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?

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.

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My husband has lost his wallet. Which identity theft protection service would cover both my husband and me?

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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Do any of your identity theft protection services monitor for social security theft and who is applying for your credit?

The following is an actual user-submitted question:

Q:  Do any of your identity theft protection services monitor for social security theft and who is applying for your credit?

A: Yes, they do. Both IDENTITY GUARD® and Trusted ID, our top identity theft protection services, would be a great choice for you.  As soon as you sign up for Trusted ID it begins monitoring the Internet black market for any suspicious use of personal information like your Social Security number, credit cards or bank accounts.  It uses the Social Security number you entered when signing up, but you'll need to add your bank account and credit card numbers.

Trusted ID also monitors all 3 credit reports from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, and will alert you if it sees any changes.  3-bureau credit monitoring is a great way to stay in constant touch with your credit history, and will let you know if anyone is applying for credit using your personal information.  In addition you'll get all 3 credit reports and credit scores at sign up—free of charge.

But Trusted ID doesn't stop there, it includes a whole host of extras like medical record protection and a suite of identity theft protection tools with free anti-spyware software and free anti-phishing software.  Right now Trusted ID is offering a free 14-day trial to NextAdvisor readers, so it's a good time to sign up and try it out without having to pay.  If you're not happy with the service, just cancel during the trial period and you won't have to pay a cent.  Plus, you'll get all 3-bureau credit scores and reports free of charge.

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Woman gets (fake) tattoo of Facebook friends

We couldn't let this news pass by without commenting. This woman has 152 Facebook friends, and she took video showing her getting a sleeve tattoo of profile picture thumbnails of every single one. Although it turned out to be nothing more than an advertising stunt, such a tattoo could raise some serious questions. She claimed to have gotten the permission of all of her friends, but could having your face on somebody's body put your identity at risk?

We say probably not, in this case. The images are pretty small, and no names are given. The biggest problem anyone might have with this tattoo is its lack of clarity!

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Congressman Weiner reminds us to keep our info safe!

Another great tip learned from Rep. Weiner: Never take compromising photos of yourself, and definitely never send them to anyone!

So it turns out that Representative Anthony Weiner's (D-New York) Twitter photo scandal wasn't a hack after all. But let it still be a reminder to keep your confidential information safe with identity theft protection services and to change your password!

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Do any of the identity theft protection services you review protect bank accounts and provide computer protection?

Q:  Do any of the identity theft protection services you review protect bank accounts and provide computer protection?

A: Both of our top rated identity theft protection services, Identity Guard TOTAL PROTECTION® and Trusted ID protect your bank accounts and provide computer protection.  When you sign up for these services, you need to take the time to register your bank accounts numbers and credit cards so they can patrol for suspicious activity on either.

Identity Guard and Trusted ID help to protect your computer from fraud with their included computer software.  Identity Guard includes Zone Alarm Internet Security software, a total Internet security suite providing anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall, and anti-phishing protection with your subscription. Trusted ID includes free anti-spyware software from highly reputable Sana Security with your membership.

Both Identity Guard and Trusted ID are offering free trials if you sign up from NextAdvisor.   Take a look at these and other top rated identity theft protection services to see if they will be a good fit for your needs.

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Bank of America: one more reason why you need ID theft protection

We here at NextAdvisor like to harp on identity theft protection. Why? Because you need it. You never know when, for example, workers at your bank will leak confidential information about your accounts to scammers, resulting in more than $10 million in total losses, which is what happened recently at Bank of America.

Even if you entrust your entire financial life only to big-name companies, this event illustrates why you should take the extra step of getting identity theft protection for yourself and your family to combat fraud. We think that the best companies for ID theft prevention are Identity Guard Total Protection (for the most complete ID theft protection), TrustedID (for families), and LifeLock (for the best value). Click on those links to see our reviews of these services (you'll find even more here), and don't go another day vulnerable to identity theft!

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How often are children's identities stolen?

The following is an actual user-submitted question:

Q. How often are babies' and children's identities stolen?

A. Good question. It might not seem worth it to check your child's credit reports, but according to the FTC, 400,000 children have their IDs stolen each year, 51 times more often than adults. Why? With clean credit histories, kids are easy targets, and many thefts go unnoticed for years, until the child—now an adult—applies for a credit card, loan, or mortgage. So if you want to keep your children's identities safe, consider our favorite identity theft protection services for families: TrustedID and LifeLock.

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Can I sign up for and pay annually for an identity theft protection membership service?

The following is an actual user-submitted question:

Q. Can I sign up for and pay annually for an identity theft protection membership service? I prefer to pay annually in lieu of monthly.

A. When you subscribe to a service such as identity theft protection, often it's more convenient or fiscally responsible to make one larger payment a year rather than a small one each month. Luckily, several of the services we review offer annual prepay options, and sometimes it even saves you more money:

TrustedID, $84.12 per year and up: This service monitors a number of different accounts for you and provides you with anti-spyware protection and one three-bureau credit report each year. We think it's the best value of the services out there, especially for families, because it offers a free 14-day trial and a 15% NextAdvisor discount.

LifeLock, $99 per year and up: This service gives you a free 30-day trial and monitors a wide variety of public records as well. NextAdvisor can offer it to you for 10% off. It's also a pretty strong value; it just doesn't have as many features as TrustedID.

Suze Orman's Identity Protector, $125.04 per year and up: Rounding out our annual prepay offers for identity theft protection services is Suze Orman's Identity Protector. When you sign up with Suze, you'll get three-bureau credit scores and reports. Plus this option bears the name of finance guru Suze Orman.

So whether an annual payment fits better into your budget or is less of a hassle, any of these three services could be great choices for you.

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Do identity theft protection services monitor all three credit bureaus on a daily basis?

Q:  Do identity theft protection services monitor all three credit bureaus on a daily basis?

A: Our top rated Trusted ID IDEssentials monitors your credit reports at all 3 credit bureaus 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  You'll receive same day alerts for any changes to your credit reports, including (but not limited to) new lines of credit being opened, inquiries into your credit reports, address changes and name changes.

Trusted ID also monitors the Internet black market and public records for the use of your Social Security number, credit cards, and bank accounts.  In addition, you'll get credit scores and reports from all 3 credit bureaus, medical record protection and anti-virus computer software.  Overall it's a extremely comprehensive package, and it's even a great deal.  Right now you can sign up for a free 14-day trial and discounted rate of $10.42 per month (paid annually).

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