(ARA) – The criminal mind is always at work. Just look at the rapid growth in the number of identity thefts reported each year — now the No. 1 crime in the U.S., identity theft cases hit an all-time high of more than 8.3 million in 2007 according to the Federal Trade Commission.

Criminals are finding new ways to get information, from black market Web sites set up to sell victims’ personal data for a quick buck to the draining of stolen prepaid medical benefits. Protecting yourself from identity theft has never been more important.

First and foremost, consumers should know that their personal information is already out there. It’s been given to doctors, dentists, employers, financial institutions and the list goes on. Since consumers don’t always know the safeguards these organizations have in place, they can be proactive by placing their own fraud alerts, opting out of pre-approved credit card offers and staying on top of their credit by requesting their annual credit report.

While these simple tips are a good start in defending your good name, they don’t go very deep in offering you protection from savvy criminals. But there are services available that will offer that extra coat of armor in identity protection.

Denise Richardson spent more than a dozen years cleaning up the mess left behind when her identity was first stolen — constantly making phone calls to explain odd items on her credit report, proving charges made in her name weren’t made by her and filing dispute after dispute. When she became a member of LifeLock, a Tempe, Ariz.-based identity theft protection company, she felt a load lift off of her shoulders because the hours of work she was constantly devoting to reclaiming her credit would now be handled by someone else.

LifeLock places fraud alerts for its members with the three major credit bureaus as well as requests that members’ names be removed from pre-approved credit card and junk-mail lists. While citizens can place fraud alerts on their own for free, LifeLock also maintains the alerts, which expire every 90 days, by placing follow-up calls for clients to ensure alerts don’t lapse. And if a member’s identity is stolen, LifeLock will make the phone calls to clear things up.  

Richardson, a Florida-based consumer advocate and identity theft risk management specialist, now also reaps new protection benefits through her LifeLock membership that she says make her more prepared to fight identity theft than ever before.

“I like to give people the comparison to how we prepare for hurricane season,” she says. “You can’t prevent a hurricane from coming; the best thing you can do is prepare for it. That’s what LifeLock does.

“People may not be aware that criminals go into underground chat rooms and sell your personal information to not just one person, but several people. And there is no way the average consumer can look for these things,” she added. “The odds are high that your information is going to get out there, and the best thing LifeLock can do for you is find out.”

The FTC estimates that identity theft is costing Americans more than $1.2 billion annually, and that figure does not reflect the hours, weeks or even months of time that a victim may have to invest in clearing their name after their identity has been stolen. For additional information on LifeLock, visit www.lifelock.com or call (800) LIFELOCK (543-3562).

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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