You Could Win Cash for the Holidays with the NextAdvisor $500 Giveaway!
December 5th, 2011 - Posted by jeff
Need some extra money for the holiday season? Well, you're in luck. NextAdvisor is giving away cash prizes every week of December! Just go to our Facebook page and click on the NextAdvisor $500 Giveaway, fill out the entry form, and you'll be entered to win. It's our way of saying thank you to our Facebook fans for being a part of NextAdvisor. Click here to enter!
Can a Credit Freeze be Activated at all 3 Credit Agencies with Identity Guard TOTAL PROTECTION?
November 18th, 2011 - Posted by Tasha
Q: Can a credit freeze be activated at all 3 credit agencies with Identity Guard TOTAL PROTECTION?
A: Identity Guard® TOTAL PROTECTION will walk you through the steps to set a fraud alert at each of the 3 credit bureaus. Identity Guard will not help you set up credit freezes. You can always do this on your own although there is typically a cost that varies on a state by state basis.
If you're interested in an identity theft service that will set credit freezes for you, Trusted ID IDEssentials is an excellent choice. Trusted ID features an add on to their service called CreditLock that will do this on your behalf. There is a cost of $44.95 to lock your credit reports with all 3 bureaus and $39.95 to unlock them, but you would have to pay even if you did it on your own. Trusted ID is one of our top reviewed identity theft protection services and offers a free 14-day trial to NextAdvisor readers.
Before you move forward, it's a good idea to distinguish between what a fraud alert and a credit freeze are. A fraud alert is set for 90 days and asks the 3 major credit bureaus to verify your identity by using "reasonable policies and procedures" prior to opening an account in your name. Typically this means they will call you to confirm. A credit freeze completely prevents any new creditors from being able to access your credit report for any reason. To learn more about the differences between credit freezes and fraud alerts see our Fraud Alert and Credit Freeze Guide.
Do I Have To Sign Up For Identity Theft Protect and Credit Monitoring Separately?
November 7th, 2011 - Posted by Tasha
Q: I am interested in signing up for identity theft protection and also credit monitoring. Do I need to sign up for each individually?
A: No, you don't. Our top-rated Identity Guard TOTAL PROTECTION® provides both comprehensive identity theft protection and thorough 3-bureau credit monitoring. Upon signup for their free 30-day trial, you'll also receive free 3-bureau credit scores, a free public record report and free Zone Alarm Internet Security Suite software – yours to keep even if you cancel during the trial period. We like Identity Guard so much, we even rated them #1 in our identity theft protection reviews and credit monitoring reviews.
How can I get identity theft protection for my daughter?
November 4th, 2011 - Posted by Tasha
Q: How can I get identity theft protection for my daughter?
A: Good question! A couple of our top-rated identity theft protection services offer protection for your children too. Most people don't realize it, but children are easy prey for identity thieves because their lack of credit history means they usually don't have any credit records. Therefore, the occurrence of credit-related identity theft can go undetected for quite some time. And even if a child does have a credit report it typically isn't checked until after they turn 18, which means fraudulent activity could have happened without anyone being aware of it. That's why it's a good idea to subscribe to an identity theft protect service that will help protect your child.
Both of these services we discuss below are highly recommended by NextAdvisor, and are great choices to help protect your children from identity theft. They both also offer free trials to NextAdvisor readers, so you can give them a test drive without reaching into your pocketbook.
TrustedID's IDFreeze will protect your entire family, including your spouse and children, for just $13.46 per month (with annual prepay). The only requirement is that everyone has to be living at the same address. IDFreeze will monitor the Internet black market for your child's Social Security number, bank accounts, name and address. It also monitors the Internet and public records for any changes to or misuse of your child's name, address, or Social Security number. In addition your child will be given an Identity Threat Score which provides a gauge of his/her individual risk level. Right now Trusted ID is offering NextAdvisor readers a free 14-day trial, so you can test drive it free of charge and see if it's a good fit.
Identity Guard TOTAL PROTECTION® features an add-on service called kID Sure. kID Sure monitors the Internet black market for your child's Social Security number (SSN) and registered bank account numbers, scans public records for you child's SSN and name, and provides ongoing monitoring of applications submitted using a child's data. It also features ID Risk Assessment® of your child's current risk level for identity theft. Although kID Sure requires that you sign up for Identity Guard TOTAL PROTECTION first ($14.99/mo with NextAdvisor discount), it's just an extra $4.99 per month per child. Identity Guard is extending NextAdvisor reader a 30-day free trial of their TOTAL PROTECTION service, so you can see if the service is to your liking before adding kID Sure to it (Note: there is no free trial for kID Sure).
Protect Your Children's Identity with Identity Guard's New kID Sure Service
October 17th, 2011 - Posted by jeff
Did you know that children can also be victims of identity theft? In fact, they are more attractive targets for identity theft because their credit is usually clean and their identity isn’t as closely monitored as adults’ identity. Thieves can create a whole new identity with just a child’s social security number, and can cause serious problems when the child turns 18 and starts applying for credit cards, students loans or any other type of credit.
Identity Guard’s new kID Sure service helps prevent you child’s identity. kID Sure monitors a wide range of data sources to track your child’s social security number and public records, as well as any applications for cell phones or credit cards. Another interesting feature of kID Sure is the Risk Assessment, which determines the risk factor of your child’s identity. The service is $4.99 and available to new and existing Identity Guard customers, so if you aren’t an Identity Guard customer, read our review here and get an exclusive 18% discount and a 30-day trial.
How Many Computers are Protected Under Identity Guard? Will the Price Go Up?
October 12th, 2011 - Posted by polina
Q: Will Identity Guard protect all computers in the home for the basic price of $14.99? When does the price go up to $17.99?
A: Our top-rated identity theft protection solution, Identity Guard TOTAL PROTECTION® includes free anti-virus, firewall, anti-phishing and anti-spam software from Zone Alarm Internet when you sign up. Your subscription also includes PRIVACYPROTECT® and MOBILE LOCKBOX® technology to help protect you from hackers and thieves attempting to access your personal information and online transactions. We gave customer support a call and found that once you sign up for Identity Guard and download the Zone Alarm software to your computer, only that particular computer will be protected.
If you sign up for an Identity Guard subscription through NextAdvisor, you'll get the discounted monthly price of $14.99, which is a really great deal. Although this is not a "trial" price and there are no immediate plans to change the monthly price, like most other services, Identity Guard cannot guarantee that the price will always stay the same. If they do raise the price in the future, they'll notify you ahead of time via email. Then if you feel the value isn't in it for you anymore you can choose to cancel your subscription. Since it's a monthly subscription you're not tied into any long-term contracts.
We have to say we really like Identity Guard's identity theft protection service because it is the most comprehensive out of all the identity theft services we review. Identity Guard monitors your credit reports at all 3 credit bureaus and includes free 3-bureau credit scores. It also monitors public records for any changes in your name, scans databases for application or Social Security fraud, and monitors the Internet's black market for any use of your credit cards or other personal information. Right now they are even offering NextAdvisor readers a free 30-day trial, so you can check it out and see if it meets your needs. If you don't think it's the service for you, just cancel during the trial period and you won't be billed. You'll get to keep your credit scores and the ZoneAlarm Internet Secuity suite for free, even if you cancel during the trial, so it's a win-win.
If I put a credit freeze on my credit report, does that mean that no one can make a purchase on any of my credit cards until I unfreeze my credit?
September 22nd, 2011 - Posted by Tasha
Q: If I put a credit freeze on my credit report, does that mean that no one can make a purchase on any of my credit cards until I unfreeze my credit?
A: No, it doesn't. A credit freeze is specifically related to the information on your credit report and means that no new creditors will be able to access your credit report for any reason. It will help prevent anyone from applying for a new credit card using your information, but it does not have anything to do with preventing purchases on the credit cards you already have.
If you have concerns about your identity being compromised or having someone use your credit cards without your permission or knowledge, it would be wise to call your credit card company and cancel the card. They will reissue a new card with a new number free of charge. You should also consider subscribing to one of our top ranked identity theft protection services. Several of the services we review offer free trials and even free credit scores, including Identity Guard TOTAL PROTECTION®.
I'm pretty sure my identity has already been stolen. What can I do about it?
September 15th, 2011 - Posted by Tasha
The following post is an actual user submitted question:
Q: I'm pretty sure my identity has already been stolen. What can I do about it?
A: We're sorry to hear about this, because we know having your identity stolen can be very stressful. The first thing you should do is follow the comprehensive steps in our What To Do If Someone Has Stolen Your Identity blog post. You should also seriously consider a top-notch identity theft protection service like Identity Guard TOTAL PROTECTION®.
Identity Guard Total Protection provides comprehensive identity theft protection, which will be especially important in a situation like yours. They start with daily 3-bureau credit monitoring, the gold standard for catching any potential identity thieves that may have opened an account in your name. But they also provide extensive fraud prevention measures including monitoring the Internet black market for the use of your Social Security number, credit cards or bank account numbers. In addition they monitor public records for changes to your name, address, license and registrations, criminal records, civil court records and bankruptcy filings. Identity Guard subscriptions also include free anti-keylogging software, mobile security software and Zone Alarm Internet Security Suite.
Right now Identity Guard is offering a free 30-day trial and 18% off the subscription price to NextAdvisor readers. This means not only do you get free identity theft protection for a month, but you'll also receive free 3-bureau credit scores to boot. All-in-all a great deal from our top-reviewed identity theft protection service.
Does identity theft protection cover husband and wife for one monthly fee or is it each person?
August 18th, 2011 - Posted by Tasha
Q: Does identity theft protection cover husband and wife for one monthly fee or is it each person?
A: It depends on which identity theft protection service you select. Most base their protection on a per-person basis, so they charge separately for each person. However, TrustedID offers a great family plan that covers everyone living at the same address, so both husband and wife would be covered.
TrustedID is an excellent value at just $20 per month for the family plan (with annual prepay), and provides it's members with a broad range of identity theft protection features. TrustedID IDEssentials monitors the Internet black market for any suspicious activity involving your personal information such as your credit cards, bank accounts and Social Security number. Trusted ID also monitors the Internet and public records for any changes to or misuse of your Social Security number, name or address. Other features include medical record protection, free anti-spyware software and a host of other features. In addition, IDEssentials provides 3-bureau credit monitoring and all 3 credit reports and scores when you sign up.
Overall, we think TrustedID IDEssentials is a great deal, and right now they are offering a free 14-day trial and 15% discount if you sign up for one of their annual plans. And if after your sign up you don't feel the service is a good fit for you, you can cancel during the trial period free of charge and still keep you free credit reports and scores.
New Facebook privacy concern: your cell phone number
August 11th, 2011 - Posted by Sarah
Facebook has a history of fishy privacy practices, so we're not surprised at its latest grab for user information. If you use a Facebook app on your cell phone, have provided your phone number to it for "increased security," or entered it into your profile under certain sharing settings, your data could be at risk.
Rumors abound that Facebook is now making public contact lists from smartphones that use Facebook Mobile. Although Facebook denies that this is true, a longstanding feature that syncs contacts from your phone to your Facebook account has been discovered by many. This means that Facebook has probably stored every number in your phone on a server somewhere.
You can see the phone numbers of all your contacts, which means that they can probably see your phone number. Regardless of the method Facebook may have used to get your number, here's what you should do:
1. In your phone's Facebook app, tap the Friends icon in the main menu. Then in the upper-right of the screen, click Sync.
2. When you're on Facebook, click on Account at the top-right of the screen. Then click Edit Friends. On the left side of the screen, click on Contacts. You'll see this text on the right: "If you would like to remove your mobile contacts from Facebook, you need to disable the feature on your mobile phone and visit this page." Click to go there, and then click the Remove button.
3. Double-check the privacy settings on your Facebook account to make sure that only the right people are seeing your number. We recommend deleting it completely.
For those worried about protecting their privacy, we recommend identity theft protection. Companies such as Identity Guard, Trusted ID, and LifeLock monitor your credit score and other records and alert you of fraudulent activity. Plus, NextAdvisor offers you a discount!
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