Many people decide to choose a website password that is easy for them to remember and use the same password for access to all of the sites that they regularly visit. However, that is not a safe practice and can end up costing you, if you are not careful. Many experts recommend that you choose a strong password. What does that mean? First, don’t use the obvious in your password – like your first or last name, the names of your children or your pet. Second, don’t pick a year to include as the number. Although these are easier to remember, they are also a set up for trouble. Dates and names are out and using some sort of “system” is in. Some random set of letters, numbers or symbols works much better. Also, the longer, the better. Microsoft recommends having 14 or more characters! (more…)

It is getting depressing to see all of the news stories about identity theft. When it comes to writing a story for the blog, there are just too many out there to choose from. This really emphasizes the fact that getting help from an identity theft protection service is almost a must. Why? Majority of those who become identity theft victims did not have to become victims. By signing up for a service that would help protect them if someone steals and uses their social security number to apply for credit, they could have been alerted of the problem long before the damage was done. This is not every case, but many could possibly have been prevented.

This is where we urge you to consider signing up for a service that will help to protect you and your family, from becoming a victim of this fast growing crime. If you are a parent, you certainly don’t want your children to become victims, but they can, just because they have a social security number. You and your spouse can too.

Not all services will cover children, however, LifeLock does offer their services for children as well. Take a look at their website for detailed information and answers to frequently asked questions about buying such a service. Use our promotion code “DEFENSE” when enrolling and receive a discount on your membership. Let others you care about know about the service and promotion as well. You would hate to hear that they became a victim and didn’t know these type services were available.

So, you might know of someone in your family or a friend, who has stolen your identity or that of someone you are close to or know personally. What do you do to warn others about them and how do you protect yourself if you have not yet been a victim?
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It is important for all of us to do what we can to keep our personal information private. However, how much control do you have over protecting personal information? Not as much as you may think. We have mentioned several times on this website that even though you may do all you can to shred personal documents you no longer need, shred or destroy credit card receipts, avoid shopping online, only give your social security number out when necessary, opt out of pre-approved credit card offers and more, you are still not thoroughly protecting personal information. Why? Those who already have your social security number on file put you at high risk, especially if they store it on a computer for easy access. Employees can steal and use it and computer hackers can as shown in the following incident.
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National Consumer Protection Week is here and there are many trends that consumers need to be aware of that are used by identity thieves to steal their information.

“Consumers need to take action. This is a time for everyone to take a good, hard look at their personal information and everything they are doing that could potentially put them at risk,” says Wayne Ivey, a 27-year law enforcement veteran and identity theft victim. “Consumers need to realize that their sensitive personal information is valuable to thieves who are continuously looking for new ways to make a buck. If something seems too good to be true, you can almost guarantee it is, and now is not the time when you want to sit around waiting or believing that nothing will happen to you.”
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What identity theft monitoring service has the best id theft protection? There are many places where you can go for the answer to this question, such as: TopConsumerReviews.com

While not everyone agrees that paying for this type of service is necessary, will those same people help you restore your credit rating when you take their advice and try to do this on your own? Face it, majority of us are not experts in protecting our credit, just like we are not experts in: changing our own oil, taking care of our own legal problems or even cooking our own food, and yet we will pay for those services. Getting LifeLock identity theft protection service is cheaper per month than one meal out to eat. Considering that it keeps your credit in check, it is worth the enrollment. (more…)

The more stories in the news about identity theft, the more we need to look into some types of identity theft protection. Yes, we have emphasized the point that there are several things you can do yourself, but why not secure a good company to provide you with this type of protection? So many services out there report why you should choose them, however, it is best to go with one that is:

1) well known;
2) has a huge membership;
3) can provide protection in several areas (more…)

Lifelock has had a new and exciting development. With almost 1.5 million members they are truly a leader in identity theft protection. The company also offers their identity theft protection to children, which makes up over 10% of their subscriber base. Expect to see a lot more about them in the media as more marketing evolves in the year 2009, especially now that they have partnered with TransUnion.
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Identity theft is an ever increasing crime that takes in more and more victims each day. However, it may not sink in how prevalent a crime it is until you or someone you know are personally affected. This is a crime that has risen to #1, taking the spot of drug trafficking. The amount of time and effort it takes to clear up the damage that comes with such a crime can take up to two years. Forums and conferences are being held nationwide to help make citizens more aware of this crime and give tips on how to protect themselves.

We would like to remind our readers of taking the following precautions:
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Identity theft can happen in various different ways and everyone needs to be made aware of how it can happen so that they can protect themselves.

Various forms of identity theft include:
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