Will enrolling with TrustedID prevent my husband from accessing the bank accounts we share as joint account holders?
January 10th, 2012 - Posted by Tasha
Q: I have just enrolled in TrustedID identity theft protection. My husband is a joint account holder on the bank and credit union accounts. He's worried he'll get blocked from using his cards on the accounts – will he?
A: TrustedID's identity theft protection service will not prevent your husband from using his bank or credit union accounts. That's because TrustedID doesn't monitor the activity within your bank account, but instead scans for the fraudulent use of your bank account number(s) in hundreds of public record databases and the Internet black market. If any unusual activity is detected you'll be alerted. To activate this functionality make sure to enter your bank and credit union account numbers into your online TrustedID account when you enroll (or you can login post-enrollment and add it).
TrustedID doesn't just monitor your bank account number though, read our TrustedID review to learn more about the service and how it helps protect you from identity theft. Right now NextAdvisor readers can even receive a special deal, getting a free 14-day trial and 10% off the subscription price, bringing the cost down to $9.38 per month (w/annual prepay).
Will TrustedID identity theft protection prevent the unauthorized use of my debit cards and secure my bank accounts?
January 3rd, 2012 - Posted by Tasha
Q: Will TrustedID identity theft protection prevent the unauthorized use of my debit cards and secure my bank accounts?
A: Yes, TrustedID IDEssentials will help protect both your debit/credit cards and your bank accounts from fraudulent use. When you sign up for TrustedID, you will need to enter any debit/credit and bank account numbers you wish to have monitored. Once you've entered this data, TrustedID will patrol the Internet black market for any suspicious use and alert you if it occurs.
In addition to monitoring the Internet black and public records for your personal information, top-rated TrustedID IDEssentials also provides 3-bureau credit monitoring, access to all three of your credit reports and scores, medical record protection and anti-spyware software. Right now TrustedID is offering NextAdvisor readers a free 14-day trial, so you can try it out at no cost. The best part is you'll get access to your 3-bureau credit scores and reports when you sign up for the free trial, and they are yours to keep even if you cancel during the trial period.
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.
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).
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!
Privacy matters: Google+ vs. Facebook
August 5th, 2011 - Posted by Sarah
Google+, the web giant's answer to Facebook, debuted in late June. While interest has grown quickly, the service leaves many wondering about the differences between the two. Aside from Circles, Google+'s way of helping you share your party photos with your friends and the pictures of your new kitten with Grandma, Google+ has a different and much more direct take on privacy.
We wrote about ways to manage your privacy on Facebook, but even that lengthy article can't cover everything. Facebook's privacy policy is long (almost 6,000 words!), shifting, and complicated. The privacy controls aren't as visible as we think they should be, and the company has come under fire for adding new "features," such as the ability for other people to tag you in Places, and automatically enabling them with little to no warning to the user.
Luckily, Google+'s privacy policy is shorter and simpler, with no confusing legalese to sift through. A sample quote: "We may share aggregate statistics about Google+ activity with the public, our users, and partners, such as publishers, app developers, or connected sites."
The advertising practices of Facebook and Google+ differ, and it appears Facebook has the upper hand here. Facebook's ads only target the data you enter into your profile. Google, however, records what you do with tracking cookies to create an "anonymous profile" of you, which ads can then target. This data can't be traced back to you at this time, but Google keeps your information, from the emails you send in Gmail to the keywords you search for, and the company might choose to use it differently in the future.
One tip we just learned: Even though Google+ automatically places you in a system that uses its "+1" feature (similar to Facebook's Likes) on other sites, which show up on ads with +1s from your friends, you can shut it off here.
Google+ collects so much data from its users but doesn't put it toward advertising, whereas Facebook does exactly the opposite. The best attribute of Google+ is its plain-language, no-fuss privacy policy. At least you know what you're getting into. The best way to make sure your information is safe? Identity theft protection, like Identity Guard and TrustedID, will monitor your credit report and other personal info for fraud, give you ID theft insurance in case your identity is stolen, and provide you with copies of your credit report.
How does TrustedID inform me of any unusual activity on my account?
August 2nd, 2011 - Posted by Tasha
Q: How does TrustedID inform me of any unusual activity on my account?
A: TrustedID IDEssentials monitors the Internet black market for any suspicious activity involving your personal information such as Social Security number, credit cards and bank accounts. They also monitor your 3-bureau credit reports for changes and the Internet and public records for any changes to or misuse of your name, address, or Social Security number.
If any changes are noticed in your credit reports, you will be notified via email. If any unusual activity is seen during the Internet black market and public record monitoring, TrustedID will call you on the phone.
Right now TrustedID is offering NextAdvisor readers a 14-day free trial of their service. As an added bonus you'll receive all 3-bureau credit scores and reports when you signup for the trial. These scores and reports are yours to keep, even if you cancel during the trial period.
If both my wife and I sign up for an identity theft protection service can we both do so under one account, or would we need to purchase two separate accounts?
July 12th, 2011 - Posted by Tasha
The following is an actual user-submitted question:
Q: If both my wife and I sign up, can we both do so under one account (i.e. give you both our Social Security numbers), or would we need to purchase two separate accounts?
A: Trusted ID, one of our top rated identity theft protection services, offers family plans that will cover both you and your wife. The plan actually includes everyone living at the same address, so if you have children or inlaws living with you it would cover them too. When you sign up you'll need to provide both your wife's and your Social Security number, as it is an unique identifier that allows TrustedID to access your credit history. Also, TrustedID needs to know your Social Security number so they can monitor for the suspicious or fraudulent use of it.
There are 2 family plan options. IDFreeze is a bit cheaper, at $13.46 per month (paid annually), but doesn't include credit report monitoring or credit scores. However, it does provides comprehensive identity theft protection by monitoring the Internet black market for your Social Security number, bank account numbers, credit cards, name and address. IDFreeze also monitors public records for changes to or misuse of your Social Security number, name and address. In addition, IDFreeze includes lost wallet protection, free fraud alerts, medical record protection, junk mail reduction and free anti-spyware software.
IDEssentials includes everything that IDFreeze offers, but also provides 3-bureau credit monitoring, access to all three of your credit reports and scores, and a Facebook privacy app. IDEssentials is a little more expensive at $20 per month for the family plan (paid annually), but still an excellent value as it includes the gold standard of identity theft protection—3-bureau credit report monitoring.
Right now TrustedID is offering a free 14-day trial for both IDFreeze and IDEssentials, which is a great way to try it out and see if their service is a good fit. Plus, if you choose IDEssentials you'll get to keep your credit scores even if you decide to cancel during the trial period.
My husband has lost his wallet. Which identity theft protection service would cover both my husband and me?
July 11th, 2011 - Posted by Tasha
The following is an actual reader submitted question:
Q: My husband has lost his wallet. We cancelled his credit card, but are concerned about the Social Security number on his Medicare card and also his driver's license. Which identity theft protection service would cover both my husband and me?
A: Losing your wallet can be a traumatic experience, but immediately cancelling your credit cards is the right thing to do. You should also cancel any debit cards that might have been in his wallet and have the bank reissue them. Here's a tip—since most people can't recall everything in their wallets, you might want to consider photo copying all the items in both of your wallets. Then if your wallet goes missing you'll know right away what needs to be cancelled and be able to take action.
As you mention, it's also a good idea to sign up for an identity theft protection service to help protect your personal information from fraudulent use. TrustedID IDEssentials offers a family plan for just $20 per month (with annual prepay), which is a 15% discount over the monthly plan. This cost covers everyone in your family living at the same address regardless of their age, so both you and your husband would be covered.
Right now TrustedID IDEssentials is even offering a free 14-day trial for readers who sign up from the NextAdvisor site. As soon as you sign up you get access to your credit scores and reports from all 3 bureaus, as well as 3-bureau credit monitoring. And if you decide to cancel during the trial period, you still get to keep your free credit scores and reports, which makes this an especially great deal.
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