topic Re: O/T ~ How Do You Protect Your Credit? LifeLock? in Beauty

O/T ~ How Do You Protect Your Credit? LifeLock?

Sunshine Kate — Sun, 08 Feb 2015 17:56:52 GMT

With all the data breaches, how do you protect your credit? I know there's LifeLock. Any of you experienced with anything else?

Re: O/T ~ How Do You Protect Your Credit? LifeLock?

Group 5 minus 1 — Sun, 08 Feb 2015 18:00:25 GMT

What credit are you referring to?

Re: O/T ~ How Do You Protect Your Credit? LifeLock?

Sunshine Kate — Sun, 08 Feb 2015 18:03:59 GMT

On 2/8/2015 ncascade said:
What credit are you referring to?

I'm referring to someone getting a SS #, birthdate, address, phone number etc., and opening up credit for anything.

Re: O/T ~ How Do You Protect Your Credit? LifeLock?

HULAGIRL — Sun, 08 Feb 2015 18:04:19 GMT

I have Lifelock!

Re: O/T ~ How Do You Protect Your Credit? LifeLock?

PinkyPetunia — Sun, 08 Feb 2015 18:11:05 GMT

I monitor my cc's and bank debit cards frequently--every few days at minimum. Once I had fraudulent activity on my Amex card but Amex called me directly to see if I initiated the charges. They closed the acct and sent me a new card.

I don't worry too much about it and don't believe in purchasing outside protection like LifeLock. I use my cards sparingly. I don't use them in unfamiliar gas stations and don't swipe them all over, like for a cup of coffee or at the drive-thru. I use cash for purchases under $20.

Re: O/T ~ How Do You Protect Your Credit? LifeLock?

Sunshine Kate — Sun, 08 Feb 2015 18:15:39 GMT

On 2/8/2015 PinkyPetunia said:
I monitor my cc's and bank debit cards frequently--every few days at minimum. Once I had fraudulent activity on my Amex card but Amex called me directly to see if I initiated the charges. They closed the acct and sent me a new card.

I don't worry too much about it and don't believe in purchasing outside protection like LifeLock. I use my cards sparingly. I don't use them in unfamiliar gas stations and don't swipe them all over, like for a cup of coffee or at the drive-thru. I use cash for purchases under $20.

I do the exact same thing, but still worry a bit.

Re: O/T ~ How Do You Protect Your Credit? LifeLock?

athenian — Sun, 08 Feb 2015 18:18:15 GMT

One of the best things to do is check your credit reports. You can check each of the three once a year for free. If you are in the right part of your life you can always "freeze" your credit through them, which means no one (not even you) can open any new credit. You have to unfreeze it if you need a loan or want a new credit card.

Re: O/T ~ How Do You Protect Your Credit? LifeLock?

Porcelain — Sun, 08 Feb 2015 18:25:20 GMT

I sometimes use a virtual account number and security code if I purchase online at a site I'm unsure of. I can close that ""account"" if I see a strange payment on it--without closing my main card account.

One time I had to do exactly that because a fraudster got ahold of my info. It took a while to get the money back and it was a big pain. But it could have been so much worse. I also get alerts in my emails and texts every time a charge is made on my card. That helped me catch the strange payment right away.

I think this is the most common form of ID theft. Certainly the easiest one for the bad guys to pull off.

Re: O/T ~ How Do You Protect Your Credit? LifeLock?

cookie5 — Sun, 08 Feb 2015 18:27:50 GMT

Lifelock for the last 15+ years.

Re: O/T ~ How Do You Protect Your Credit? LifeLock?

Sadiesadie — Sun, 08 Feb 2015 18:29:01 GMT

What we did recently was freeze our credit with each of the credit bureaus for $5 each bureau for each of us. I'm sure it's not 100% foolproof but it will help prevent anyone opening credit or raking out any loans under our names. We each have one credit card and don't plan to open any more nor take out any loans. We can use what we have with no issues. Just no new applications. Helps when I shop and a store wants me to open their credit card for a discount. Tell them our credit is frozen, they understand and drop it. If we do for some reason need to take out a loan we can reverse the process to unfreeze but pay $10 to each bureau for the privilege. Then refreeze at the original cost. As we are 70 we carry no debt and plan no purchases that require credit so this is easy for us. Beyond that, we are very careful but many people who have been very careful have been hit.

Re: O/T ~ How Do You Protect Your Credit? LifeLock?

HULAGIRL — Sun, 08 Feb 2015 18:30:47 GMT

On 2/8/2015 PinkyPetunia said:
I monitor my cc's and bank debit cards frequently--every few days at minimum. Once I had fraudulent activity on my Amex card but Amex called me directly to see if I initiated the charges. They closed the acct and sent me a new card.

I don't worry too much about it and don't believe in purchasing outside protection like LifeLock. I use my cards sparingly. I don't use them in unfamiliar gas stations and don't swipe them all over, like for a cup of coffee or at the drive-thru. I use cash for purchases under $20.

If you're trying to make someone like me feel stupid because we use Lifelock, go ahead if it makes you feel better. I also watch my accounts, but I felt that a couple of bucks a month for something like Lifelock was just an extra step I could take since I'd been hacked a couple of times. The accounts hacked were cards that I rarely use and the hack was related to a couple of big companies getting their systems hacked and my info. getting into crooks hands, not by anything I'd done. People are free to do as they wish, but those who wish to take an extra step do not need to be made to feel foolish for doing it.

Re: O/T ~ How Do You Protect Your Credit? LifeLock?

dooBdoo — Sun, 08 Feb 2015 18:39:41 GMT

We chose not to pay for LifeLock and to keep up with alerts and reviews ourselves, but it's definitely a personal choice. Here's one opinion from Consumer Reports (from 2013 but still accurate):

Is your identity safer with LifeLock?
It doesn't really dismantle sites that sell stolen IDs
Consumer Reports Money Adviser: June 2013

"The Bottom Line:

Protect yourself for less. Monitor your financial statements and credit reports for suspicious activity that can lead to identity theft (link goes to article detailing steps to take to protect yourself*).

If your credit cards are lost or stolen, you don’t need LifeLock to notify your financial institutions to cancel and replace them. If your Social Security number is out there, we suggest that you put a security freeze on your credit reports at the big three credit bureaus–Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. That will prevent creditors from accessing your file if a crook tries to open a new account in your name. Without access, creditors are likely to deny a credit application. If you’re not yet a victim of identity theft, you might have to pay $3 to $20 (depending on where you live) to freeze your accounts at each bureau. When you apply for new credit, insurance, or utility service, there might be similar fees to remove the freeze.

But there is usually no charge if you’re already a victim of ID theft. Credit bureaus consider credit- and debit-card theft as identity theft, so it should be easier for you to get free freezes. You generally must provide a police report to prove your claim, so make sure you file one right after your credit or debit card or wallet is stolen. Ditto if your home has been burglarized; your computer, cell phone, or other device has been lost or stolen; you receive notification that your personal data has been breached; or you discover unauthorized transactions in your bank or investment accounts."

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2013/06/id-theft-protection-review-lifelock-consumer-reports/index.htm

~~~~~~

(*Don’t get taken guarding your ID: Do-it-yourself safeguards are just as effective as paid services -- http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2013/01/don-t-get-taken-guarding-your-id/index.htm)

Re: O/T ~ How Do You Protect Your Credit? LifeLock?

dooBdoo — Sun, 08 Feb 2015 18:42:00 GMT

This is a good review that includes specific comparisons and steps you can take yourself:

Should you Pay for LifeLock when you can Prevent & Monitor Identity Theft for Free? A LifeLock Review

January 1, 2015

"...before signing on to LifeLock, realize that there are plenty of solid ways to protect yourself from identity theft that are absolutely, 100% free and legit. In many ways these free identity protection measures go above and beyond the paid services, such as Lifelock, that are out there. Let’s take a look at what Lifelock will do for you (for $10 per month), and how you can achieve the same results for free on your own. But if you’re forgetful and lazy like me, you might find Lifelock to be exactly what you need...

(at this point in the body of the article it compares and explains in detail what LifeLock does and what you can do yourself)

...The bottom line is that LifeLock is not a scam, it’s just that you can do a lot of what they do for free. LifeLock might be worth it if you have the attitude “well, I could do this stuff for free, but I don’t want the hassle, and I’ll probably forget, so I’ll just let someone else handle it for a small price”. You’re basically paying for peace of mind and to set it and forget it plus some other benefits you can’t get elsewhere. If you find it’s not worth the fee, you can always cancel."

http://20somethingfinance.com/lifelock-review/

Re: O/T ~ How Do You Protect Your Credit? LifeLock?

Snowpuppy — Sun, 08 Feb 2015 18:46:35 GMT

I have a security freeze across all 3 bureaus. You can't pull a report without lifting the freeze. Fees vary by state, MI residents pay $10. You do have to pay to lift the freeze if you are applying for credit.

The other thing you can do is "opt out" of those pesky pre approved credit offers. Read about it on the FTC's website. This way no one gets their hands on a pre approved offer that was mailed to you.

I get virtually no mail. All of my bills come by email. No one can snag a bill with account numbers.

Re: O/T ~ How Do You Protect Your Credit? LifeLock?

Group 5 minus 1 — Sun, 08 Feb 2015 18:53:09 GMT

I've thought about this and think maybe we shouldn't give out a lot of info. That being said I know that is difficult.

The other day I received an unwanted call asking for my health insurance number from services back in June. I told the caller I thought the call was a scam. She at some point called the health provider who assured me it was not a scam and accused us of not paying our bills.

We went thru our eob and we had paid the bill. Anyway after 2 miserable days it was cleared up but it was not our fault but the billers.

And another thing if you are in someone's will I know you have to give your soc. It is difficult to avoid all this but I do not have an answer.

Re: O/T ~ How Do You Protect Your Credit? LifeLock?

tototwo — Sun, 08 Feb 2015 19:04:11 GMT

Our SS# and other personal information was stolen (all mail in a post office box was stolen). We contacted the national credit unions, our CC companies, the police, and the post office had us report to the FTC because it was a federal crime. All recommended we immediately join Lifelock. And it's been a Godsend! Not a week goes by that we don't get an alert that someone somewhere has tried to open credit or buy a house, etc etc., in my name. I do check my bank accts and credit card (I have only one) online every day - that's become a habit. But not one place stops everything like Lifelock. It's worth $10 a month to me.

Regarding the thread that asks "Who uses cash anymore?" ME!!!

Re: O/T ~ How Do You Protect Your Credit? LifeLock?

Caffeina — Sun, 08 Feb 2015 19:04:52 GMT

We froze our credit reports directly through the reporting agencies after a teller stole my ID and withdrew money from our account.

Re: O/T ~ How Do You Protect Your Credit? LifeLock?

granddi — Sun, 08 Feb 2015 19:13:17 GMT

What scares me more than someone stealing my credit card information is someone stealing my banking or investment information. Imagine someone getting your ss#,passwords, and then getting into your bank account.

There was a report of mail being stolen. The thief got investment statements and notified the company (Fidelity or Vangard) to change address. Then was able to wipe out the persons accounts.

So they have your ss# and birth date from the Anthem breach and probably your email.So all they have to do if hack your computer and get your passwords and bingo wipe out your savings.

Re: O/T ~ How Do You Protect Your Credit? LifeLock?

Moonchilde — Sun, 08 Feb 2015 19:16:09 GMT

Until the Anthem breach, I never worried overmuch about my credit or anything else being stolen. I don't have enough money for thieves to bother with. I don't have a huge savings or retirement account. The few times my bank has thought there might be questionable activity they let me know.

The Anthem breach has brought a different kind of identity theft to the fore, for different purposes. I would not want my DL, SS#, address, and assorted other personal bits used to create a fake ID that could ruin my life and reputation in a way that just wiping out a paltry bank account would not.

So yes, I signed up with Lifelock. Whether I *can* spend time (which is in short supply as I work full time) checking every possible avenue for fraud myself is less relevant for me than the peace of mind I will have knowing some entity IS looking out for my info, and letting me know about it likely much sooner than I would see it on my own. There are only going to be more and more hacks in increasing numbers in years to come. The securest of the secure can be hacked. So I don't mind paying for a little peace of mind that I don't have to take valuable (to me) time out of my day to monitor on my own. And I can always cancel if and when I choose.

Re: O/T ~ How Do You Protect Your Credit? LifeLock?

bonnielu — Sun, 08 Feb 2015 19:19:45 GMT

Yes, Life Lock. My friend who works for Home Land security told me to get it or the one being sponsored by Costco. Told me it was essential. And I watch my accounts daily, but she said it was not enough.

I had three issues a few years back. The credit card companies saved me and it was lucky that I caught it even before they did since I watch daily.

Suggestion: Change your passwords every three months.