For instance, in more than half of all identity theft instances, arrest warrant were issued in the victims’ names for crimes committed by the thief (56%). Others (57%) ended up with criminal records after their impostor was arrested, booked or arraigned using the stolen identity. (Respondents were able to report more than one category, so total exceeds 100%; and, of course, it makes sense that in many cases a warrant would precede arrest, etc.)

More than two-thirds of ID theft victims were billed for medical services received by the impostor (67%), and 56% were contacted by a billing department or collection agency for the medical bills. Most frightening, 33% discovered another person’s information in their medical records.

And, in the aftermath of identity theft, many victims report lingering emotional effects that approach the clinical definition of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as defined by the DSMIV-TR, the bible of the American Psychiatric Association:

• 14% report physical safety fears
• 63% report feelings of helplessness
• 31% report denial or disbelief
• 27% report feelings of isolation
• 31% reveal inability to trust people
• 40% report sleep disturbances
• 65% report rage or anger
• 27% report inability to concentrate

The thing is, Life Lock works, and Davis knows it. There are about 1.5 members of Life Lock around the country who know it, too. Check out what just a handful of them have to say about the service at LifeLock.com. Comments like “…we continued on with our vacation knowing we were safe,” tell you how good it feels to have the Life Lock service, and just how good the service is.

And that’s what Life Lock is.  They do all the things you know you’re supposed to do, and could do for yourself free. They take your name off all the lists. They order a copy of your credit report. They place and renew the fraud alerts. Sure you could do it free—we all could. But who actually does this stuff?

Life Lock does it for you. And then they add extras that you can’t get anywhere else. They replace all your documents if you lose your purse or wallet. That’s a huge service.

And for less than $10 a month, that’s a great deal.