Anyone Use a Credit/Identity Protection Service - LifeLock?

Boiler74 · Oct 25, 2014

I have text alerts on my CC accounts. Any time I use any CC I get a text. It's caught fraud twice and very quickly for me. I told friends about the text option and it's caught fraud for then as well. Now, I know not everyone has unlimited texts, so it might not be for you. But if you are like me...... Unlimited texts and only use the CC for larger purchases (I don't charge $1.50 coffee five times a day) then getting these texts becomes reassuring.

Also, don't use a debit card. That's a direct link to you bank account. Bad idea.

I do have LifeLock because State Farm Bank opened an account up for me in Illinois for someone with my name. They used my personal info and social. I wasn't happy. So I've had it for a while but need to drop it as it's been a year or so. The credit freeze is what I'll do next.

MacLawn · Oct 25, 2014

astro1949 said:
you can "FREEZE" your credit at all 3 credit agenies.......no body can get credit without a credit thaw ---

This is what I do. I think (think, mind you, it also stops ID theft. Anybody know for sure?) it also stops ID theft. My credit card number was stolen twice last year, cost merchants over $2,000 and me some headaches. From what I have researched about Apple Pay, merchants should love it! It seems to be the most secure way to shop, both online and at stores. I'm wanting an iPhone just to be able to use this.

davrow · Oct 28, 2014

astro1949 said:
you can "FREEZE" your credit at all 3 credit agenies.......no body can get credit without a credit thaw ---

I did that once. Took me years and lots of money to get them all unlocked again.

Two were no problem, but the third just refused to do it. Mostly I didn't care, but the day finally came when I needed a home loan and the lenders only worked with that agency.

I do NOT recommend freezing your accounts with the credit agencies.

NorTracNY · Oct 29, 2014

I froze my credit with all three agencies and couldn't be happier. I have no plans though to get new credit, possibly ever. If you're someone that gets car loans or plans to get a mortgage soon, it's probably not the best thing to do.

Bird · Oct 29, 2014

I, too, am one who has NEVER used my debit card anywhere except in ATM machines and very rarely even at that the last 12 years. But I have had two credit cards replaced when unauthorized charges appeared.

dmccarty · Oct 29, 2014

We have had fraudulent charges on multiple credit cards. The last time was after a vacation and I saw a series of charges from one mail order company out of NY. There was a small charge, then a larger charge and then a big one. I caught it on the billing statement that I check as soon as the bill arrives and I called up the CC company. They asked some questions, reversed the charges, canceled the card and sent us new ones. The thing that annoyed me was that the CC company KNEW this was an iffy mail order company. I looked up the company and it looked like a way to fraudulently get cash from stolen cards.

The only way that card number could have been hacked on vacation was at one iffy gas station where I used the CC or maybe at the resort we stayed at which is unlikely. If the CC was not hacked at those two places it would have been hacked at a very large retailer.

The wifey had her ID stolen a few years ago and we are still fighting with Discover over the issue. I canceled Discover cards decades ago because of their so called service and they have gotten worse with just lie after lie after lie. The information that was stolen made it very obvious that the theft was from a health care provider we used years ago. So someone in the office went through old files to steal the information.

We have had a few CC replaced because of other fraudulent charges over the years as well. These accounts have to be stolen from businesses.

An ATM card is risky to use so I only use it to get cash out of the ATM. Never for any other transactions.

Because of the ID theft issue, we are seriously thinking of using a different checking account to deposit our pay checks. Nothing check would be written on that account. We would only use it to get the pay checks and then transfer the money to a completely different checking account that is used to pay bills.... Tis a sad state of affairs when you have to think about these sort of financial defenses.

Later,
Dan

kcflhrc · Oct 29, 2014

I also think you can go overboard with paranoia. You can only do so much. Having accounts here and there doesn't really make it any safer. People think writing checks is safer than credit cards, really? You just handed someone a piece of paper with all of your information on it.

dmccarty · Oct 29, 2014

kcflhrc said:
I also think you can go overboard with paranoia. You can only do so much. Having accounts here and there doesn't really make it any safer. People think writing checks is safer than credit cards, really? You just handed someone a piece of paper with all of your information on it.

You just made my point why having multiple accounts minimizes risk...

Later,
Dan

ruth9396 · Oct 29, 2014

I use Identity Theft Protection by Legal Shield. I now have Kroll International as my 800 lb gorilla watching my credit and they inform me immediately if there is anything going on with all 3 credit reporting services. Even if a company checks the credit! Well worth the money. Oh Also protects my children as well.