LifeLock & The Thirteen Uses of 457-55-5462
Chances are, you’ve seen this Social Security number!
Todd Davis, the CEO of LifeLock, has published his Social Security number on billboards, over the Internet, and in radio and television advertising beginning in 2005. Since then, his personal information has been reproduced billions of times. Was daring identity thieves to use it a mistake, or a gutsy move to bring LifeLock and the ever-growing problem of identity theft to the forefront of consumer consciousness?
LifeLock contends it has done exactly that.
Since 2005, when the now famous number was first used in advertising, there have been only thirteen successful cases in which Mr. Davis’ personal information has been used to open unauthorized accounts in his name.
Thirteen.
If there were only 13 successful attempts, it is not hard to imagine just how many unsuccessful attempts that were stopped by the service provided by LifeLock. In fact, LifeLock is not aware of any new incidents occurring over the past year.
Each of the 13 instances of theft have been for relatively small dollar amounts, and the accounts were opened despite fraud alerts being present on his credit file – in other words, the amounts involved were either too small, or the companies involved did not check the credit history of the applicant before opening an account!
The truth is, LifeLock’s Member Services Team performed the same services that it would for any LifeLock member. Some have argued that if the CEO of LifeLock can become a victim of identity theft, then how can LifeLock’s service possibly be effective. No service can ever protect against all instances of identity theft, no matter how small. For years, LifeLock has made it very clear that no service can stop all identity theft, and although LifeLock has been leading the industry by continuously developing new and innovative proactive solutions, compromises do still occur. That is why LifeLock is there to assist its members to make sure problems are taken care of.
It worked in Mr. Davis’ case. He was never out any money, he was saved many hours of invaluable time, and his credit report was always corrected. Amazingly, Mr. Davis has not suffered any damage to his credit or financial standing as a result.
Obviously, LifeLock does not encourage consumers to follow in his example. In fact, the LifeLock terms and conditions agreement states that, “…you agree that you will not purposely engage in behavior that will put your personal information at unnecessary risk, such as leaving your PIN or passwords in obvious places or publishing your Social Security number.”
One thing is certain – the debate that has raged since has raised the profile of both LifeLock and the ever-growing problem of identity theft.
Tags: LifeLock, Todd Davis