Do-it-yourself identity theft protection (for extremely attractive people)

By Jordy Berson, Group product manager, ZoneAlarm products

 

It's hard to get away from the onslaught of advertisements on the radio, from your credit card company, and similar for identity protection services.  And to some, paying somebody else to monitor their credit is worth the cost.  Then there's the rest of us, the ones who do *not* get the extended warranty at Sears for the drill we just bought, who don't get the extra insurance when we rent a car, and who simply prefer to take care of matters ourselves and save our money for better things.

Some people call us "cheap."  I prefer "frugal, smart and extremely attractive because of it."  In that vein, here are some ways to take protection of your identity into your own hands - the "Cliffs Notes" version.  If you want the long version, check out the FTC's Web site (link at bottom). 

 

Ways to take care of your own identity:

 

Fraud alerts:

• What it does: When you (or a thief) goes to a store with your credit card, the store keeper will be notified to double-check your identity before allowing any transaction. 
• When to use them: When you think you're about to be a victim (ex. your wallet was just stolen) and when you know you're a victim.
• Cost: Free under the federal Fair Credit Reporting
• Types: Initial (90 days, can be renewed) and extended (7 years)

• How to do it:

  Call any one of Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742); TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289. Whichever one you call is responsible for contacting the other two agencies on your behalf.

Credit freeze:

• What it does: Restricts anybody from accessing your credit report.  So if a thief tries to open a line of credit using your name, he will have to check with you first. (Hint: don't let him do it.)
• When to do it: As a preventative device; or if you're already a victim.
• Trade-offs: Legitimate access to your credit report, such as when you rent a home, buy a car, or get a new credit card, will require that you temporarily unfreeze your credit report to allow access.
• Cost: Costs for freezing and unfreezing your credit vary state-by-state and by your status (victim or just a smart guy trying not to become a victim).  Check with your state attorney general’s office or visit www.naag.org.
• How to do it: Call *each* of Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742); and TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289 (a credit freeze placed at one company is not referred to the other companies.) Beware that the three major credit reporting companies have begun offering credit freezes directly to consumers — for a fee — regardless of whether their state has a freeze law.

Free credit report:

• What it does: Unlike fee-based services that constantly monitor your credit report and alert you to alarming behavior, this allows you to do it yourself - although not constantly. 
• When to do it: As much as the law allows for free, which is once/year for each company.  So do one of the agencies every four months for the best coverage.
• Cost: Free every 12 months for each agency.
• How to do it: Visit www.annualcreditreport.com

Opt-out of free credit card offers:  (This tip comes from we the people at ZoneAlarm, which we got from our id theft partner, who got it from their neighbor, who got it from his dog, who got it from...)

• What it does: Stops all those free credit offers from getting into your physical mail box. It turns out there's enough information about you in one of those envelopes for someone to steal your identity.
• When to do it: If you notice strangers digging through your garbage at night. Or if you don't need any more credit cards, you want to be greener, you are extra safety conscience, ...
• Cost: Free
• How to do it:Call 1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-8688) or opt out on.line at http://www.optoutprescreen.com.

 Victim assistance:

• Resources to help report and recover from identity theft
• www.ftc.gov/idtheft

Links:

• http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/idtheft/idt05.shtm (The FTC site - the longer version of above)
• http://www.zonealarm.com/security/en-us/identity-protection-center.htm (Our own fraud prevention Web site)

Comments

[Catmoves]

"It's hard to get away from the onslaught of advertisements on the radio, from your credit card company, and similar for identity protection services."
My biggest ad problem (other than Internet popups and ads placed in the middle of articles) is TELEVISION. The most offensive, obnoxious, repetitive ennui creating item there is today.
How do you feel about it? I still feel frugal, smart and beautiful. >)~..^(<