What do these services offer, particularly to those who’ve had their identities stolen? Of the services currently on the market, most are comprehensive, providing monitoring, protection and resolution. The companies have become more focused on making their protective services multi-layered, rather than just hitting one area or another. Most offer free trials, which can help you choose which service is right for you.

A newer twist in the identity theft protection industry is protections linked to social media usage. This is due to the fact that there are so many people using social media like Facebook and Twitter, and users often expose more personal information than is necessary. There’s also a rise in incidents of identity theft using social media.

There are still critics that maintain you don’t need a protection service – these folks say you can do it all on your own and not have to pay a dime to do so. But savvy consumers know they can’t be everywhere at once, and a good identity theft protection service will monitor where they can’t – 24/7.

How do you know what service is right for you? First, read the fine print. Check out the costs involved, as well as cancellation and refund policies. Review the features, and determine whether the offerings are adequate for your needs.

You should also inquire as to how the company handles your personal information. How is it handled in-house? Will it be shared with anyone else?

Last of all, find out what will happen if a data breach or theft occurs. Does the company provide assistance if your identity is compromised, and do they offer resolution services? Once you’ve answered all these questions, you’ll find the right service provider for you.

Or you could just go ahead and choose the industry leader, LifeLock. Give them a call or go online at www.lifelock.com today. Receive 30 days free and get a 10 percent discount on enrollment with the LifeLock Promo Code “Defense.”

Taylor is remembered for many roles over the years, but it was her portrayal of Velvet Brown that endeared the actress to film-goers the world over. Taylor passed away today at Cedars Sinai Hospital at the age of 79, surrounded by her four children. The cause of her death has been reported to be congestive heart failure, a condition which she has suffered with since 2004. The condition was compounded by other ailments, including spinal fractures and the effects of scoliosis.

In “National Velvet,” the lead character surprises her family and friends when she inherits several horses from one of her father’s customers. Her father was a butcher. One of the horses is a piebald – meaning he is black and white – and Velvet has been dreaming of riding him since the first time she saw him, knowing he could win the national steeplechase. She goes on to enter and win the race, disguised as a male rider.

But her gender is discovered after the race when she takes a tumble, and she and her horse become instant celebrities. Velvet has a hard time dealing with everyone knowing her identity and all the negative publicity that comes with it.

Victims of identity theft also struggle with the spotlight being thrust upon their identities. Once a person’s identity is stolen, the victim gets all the wrong kind of attention, and it affects him or her drastically. ID theft victims struggle with setting things right and getting them back to normal, just as Taylor’s character did in “National Velvet.”

But identity theft victims don’t have to go it alone. Those who sign up with LifeLock will have confidence in knowing their identities are safe – and that if there ever is a problem, LifeLock will act quickly to resolve it. LifeLock customers never face identity theft alone, if they do at all.

So just like Velvet Brown relied on her horse to take her to the winner’s circle, you can rely on LifeLock. You may not win a steeplechase, but you’ll certainly feel secure in knowing you’ve done the best you can to protect your good name.

The hypothetical program would promise to reduce identity theft by about 75 percent. Even when offered an option that only reduced it by 25 percent, 40 percent of respondents still said they’d be willing to pay for the service.

The respondents were located in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Louisiana and Washington.

The study’s leader, Nicole Leeper Piquero, said most of those surveyed would agree to a small increase in taxes in order to support a government-sponsored identity protection effort. Piquero is an associate professor in the FSU College of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

The fee certainly appears to be a bargain when compared to the average amount paid by a victim of identity theft during recovery – an amount estimated to be between $2,800 and $5,100.

The Federal Trade Commission reported recently that although the incidents of identity theft seem to be down in 2010, people shouldn’t become apathetic. You shouldn’t sit back and wait for a fictional government program to become reality – you have to become proactive today.

Your best bet is to call LifeLock. LifeLock provides services beyond anything you can do on your own, and is reasonably priced. In fact, you just can’t put a price on peace of mind.

Call LifeLock today. Receive 30 days free and get a 10 percent discount on enrollment with the LifeLock Promo Code “Defense.”

“Identity theft can clearly cause headaches for its victims,” said Todd Davis, LifeLock chairman and CEO. “And while there are many things we can each do to help protect ourselves from being a victim, based on this survey, identity theft protection services can help to reduce the impact of identity theft.”

The survey was conducted online amount 3.047 adults 21 years of age and older Of those, 1,366 subscribed to ID theft protection services. Most of those surveyed said they were happy with the services they received. LifeLock was not identified as part of the survey.

When compared to those who don’t subscribe to a service, subscribers said they had a high level of confidence in their protection from identity theft, and they also reported peace of mind when it came to data breaches, saying they felt protected from that possibility.

In addition, subscribers felt the services they used protected them in ways they cannot do for themselves.

Subscribers reported they spent significantly less time resolving identity theft issues, and their out-of-pocket expense was less. Sixty-nine percent of the subscribers said their service had reported potential misuse of their personal information to them, and that the service had prevented the theft from occurring.

It’s easy for those who don’t understand how identity theft protection services to say the services can’t prevent identity theft – because the fact is, they can’t. No one can. Identity theft can happen to anyone at any time.

But the fact is that those who subscribe to LifeLock are notified immediately at the first hint of identity theft. The problem gets resolved before there’s a major issue. And if a theft ever does occur, the subscriber doesn’t have to face it all alone. LifeLock will walk through the resolution process with the customer, from start to finish. LifeLock will even spend up to $1 million to make things right.

So if you ask a LifeLock subscriber if it’s worth $10 or $15 a month for that kind of peace of mind he will, without a doubt, answer yes.

Give LifeLock a call today. Receive 30 days free and get a 10 percent discount on enrollment with the LifeLock Promo Code “Defense.”

Many banks are ramping up their marketing of protection packages through pop-up and banner ads on banking Web sites, and through customer service pitches in branches, as well as on the phone or in the mail. Pricing is similar to what is being charged by identity theft protection services. Some banks are offering a promotional rate of $1 for the first month, then the regular rate afterward.

The services provide daily credit monitoring, and promise to send alerts about new accounts being opened by someone else in a customer’s name. They also give customers access to their credit reports. Banks are offering the service to fill revenue gaps left by the absence of overdraft and interchange fees, and other traditional sources of income.

The banks are pitching these services, which are mostly unregulated, to their existing customer base.

But the fact is that most of these services only offer credit monitoring, which tracks credit reports for changes indicative of fraud, like an address change or new credit card application, and then alerts the customer. Some go a step further by monitoring online chat rooms where data thieves sell information, which represents a very small percentage of identity thefts overall.

Another fact is that the banks don’t provide the service themselves – they partner with other firms that do the actual monitoring. Many of these firms have numerous complaints registered against them and poor grades with the Better Business Bureau, as well as lawsuits from state attorneys general.

Although you may have done business with your bank for years, you should be leery of this type of identity theft protection. While it may look good on the outside, you may find that you’re not getting any value for your dollar.

This isn’t the case with LifeLock. LifeLock not only provides credit monitoring, but it also provides proactive surveillance, searching online 24/7 for any threat to your personal information. If any threat is found, LifeLock will respond immediately, not only notifying you of the threat, but walking with you through any steps needed to restore order.

And you get LifeLock’s $1 million guarantee. No one is completely immune from identity theft – and if you ever fall victim while a LifeLock customer, LifeLock will spend up to $1 million to make things right. Guaranteed.

Now that’s protection you can take to the bank.

Call LifeLock today. Receive 30 days free and get a 10 percent discount on enrollment with the LifeLock Promo Code “Defense.”

So you go in to the dealership, test drive your dream car, and sit down with the sales guy to do the paperwork. But then, he comes back from the business office to tell you there’s a problem with your credit.

And you had no idea.

If you were in this situation, you wouldn’t be alone. There are millions of people out there who just assume their credit is fine, even though they’ve never laid eyes on their credit report. They think that because they’ve never done anything wrong, their credit report is spotless.

Maybe. But what if you make that assumption and you’re wrong? What if someone else has your personal information and has opened an account using that information? You could have negative information on your credit report and not even know it.

That’s why it’s important to never assume – you should know for sure. Whether you are leasing a car, getting a job, buying a house or renting an apartment, you should know what lenders are saying about you. And you should be sure there are no fraudulent or questionable entries.

LifeLock Credit Score Manager™, available with LifeLock or LifeLock Command Center, provides important safeguards for monitoring your credit report and managing your credit score. With this service, you get daily credit monitoring from the three major credit bureaus, monthly score tracking from TransUnion, and your annual credit scores from all three bureaus. You also get credit reports from all three annually, unlimited online access to your credit information, and assistance 24/7. And all for a monthly fee of $14.95.

Call LifeLock today and get yourself some peace of mind.

• Shred all important financial documents. Make sure to cross-shred documents that many contain any personal information. Consumers should destroy anything with credit card or bank account numbers, and make sure thieves find no part of their Social Security numbers. Shredding receipts for credit or ATM card transactions is also a good precaution to take. Consumers can go a step further and shred all mail that has their name and address on it.

• Mail your bills from a secured mailbox. It may be easier and more convenient to simply drop mail in a home mailbox. this may alert thieves to easy access of bank or credit card numbers. Drop mail off instead at the post office or locked mailbox. Renting a mailbox is also a good option.

• Reduce your junk mail and unsolicited credit card offers. Stopping or reducing the amount of junk mail you receive could wind up saving them from major heartache and frustration.

• Don’t carry your Social Security card with you, and don’t use it as a user ID or password. Lock the card safely away, don’t make copies of it and don’t give the number out unless it is absolutely necessary. If you do give it out, be sure to ask what the recipient’s policy is on how it will be protected.

• Always know where your credit card is, even in restaurants and stores. If you can’t see your card, you may be putting yourself at risk. Skimmers are used by thieves to steal credit card and bank card information. If possible, always keep your card in sight. If you can’t, you may wish to consider using cash instead.

• See if your credit card company of bank offers any free safety features for online shopping.

• Monitor your credit card bills and bank statements carefully, and be sure to notify your bank or credit card issuer immediately if you see anything questionable or fraudulent.

• Request your credit report once a year at review it carefully. If you find items that are questionable or fraudulent, contact the creditor and the credit reporting bureau immediately.

• Use strong passwords and be sure to change them often. Don’t use the same password for every account.

• Beware of online “friends” who may really be identity thieves in disguise. Social networking has opened a world of opportunity for ID thieves, leaving consumers more vulnerable than ever. Don’t pass on your personal information to anyone until you are positive about who the recipient is.

With that tightening came some reorganization, as some re-prioritized what they were spending their hard-earned dollars on. Most gave up some things as well. Unfortunately, some gave up the one thing no one can afford to be without in this day and age – identity theft protection.

According to Javelin Research, only about 25 percent of consumers now subscribe to an identity theft protection service. That number is down 42 percent since 2008. This is incredibly disturbing, since the incidents of identity theft continue to rise day by day.

The research statistics also showed that the decision to live without this type of protection comes from an apathetic attitude in light of the lack of major data breach headlines during the past year. In other words, people think the problem is exaggerated if they don’t read about it on an almost daily basis.

But the fact is that the number of data breaches, like identity theft overall, continues to grow – but when there is a breach, many companies fail to report it except to those whose information is leaked. This means, of course, that it happens much more often than most consumers believe.

The facts show that identity theft protection is an important tool. Consumers who report being victimized by identity theft said they lost, on average, $2,556. Those who were notified by police about the fraud or discovered it when they applied for a loan suffered losses of more than $13,000, according to Javelin.

Some argue that the services provided by identity theft protection companies can be done by individuals for free, and that consumers should just check their own credit reports every three months or so in order to be protected.

But LifeLock does far more than just monitor your credit report. If you shop online, have a credit card, bank account or a job, your personal information is out there and you are at risk. If that information is used fraudulently, and all you’re doing is monitoring your credit reports once in a while, you could be wiped out before you know it.

LifeLock monitors for both credit and non-credit related threats to your identity, and notifies you BEFORE the damage can be done. And the monitoring goes way beyond protecting you from credit fraud – LifeLock will alert you anytime your personal information is used to apply for a cell phone, retail credit, utilities, check orders or reorders, mortgage loans or payday loans.

In other words, with LifeLock on the job, you don’t have to worry about a thing. And in a day and age when we are all counting our pennies, isn’t it worth the investment you make?

Call LifeLock today. Receive 30 days free and get a 10 percent discount on enrollment with the LifeLock Promo Code “Defense.”

So far this year, OHP has investigated 248 cases, compared to 114 by this time last year. The cases involve fraudulent identification discovered by officers during traffic stops, or phony paperwork turned in to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles by people seeking driver’s licenses, state identification cards or vehicle registrations.

Officers say they believe the attempt at creating bogus documentation is part of what has become a $10 million identity theft business for organized crime. They also say some of the fraud may be the work of criminals trying to avoid capture by using stolen identities.

Identity thieves often use stolen personal information to apply for payday loans and jobs, as well as obtain credit cards and lines of credit. But they also can and do commit crime – and the victim winds up with the criminal record.

But you can be proactive about protecting your personal information. With LifeLock Identity Alert™ system, you get much broader protection, greater control and early notification of both credit and non-credit related threats. LifeLock will monitor to be sure that your information isn’t traded or sold, as well.

One of the most common ways that thieves get your personal information is by raiding your mailbox for pre-approved credit offers. LifeLock will make sure your name is removed from offer mailing lists, to help reduce the risk of someone getting your mail and stealing your personal information.

Another common scam is to submit address changes, with the criminal often having your mail forwarded to his address. He can then easily get his hands on your most sensitive information.

LifeLock’s TrueAddress™ service, will proactively detect any new address information in address databases nationwide. If any fraudulent changes are found, you’ll be notified immediately, and you can take action to restore accurate address information.

Call LifeLock today.

Receive 30 days free and get a 10 percent discount on enrollment with the LifeLock Promo Code “Defense.”