Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft

Discussion in 'Credit Talk' started by jmc912, Jul 25, 2013.

  1. jmc912

    jmc912 Well-Known Member

    Hey everyone,

    After working so hard to repair my husbands credit and making some improvements to mine, I was wondering about what can be done to protect our identities.

    I know there are several services out there (Lifelock, etc.) that provide a service like this, I was just wondering if anyone had any personal experience.

    I would really hate to have done all this work and then the thieves be able to take advantage of our good credit. I have a friend who was recently a victim and someone opened a credit card and bought a car in his name. Needless to say it's been a mess for him.

    Thanks!
     
  2. Logan Abbott

    Logan Abbott Well-Known Member

    Unfortunately (well, perhaps fortunately) I don't have any personal experience w/ credit monitoring services, but I can tell you there's a pretty big discrepancy between the well-reviewed and the poorly-reviewed ID theft services out there. According to toptenreviews.com, Lifelock still edges out the competition over Identity Force and Identity Guard. Here's a link for you to compare reviews: Identity Theft Protection Services Review 2013 | Best Identity Protection | Protection from Identity Theft & Fraud - TopTenREVIEWS

    Let us know which one you end up going w/ and what your experience is like - best of luck!

    Also as an aside, check out the 3-part miniseries we ran on ID Theft in our Weekly Tips column on Creditnet: http://www.creditnet.com/articles/i...ou-could-stop-pre-approved-credit-card-offers
     
  3. jmc912

    jmc912 Well-Known Member

    Thanks Jason! I'll look into those.. I did see the top 10 reviews and I've opted us out. I also read somewhere that you don't need a service to protect your identity, that you can do everything yourself... Maybe someone else will have some insight!

    I'm thinking Lifelock looks good. I'd just rather be safe than sorry!
     
  4. beezyF

    beezyF Member

    FYI I've put a freeze on my account in the past after an ID fraud issue. Gave me piece of mind which was nice, but it was kind of difficult taking it off. Worth considering, but there are some pros and cons.

    Hope this helps!
     
  5. jmc912

    jmc912 Well-Known Member

    Do you have to lift the freeze before you can open any new accounts?
     
  6. beezyF

    beezyF Member

    Yes - what it basically does is keep lenders from performing a hard pull on your credit, which in effect means no accounts can be open. Stops ID thefts from opening up fake accounts, but it also stops you from opening up "real" accounts.
     
  7. JoshuaHeckathorn

    JoshuaHeckathorn Administrator

    Hey jmc912, did you end up choosing to go with a service like Lifelock? And if so, how has your experience been over the years?

    In addition, if you haven't already checked out CreditKarma.com, you should. Totally free, and it allows you to get updates whenever there's a change on your credit reports. Hope you're willing to come back and give us an update soon. Cheers!
     

Share This Page