There has been much press lately about the services that LifeLock provides and recently, a California judge has upheld a ruling that identity theft service companies are no longer able to place fraud alerts on behalf of their members. While many members were drawn to these services because of the convenience of having their fraud alerts placed and renewed for them, the law now dictates that these services will change, which has proved to be an unfortunate setback for consumers. As a result of recent litigation, brought about by Experian, it has been ruled that the practice of setting fraud alerts on behalf of  consumers must come to an end. (more…)

Identity theft stories are everywhere. By reading one that could happen to you, it might help you to see the importance of being proactive in protecting personal documents and information. The following scenario is based on a story that was submitted by an anonymous author:
A woman went out with friends to a night club and didn’t want to be weighed down with carrying a purse, so she decided to leave it in the car of the friend she rode with. Upon leaving the club, (more…)

As a way to fight the crime of medical identity theft, some doctors and hospitals are starting to ask for ID when patients check in to receive medical care. This is a protection for patients. Because the Federal Trade Commission has recently released what are called “Red Flags” rules to combat identity theft, some changes are being made by, not only the medical field, but banks and other institutions as well. These changes are required to be put in place by November 1, 2009 by the FTC, so the next time you go to the doctor or the hospital, you might be required to provide your ID at check in. Patients should not consider this an aggravation, but rather a protection of their medical file and their credit. (more…)

According to their corporate website, Radisson Hotels & Resorts have had a recent data breach of credit card numbers between November 2008 and May 2009. They are working closely with law enforcement and other authorities to analyze the situation, however,  the number of names and credit card numbers affected has not yet been released. They are reporting that no social security numbers were accessed in this breach. (more…)

Recently, the media has reported that an identity thief, said to be associated with the largest case of identity theft to date, has been caught. Albert Gonzalez, 28, ran an operation in which he hacked into over 100 million credit card accounts. Gonzalez (residing in Miami, FL) was charged on Monday for credit and debit card theft. He is reported to have stolen 40 million card numbers in the past, so this is at least his second offense. He was able to obtain the numbers by hacking into retail store computer networks. If convicted, Gonzalez faces up to 20 years in prison. Gonzalez was involved in the following data breaches (reported earlier): Heartland Payment Systems; 7-Eleven Inc, TJX Companies, Dave & Busters, BJ’s Wholesale Club, OfficeMax, Boston Market, Barnes & Noble, Sports Authority, Forever 21, DSW and others. There are also unidentified company breaches that Gonzalez, and his conspirators, were involved with. (more…)

Yes, it is a time in your life where you are so excited and there is so much to do – the bride has to pick out her bridesmaids, her gown and what she wants on the wedding registry, to name a few things. Then there is the reception to plan and, of course, the honeymoon. When two lives come together to form a new family and excitement is in the air, the last thing one worries about is whether or not there identity might be stolen during their wedding planning process. So if you are getting married soon, be careful to follow some tips given be an website we found.
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Incidents of identity theft are on the rise. Over 1 million reported cases of identity theft were recorded in 2008, according to the Federal Trade Commission. LifeLock has a product in place to help. LifeLock for business can help your organization protect those who want to protect their credit, including, (but not limited to)  – employees, customers or members. Although LifeLock has become a popular service in recent years, there is still much room for growth. Companies can help to spread the word about LifeLock’s valuable services and help more people get protected. LifeLock has a proactive approach when it comes to helping to protect the credit of their members. The various services that are provided as a part of the membership, help to protect credit in several ways, including their eRecon, TrueAddress and WalletLock services. (more…)