is only 12.95/month. If you get the family legal plan, then you get a $3/month discount, so it's just 9.95/month for the Identity Theft Shield.
The economy FAMILY legal membership is only 16/month in most states. I recommend that you get the "Legal Shield" for an extra $1/month if it is available in your state. It's the rider that gives you 24/7 EMERGENCY access to a lawyer if you are stopped, questioned, or arrested by a law officer or security guard. It can also help you if a social worker tries to take away your children or grand children.
http://www.prepaidlegal.com/info/joebentson for the family legal plan membership information
The BEST family legal plan is 25/month in most states. It gives you up to 35 hours extra time for PRE-trial defense if you are SUE or have certain job-related criminal charges.
Experian is the most important service to monitor your credit and get a credit "score" for 3/month extra, you can get monitored by the other two services.
In addition to monitoring, if your identity is stolen, they will also check for criminal identity theft in your name in local and NATIONAL DATA BASES to correct this type of identity theft.
In the movie about Patton, He said something like those who don't study history, are doomed to repeat it.
Don't protect your most vital assets, ... your ability to earn money, be free, and have a good name, by the cheapest plan that may fail you when you need it the most.
There are a number of articles about the growing number of lawsuits, because if you examine the LifeLock Service "Guarantee" then you will see that it will NOT pay you even a PENNY !!! It MAY pay out to vendors, if the service was at fault to not block a credit report and credit was issued in your name to a thief. It only partially covers ONE of 5 types of personal ID Theft. That leaves you more than 75% UNcovered, like an ostrich with it's HEAD stuck in the sand.
There are a growing number of lawsuits and state regulatory agency investigations of LifeLock. They are able to PITCH their con game, because it is NOT INSURANCE, and thus is NOT regulated by an state insurance commissioner.
Let me know if you need more answers or would like a copy of my "21 Tips to Reduce Your RISK of Identity Theft.
Best wishes,
Joe Bentson C.I.T.R.M.S.
One of the things I first noticed about the LifeLock ads, though I think newer versions have removed it, is the way the wife describes LifeLock's success at protecting her husband's identity.
ReplyDeleteThe wife says that her husband didn't want the service, but she signed him up anyway, and then later, when some scammer tried to steal her husband's identity, "LifeLock stopped it. Never happened."
Of course, this merely the wife's passive-aggressive way of saying to her husband "nyah, nyah, I was right and you were wrong."
That couple's identities be temporarily protected, but I'll bet anything they get divorced or the husband finally snaps and takes the one action which ensures that HE finally gets the last word.
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ReplyDelete