Who Offers The Best Credit Monitoring Service?

Experts agree one of the best things you can do to protect your identity is to conduct thorough reviews of your credit report with all three credit reporting agencies: Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian. While the The Fair Credit Reporting Act guarantees you access to your credit report once a year from all three bureaus, it simply isn’t enough. Think of the damage an identity thief can do to your credit history in a few weeks, much less a year. Fortunately, consumers have access to credit monitoring services that can review your credit file daily and send you alerts by phone, email or text to any changes.

Unfortunately, choosing between various services can be a bit more confusing. Which service updates your credit score quarterly? ProtectMyID or Identity Guard? What about the non credit related sources services like Lifelock’s Command Center reviews? Below we’ve compared the top rated credit monitoring services: Lifelock’s Command Center, Identity Guard’s Total Protection, Experian’s ProtectMyID, and Guard Dog ID’s Superior Protection.

	Review	Review	Review	Review
Rating
Price	$17.99/month	$19.95/month	$15/month	$9.95/month
3 Bureau Credit Monitoring			No
3 Bureau Credit Score			No	Only Experian
Score Updates	Quarterly	Annually	No	Annually
Public records				No
Scans Internet
Antivirus/Spyware		no	no	no
Keylogging Protection		no	no	no
Coverage	$1 Million	$1 Million	$1 Million	$1 Million
Promotion	30 Days Free	30 Days Trial	30 Days Free & 15% Off	30 Day Trial For $1
	Visit	Visit	Visit	Visit

What To Look For In A Credit Monitoring Service

There are many credit report monitoring services, including those from the credit reporting agencies like Experian’s ProtectMyID or Equifax’s Credit Watch. We’ve included ProtectMyID but the problem with services like these are they typically review only one credit agencies reports. Although the option exists to purchase additional reports at a significant discount, these can add up.

For example, with ProtectMyID you can buy all three credit reports and scores for a one time fee of $19. With Identity Guard, quarterly updates to your credit score is included as part of their plan.

All the above services except Lifelock monitors your credit report for changes and negative information. They’ll notify you by text or email if they detect any suspicious activity.

Identity Guard is it’s the only service to update your credit score quarterly as well as provide antivirus and spyware protection.

Credit report monitoring can be an early warning system for individuals worried about identity theft. Early detection and action is the best way to prevent identity theft from getting out of hand. But not all identity theft is related to your credit report.

Identity thieves can also use your identity for criminal purposes, employment reasons, or civil reasons. Services like Lifelock’s Command Center and Identity Guard will also scan public databases and court records for your information. In addition, both services scan sex offender registry reports and payday loan activity for your information as well.

Guard Dog ID offers many similar services to Identity Guard and gives consumers the option to customize their protection. Their basic platform is robust and full of great features and you can upgrade credit monitoring protection with their Premium or Superior Protection.

Credit Monitoring Recommendation

Identity Guard offers the most sophisticated platform for credit monitoring and identity theft protection. Guard Dog ID comes in a close second but Identity Guard edges it out because of a slightly lower price, updated credit scores, and reputation. Guard Dog ID is a relatively new company and Identity Guard has been providing information security services for fortune 500 companies for years.

Identity Guard also provides members with the ZoneAlarm® Internet Security Suite and PRIVACYPROTECT®, a sophisticated program that will encrypt your keystrokes to protect you against “keyloggers”.

Identity Guard offers several stepped down versions of their Total Protection plan, Watchful Eye® for $9.99/month and Extra Caution® for $14.99/month.

For more information, visit Identity Guard.

Introducing Guard Dog ID, An Identity Theft Service That’s Ready To Take On Lifelock

Identity theft is big business and every few months, you’ll hear about a new identity protection service. In fact at IDProtectionGuide, we get a steady stream of emails for review requests. Obviously we can’t review every service available so we like to pick and choose services that take a unique approach to identity theft prevention or we get a large enough number of requests from consumers to initiate a review. And that’s how we stumbled onto Guard Dog ID, (not to be confused with IDWatchDog) and after reviewing the service offerings, we were pleasently surprised by the combination of core features and available add-ons. Somebody over there put some serious thought into designing a protection service that’s customizable for consumers.

How Does GuardDog ID Work?

Guard Dog ID offers three levels of protection: Advanced, Premium, and Superior. All three levels of protection are built around a set of standard features which include:

Core Features Of Any Guard Dog ID Plan

• Net Deflect

Guard Dog ID will scan criminal web sites, chat rooms and bulletin boards for the selling or trading of a members’ personal information using their proprietary internet surveillance technology, Net Deflect.

• Court Records

As a Guard Dog member, you will receive a list of criminal actions associated with your name, birth date, and/or Social Security number sourced from county, state, federal databases. These reports are updated monthly.

• Names & Alias

Guard Dog ID’s SS Indicator will alert you if your information is located in a database and cannot be matched to other reports listed in your dashboard. This helps Guard Dog ID members be proactive about the safety of their identity, and recognize fraudulent activities before they cause financial damage.

It is very common with identity theft for criminals to establish different names using your social security number, drivers license and other personal information. Often, these thieves are not interested in gaining credit; they are simply interested in impersonating someone else in order to conceal their true identity.

• WalletGuard

If your wallet or purse should be stolen or lost, Guard Dog specialists will take immediate action to prevent the fraudulent usage of your cards and make sure that you have the correct packages in place to monitor changes in your personal information.

• SSIndicator

Members will be provided with an Address History Report illustrating all addresses associated with their name and Social Security number.

• PervertAlert

Guard Dog ID monitors local and national databases to alert you to sex offenders residing in your zip code, moving into your neighborhood or possibly using your information while committing these offences.

• SureAddress

Sure Address is designed to proactively monitor national databases to alert you of activity matching your information. Members will be provided with a Change of Address Report showing any recent move requests filed for their address.

• $1 Million Insurance

Guard Dog ID provides each member with $1 Million insurance coverage. There is no deductible, no out-of-pocket expenses and includes coverage for lost wages up to $500/week for four weeks. (These limits match TrustedID’s industry leading wage loss limits)

• Identity Restoration Expert

Guard Dog ID has highly-trained restoration specialists to effectively and efficiently manage any type of fraud related issues. Guard Dog ID will assign a restoration specialist to your case dedicated to work directly for you and completely restore your identity to 100% satisfaction.

All of Guard Dog ID’s protection plans revolve around these core features. Premium adds instant 1-bureau credit report, score, and monitoring as well as monitoring your information on payday loan applications, a common source of identity theft. Select will offer the same protection but for all three credit bureaus.

	Advanced	Premium	Superior
Price	$9.95/month	$14.95/month	$19.95/month
Core Features
Credit Reports	no	1 Bureau Only
Credit Score	no	1 Bureau Only
Credit Monitoring	no	1 Bureau Only
PayDay Loans	no

Analysis

With the basic plan starting at $9.95, Guard Dog ID is affordable and if you add a spouse, both of you will receive a 10% discount. You can save an additional 10% by prepaying annually as well. Premium is $14.95/month and Superior goes for $19.95/month.

Guard Dog ID’s impressive list of core features such as SSIndicator, Sure Address and the Net Deflect are great features to protect you from becoming a victim of identity theft.

Most services don’t pay enough attention to sources beyond your credit report for detecting identity fraud. Guard Dog ID also recognizes identity fraud isn’t always about financial theft and the scanning of sex offender registry reports and alias reporting are excellent ways to make certain you’re protected against all kinds of identity theft.

Guard Dog ID offers a comprehensive insurance policy and personalized assistance in the form of recovery specialists that will see fraud cases to complete resolution.

Opinion

Guard Dog ID is an excellent service. I can’t think of one thing they’re not doing or offering. I’m especially impressed with the Name and Alias reports which will analyze discrepancies in your social security, drivers license, and other personal information to detect those thieves not interested in gaining credit but simply interested in impersonating someone else in order to conceal their true identity.

This type of non-credit related identity theft is growing and won’t show up on your credit report.

The core set of services closely resembles Lifelock’s Command Center at a fraction of the price. Add in the credit report monitoring I think is essential to any protection service and you’ve got a winner here.

THE GOOD: An almost ridiculous set of features. It’s Lifelock Command Center at almost half the price.

THE BAD: This is a fairly new company that doesn’t have an extensive track record dealing with customers.

Visit GuardDogID.com to sign up for the free trial and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with identity protection.

Not Your Daddy’s Identity Thief

If you think you’re not at risk for identity theft, think again. This must see video from a recent Dateline MSNBC special points out how hackers use technology to steal your identity despite common precautions.

MSNBC DATELINE Special Report

As you can see identity thieves move fast and everything from credit cards and bank accounts to Social Security numbers are available in illegal black markets. Where do identity thieves get their information? Data breeches. According to the ITRC Breach report, there were over 222 million compromised private records in 2009 alone. Unfortunately, it takes time for authorities to investigate and shut sites like these down and criminals can have new sites up in minutes.

The Modern Identity Thief

It’s not your daddy’s identity thief. Just a few years ago, the best way to prevent identity theft was to not carry your social security card on your person. Today’s identity thieves employ sophisticated technology to steal your personal information. Just a few weeks ago, police busted a major identity theft ring in Los Angeles that employed bluetooth scanners inside Arco gas terminals. Unsuspecting customers would enter their PIN number and the scanners would copy everything the thieves needed to duplicate your card and drain your bank account.

The reality is much of your private information is already out there and there’s very little you can do to stop it. How many credit applications have you filled out over the years? Have you ever filled out a department store charge card to get that 10% discount? In 2008, police found a retail store had discarded hundreds of approved applications in the trash. You could follow every advice about protecting your personal information and through no fault of your own, be a victim of identity theft because your auto insurer had their database hacked.

The Ordeal of Michelle Brown

When personal information is stolen, the harm to the victim often goes far beyond the pocketbook. When Michelle Brown was detained and questioned at Los Angeles International Airport, she realized that she had lost the claim on her own identity. Tears streamed down her face as she frantically fumbled through police reports and letters from the DA searching for anything that would prove she was a law-abiding citizen—not the felon who had stolen her identity, ruined her credit, and embarked on a crime spree which had led to an outstanding warrant for her arrest.

Every year 1 in 18.22 households will be victimized by identity theft. If it happens to you, the hit to your wallet may be only part of the cost. Many victims find their lives upended—and all too often the culprit is never identified and there’s no certainty about how the theft occurred. It’s up to the victim to take steps to limit the damage, by putting a stop on checks and credit cards, opening new accounts, and creating new passwords. And then comes the painstaking task of trying to undo any damage to one’s reputation or credit scores.

Michelle Brown’s ordeal did not end with the arrest of her perpetrator. The name “Michelle Brown” was given at the time of booking—and, incredibly enough, once convicted the thief continued to use the name for outgoing mail she sent from prison.

If identity theft victims are lucky, they are able to walk away with only the inconvenience of having to get new credit cards and remember new PIN numbers. Still 1 in 21.28 victims of identity theft will lose $5,000 or more because of the theft, and 1 in 5.56 will have ongoing problems, especially if the thief is never apprehended. If you are in that number, the biggest toll may be living with the knowledge that someone can live their life in your name, using your Social Security number, signing your name to loan applications, and using your credit to fund their every whim. And the burden of proof will be on you to prove you are who you say you are.

Of course, you can drastically reduce the chances of becoming an identity theft victim by using an identity theft protection service. (See our 2010 identity theft protection reviews of Lifelock, Lifelock Command Center, TrustedID, Identity Guard, ProtectMyID, and Equifax.)

Why Is TrustedID Better Than Lifelock?

If you’ve been researching various identity theft services, at some point you may have come across a comparison between Lifelock and TrustedID. Lifelock has probably done the most to create “brand awareness” behind its bold marketing campaigns but does that mean it offers the best value for consumers?

Maybe not if you compare it to a service like TrustedID. Here are six reasons why:

Credit Report Monitoring

With the introduction of IDEssentials™, TrustedID provides you with a comprehensive view of your credit history with all three major credit bureaus, along with daily alerts to keep you up-to-date on any changes to your credit reports. If you spot potential fraud, a Protection Specialists will make sure you’re protected and resolve the issue quickly.

Credit Locks

No other company offers credit freezes on all the three major credit reporting agencies. Equifax’s IDPatrol comes close but only allows you to place a credit freeze on the Equifax report and not Experian or TransUnion. See our section on Fraud Alerts & Credit Freezes to understand the benefits of a Credit Freeze over a Fraud Alert.

1,000,000 Service Warranty

You can’t really appreciate the $1,000,000 Service Warranty unless you read the fine print. Not only does it offer the same amount of protection as Lifelock’s 1 Million Total Service Guarantee, but includes coverage for lost wages, a key point Lifelock does not cover. In fact, TrustedID offers more than twice the coverage as its nearest competitor in an area where the majority of identity theft victims say they incur loss.

According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, the average identity theft victim spends under a $1,000 to restore their identity. Although most of the work involved is tedious and time consuming, it usually does not require attorneys or investigators to get involved. What most identity theft victims need is compensation for lost wages and that is why TrustedID’s $1,000,000 Service Warranty stands out. See our section on Identity Theft Insurance to better understand what these policies cover and what to look for.

Family Protection

No other protection service offers a family plan. Equifax’s Credit Watch Gold does but is limited to two adults. TrustedID’s IDEssentials™ can be purchased to cover an entire household. That means children, spouse, and grandparents can be covered all under one family policy. Starting at less than the price of two policies, you can see where the savings add up compared to buying individual plans for every member of your household. Child identity theft is a growing problem and if you have children, TrustedID’s family plan can save you money.

Medical Benefits Protection

One of the newest and growing forms of identity theft is medical benefits fraud. TrustedID will review your medical benefits statements to ensure no one is abusing benefits entitled to you.

Anti-Spyware Software

One of the key areas identity theft occurs is by malicious hackers breaking into your computer and stealing usernames and passwords. With TrustedID, you’ll receive state-of-the-art anti=spyware software which you can install up to three different computers.

How Does TrustedID’s IDEssentials™ Work?

• 3-Bureau Credit Monitoring

Your credit report will be monitored daily for fraudulent or suspicious activity with all three major credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.

• Online Access To Your Credit Report

You’ll have instant online access to your credit reports from the three major credit bureaus.

• Online Access To Your Credit Score

If you’ve ever wondered what your credit score was with the three major credit bureaus, TrustedID will give instant online access to your score.

• Public Database Scanning

TrustedID will monitor hundreds of public record databases that contain information about everything from your marital status and address to issues of the court and business applications. If they detect anything that looks unusual and could lead to identity theft, you’ll be alerted immediately.

• Scans Internet For Your Data

TrustedID will regularly patrol underground black market internet sites where identity thieves buy, sell, and trade credit card numbers, social security numbers, bank account numbers, and names and addresses. If any of your personal information is discovered, you’ll be alerted immediately.



• Identity Threat Score

TrustedID uses advanced technology to search millions of public and private database records and then analyzes this information for patterns that could indicate if you are – or are about to become – a victim of identity theft.

• Lost Wallet Protection

Store your important information with TrustedID – credit and debit card numbers, insurance information, and more – and if you ever lose your wallet or need access to your information, TrustedID’s On-Call Protection Specialists can help you cancel your cards and replace them as quickly as possible.

• Fraud Alerts

TrustedID gives you the option to place fraud alerts if your identity is at risk, and with our Fraud Alert Reminder service, we will help you ensure your fraud alerts are renewed with the credit bureaus every 90 days.

• Medical Benefits Protection

One of the newest and most dangerous forms of identity theft is medical benefit fraud. TrustedID will help members review their medical benefit statements to nobody else is being treated with your medical benefits.

• Spyware Protection

You receive state-of-the-art anti-spyware software which you can install on up to three different computers. The anti-spyware technology blocks and removes malicious programs that hackers use to track your passwords and compromise your online accounts.

• $1,000,000 Warranty Protection

In the unlikely event an identity theft occurs under their protection, you can rest easy to know TrustedID will support you with their service warranty which includes a best-in-class lost wage limit.

• CreditLock™

Although fraud alerts are helpful, credit freezes on your credit file will completely shut down access to your credit report. *Additional costs are involved.

Analysis

At $10.42/month, TrustedID is affordably priced and if you use any of our links, we’ve negotiated a 14 days free trial. However the real savings are found in the TrustedID’s generous family pricing plans. TrustedID will cover a complete household for less than the price of two policies, $20/month. That means grandparents, children, and anyone else living with you can be covered under a single family plan.

In addition to the internet and public database scanning TrustedID does, you also have the option of employing credit freezes, something no other service offers. The Identity Threat Score™ gives you an easy-to-understand way to gauge your current risk levels and allow you to take the necessary steps to reduce the chances of becoming an identity theft victim

With the introduction of IDEssentials, TrustedID not only scans public databases for your personal information but offers credit monitoring as well – something Lifelock’s Command Center does not. You’ll have instant access to your credit report and score as well.

TrustedID offers the $1 Million Service Warranty and you can’t really appreciate the $1,000,000 Service Warranty unless you read the fine print. Not only does it offer the same amount of protection as Lifelock’s 1 Million Total Service Guarantee, but includes coverage for lost wages, a key point Lifelock does not cover. In fact, TrustedID offers more than twice the coverage as its nearest competitor in an area where the majority of identity theft victims say they incur loss.

Opinion

TrustedID’s IDFreeze product coupled with CreditLock is our editor’s choice for overall identity theft protection. They are the only ones to offer the ability to place credit freezes on all three credit reporting bureaus and with family discounts and “best in class” service warranty, it’s easy to see why this is our top choice.

THE GOOD:TrustedID has combined almost everything you could want in an identity protection service: credit report monitoring, credit locks, database scanning, $1 million service warranty, anti-spyware software, medical benefits protection, and a generous family plan.

THE BAD:Significant increase for monthly plans.

Visit TrustedID to sign up for the 14 day free trial offer.

Welcome To Lifelock 2.0

• Read our original Lifelock review

With the introduction of Lifelock Command Center™ Lifelock is moving away from its original business model of placing and renewing fraud alerts to an early warning detection service. Lifelock’s original offerings are still available and currently Command Center is being offered as an additional add-on to their existing service.

So What Is Command Center?

Lifelock Command Center™ - Is It Worth It?

In the past, Lifelock’s critics (justifiably in my opinion) claimed much of Lifelock’s services could be done for free by the consumer themselves. In addition, since it’s universally accepted that no protection service is completely fool proof, many critics also pointed out fraud alerts may create a false sense of security. What consumers really needed, many industry experts argued, was an early warning system designed to alert individuals at the first sign of identity theft. Lifelock’s answer to those critics and countless competitors is the Lifelock Command Center™ Protection Suite. Here is an explanation of the new features:

• Court Records Alerts and Reports

Lists court records that match your name and date of birth from county courts, Departments of Corrections (DOC), offices of Administration of Courts (AOC) and other legal agencies to help you verify that criminals aren’t using your name to commit crimes.

• Lifelock Personal Breach Detection™ Services

Actively monitors unregulated internet and file-sharing networks for your identity information. If Lifelock finds you are at risk, they’ll alert you by e-mail and take emasures to protect you against accidental personal information disclosures.

• Sex Offender Registry Alerts and Reports

Lists registered sex offender records for your zip code. It will also alert you if a sex offender is fraudulently using your address.

• Payday Loan Alerts and Reports

Notifies you of any payday loan activity with your name, date of birth and Social Security number.

• Public Records Alerts and Reports

Lists postal addresses associated with your identity found in public records.

• Alias Records Alerts and Reports

Lists alternate names associated with other pieces of your identity (Social Security number, driver’s license, etc.) found in public records.

Opinion

There are a lot of things I think Lifelock is doing right here. I enthusiastically agree with paying attention to non-credit related sources for changes in your personal information. Too many companies focus on just monitoring your credit report which is important but leaves out all the other potential types of identity theft that can occur like criminal identity theft.

Lifelock has definately improved upon it’s original service and I do think it’s worth the increase in premium for the added protection but would it be my pick for “best identity protection“? Except for one thing it would be.

The lack of credit monitoring concerns me. Lifelock does provide annual credit reports but you can get that for free. Compared to services like Identity Guard and ProtectMyID, who both provide near real-time monitoring of your credit report, it still falls a little short. While it’s true other forms of identity theft exist outside your credit report and affect thousands if not millions of Americans every year, the majority of identity theft cases still revolve around your credit report. Actively monitoring your credit file is still your best shot at detecting identity theft early and offering you the greatest chance to “nip it in the bud”.

Still, Command Center™ is impressive and for some consumers it might be exactly what they’re looking for.

THE GOOD: Increased scanning of a wide assortment of public databases and services unique in the identity protection industry.

THE BAD: The lack of credit report monitoring may concern some consumers.

Visit Lifelock Command Center and get 30 days free and 15% off.

Visit ProtectMyID and get 30 days for $1. ]]> http://www.idprotectionguide.net/lifelock-command-center-review/feed/ 2 http://www.idprotectionguide.net/child-identity-theft/ http://www.idprotectionguide.net/child-identity-theft/#comments Thu, 15 Dec 2011 21:38:53 +0000 Greg Mckeon http://www.idprotectionguide.net/?p=1539

It seems like adults are not the only ones in danger of identy theft. Our kids are too. Hackers are targeting your kids such as the hacking incident that happened in El Paso, Texas, that had around 63,000 students social security numbers exposed because a hacker broke into a school district’s computer network.

In Palatine,III., nearly 8,000 special education students’ social security numbers were divulged due to stolen laptops that belonged to a state contractor.

And in Wake County, N.C., about 5,000 postcards with students social security numbers printed on them were mailed out because of school official’s accidental mistake.

These three incidents are amongst dozens in recent years. And schools have been a vulnerable target to credit-hungry identity thieves leaving theft not only to hackers, but also to many Americans in need of clean credit. A teacher in Florida was sentenced to house arrest for stealing identities of former students. And in 2009, a police officer who worked for the Palm Beach County School District was sentenced to eight years in prison for stealing the identities of former students and teachers. The reccession has left many Americans with more of a need for clean sources of credit making the temptation to hijack a child’s record even greater.

The Federal Trade Commission says that there’s a huge increase in child identy theft complaints of 18,000 last year compared with about 6,500 cases in 2003. And ID Analytics estimates more than 140,000 children are victims of identy theft each year. “This is making a much bigger honey pot for people with malevolent purposes to gain access to children’s information,” said Joel Reidenberg, a professor at Fordham University School of Law. “It’s a meltdown waiting to happen.”

Debix recently announced a new free identity theft protection service designed for families. AllClear ID is a new service that monitors data for families from thousands of sources and provides free identity recovery in the event a family member’s identity is stolen. AllClear ID is completely free instead of being a trial offer with a plan that has no expiration date. AllClear ID is truly free identity theft protection designed by Debix, a company that is a primary developer of identity theft protection technology.

How AllClear ID Gives You Free Identity Theft Protection

You do not have to share a lot of personal information to obtain a free account with AllClear ID. All you need is your name, email and date of birth. When you sign up for a free account the services you receive include:

• Internet Surveillance: This service provides families with the piece of mind that there is a way to seek protection online. With the Internet surveillance service AllClear ID partners with law enforcement officials to scan the Internet searching for any criminal activity that is related to your identity or the identities of your family. If any personal information is compromised, AllClear ID alerts you and then provides suggestions on the steps you should take and then helps you take care of the problem.
• Status Reports: Families who use the AllClear ID service receive a monthly report that provides detailed information on the status of your identity and personal information. If any suspicious activity is detected AllClear ID will provide you with sound advice on the steps that need to be taken.
• Identity Attack Reports: Due to the rise in identity theft many companies and government organizations are joining in the effort to fight against identity theft. The companies and organizations report any personal information they have discovered and if your personal data is found AllClear ID will let you know and suggest actions to take.
• Identity Repair Assistance: If you or one of your family members happens to become a victim of identity theft AllClear ID has trained investigators that will help you to repair and restore your personal information and identity.

AllClear ID has established partnerships with more than 600 companies and government organizations throughout the United States to exchange identity theft information across the organizations. The service then notifies consumers if their personal information has been compromised and if it has been used to commit a criminal act. AllClear ID will then work to fully repair and restore your identity at no cost to the family.

Many people ask themselves why they need to protect their children’s identities. For identity theft criminals, children’s identities are being targeted more often since the probability of a breach being discovered is less than the identity of an adult. For this reason, AllClear ID also offers ChildScan for a family that is designed specifically for monitoring a child’s personal identity.

The free identity theft protection service offered by Debix is the first of its kind. Debix offers other innovative identity theft protection products that assist Fortune 500 companies, educational institutions, state and local government agencies, healthcare companies, and many other organizations with helping to protect the consumer from data breaches.

So if you’re looking for free identity theft protection, visit Debix for more information.

LifeLock, a leading provider in identity theft protection services recently recruited Harris Interactive to conduct a study on the effectiveness of using an identity theft protection service. The purpose of the study was to examine consumer awareness of protecting their identity without mentioning the name of LifeLock who sponsored the study.

Details of Identity Theft Protection Study

The study conducted by Harris Interactive found that consumers who fell victim to identity theft indicated that they spent less time and money recovering their identity by subscribing to an identity theft protection service than consumers who did not subscribe to an ID protection service and had their identities stolen.

The consumer survey was conducted online during December of 2010 with participants located in the United States. The consumers that were surveyed were adults over the age of 21 with 1,366 of respondents subscribed to some type of identity theft protection service. The total number of consumers surveyed was 3,047.

The consumers who were currently subscribed to an identity theft protection service expressed satisfaction with their service and indicated that it provided them with piece of mind and convenience. When presented with the option of expressing their satisfaction with identity theft protection services consumers could indicate on a scale of 1 to 10 how satisfied they were with their current ID theft protection service. 72 percent of the respondents indicated anywhere from 8 to 10 with 10 equal to “extremely satisfied.”

Comparison Study

In the comparison part of the study consumers with a subscription to an identity theft protection service were compared with those who have no protection. The comparison showed that a high percentage of consumers with protection demonstrated a higher level of confidence in protection from issues associated with identity theft than consumers with no protection. The consumers with protection also believed that the service they were using provided them with piece of mind and provided them with the type of protection that they could not accomplish on their own.

The comparison study also showed that the consumers that were currently using an identity theft protection service experienced less downtime in terms of getting their identity fully recovered as opposed to consumers without protection. The consumers with protection also indicated that they spent less money recovering their identity while saving time during the recovery process. They also revealed that they were satisfied with the notification they received from the identity theft protection service of potentially fraudulent use of personal information.

Methodology Used to Conduct the Survey

The study was conducted online with consumers in the United States with the figures for age, sex, race, education, geographic location and household income weighted in necessary categories to bring the survey results into proportion with the overall population in the US.

The survey respondents were those who agreed to participate in a Harris Interactive survey without being informed of the sponsor of the survey, LifeLock, Inc. identity theft protection services.

For more information on how Lifelock protects you, read our in-depth Lifelock review.

Read our Guard Dog ID review.

Guard Dog Inc., a leading provider of identity theft protection services recently announced its plans for a merger by submitting a Letter of Intent that outlines the terms of a corporate merger. The merger is the result of the Guard Dog’s strides and achievements since 2008. These efforts were made as preparatory moves to raise the bar for Guard Dog from the pink sheet market.

The recent announcement of the merger exhibited completion dates for March of this year and there are steps that must be taken to secure the legal statutes for the completion of the merger. The merger outlines corporate restructuring which includes the relocation of the corporate office for Guard Dog Inc., reorganization of the company’s senior level management, and the transfer of company assets and controlling interest.

Details of Guard Dog Corporate Restructuring

The corporate office relocation has already taken place with the additional requirements for the merger under way. Guard Dog has also made efforts to improve the company reporting status which was a positive point for helping with company negotiations as well as the future value of the company. Additionally, the Vice President of Guard Dog Inc. marketing has departed from the company. All of these components are instrumental in making the upgrade of Guard Dog Inc. from the pink sheet market to a higher exchange.

Guard Dog Inc. is a publicly traded company which currently trades under the ticker symbol of GRDO.PK. Further announcements will be temporarily paused until the completion of the merger with both companies agreeing to a quiet phase while the merger is being completed which is expected to be around the middle of March of this year.

Current Share Count

As of the middle of 2010 the authorized share count for Guard Dog Inc. common stock was 1,450,000,000 with the outstanding share count at 649,489,068. The upgrade to higher exchange will help to stabilize the shareholder base and will provide the senior level management with the opportunity for growth in the investment community for Guard Dog Inc.

During December of 2010 Guard Dog Inc. provided a shareholder update for reviewing and finalizing the year-end performance and numbers as well as the progress and current status of the company. The company provided links for investors on the investment portion of the website that provided shareholders with information related to the status of specific company projects as well as the year-end review.

Guard Dog CEO Conference

What appears to be in preparation for the recent announcement of the corporate merger, Guard Dog hosted a CEO teleconference at the beginning of this year to release the financial information to shareholders for Guard Dog Inc. The conference also announced the completion and changes to technical features for the Guard Dog ID identity theft protection service, the announcement of a newly formed advisory board, the possibility of mergers, and previously announced plans to acquire a competitive company.

Recent Improvements in Guard Dog

Recent improvements in Guard Dog’s identity theft protection services include the extension of customer service hours to provide around the clock support 24/7 to its growing membership base, continual upgrade of products and services, staff expansion to accommodate the growing customer base, and additional agents and identity specialists with extensive training to provide quick and accurate information to Guard Dog members.

Guard Dog ID provides identity theft protection services across the US and plans to expand to international countries in the near future. Guard Dog serves individuals and families with protection against identity theft and identity restoration in the event an individual or family fall victim to one of the fastest growing crimes in the US.

Identity theft and IT security threats are predicted to increase during 2011, according to Dmitri Alperovitch, Vice President of Threat Research for McAfee Labs. The rise in identity theft and IT security breaches is due to the increased use of technology and applications in the online environment. These findings will likely contribute to the rise in consumer use of identity theft protection services.

Some of the threat predictions that were recently mentioned include:

Mobile Apps

The increased use of mobile devices both for personal use and use in the workplace has influenced predictions that these devices will be targeted by hackers for identity theft and IT security breaches mostly due to the present weaknesses in the programming of mobile apps. Since mobile apps are a fairly new commodity they frequently contain vulnerabilities in the coding that hackers can exploit for use with a botnet, theft of confidential information and malware attacks.

Mobile Devices

The rise of the mobile workplace means an increased use of mobile devices by company employees. This opens up a new security concern for companies and businesses with regard to IT security threats, theft of critical company data, and personal identity theft.

Signed Malware That Appears Legitimate

Another prediction states, the programmers of malware will become more sophisticated and be capable of creating malicious software that imitates legitimate files on PCs and mobile devices. This will make it easier for cyber criminals to create fake keys from stolen ones and access critical data for the purpose of identity theft and theft of crucial data from companies and government agencies.

Botnets

In the past and still in the present for that matter, botnets have been created by organized criminals for the purpose of data and identity theft among other criminal acts. The criminals target specific computers on a network which are then turned into “zombie” computers that take commands from the botnet creator or “bot herder.” Company PCs as well as personal PCs are taken over to perform criminal acts without the user’s knowledge. Predictions for 2011 point to the fact that botnets will become more sophisticated and engage in advanced gathering of data through social networks.

Social Media

The increased use of social media as a tool for communication will replace email as the chief executor of malicious software and the main avenue for identity theft. Predictions also show that services that help you locate the mobile device users will contribute to the problem, as well as social media tools such as shortened URL services and other social media applications.

These are a few of the threats that you should be on the lookout for with regard to identity theft and IT security in 2011. Additionally, if you are an iPad or iPhone user you should be on guard for malicious codes which have not been a problem in the past with Apple, however the popularity of Apple mobile devices has significantly changed this climate.