LifeLock Blog

As you begin preparations for tax season you might not be feeling a lot of government love. In fact, with the economy the way it is right now, you might be feeling downright hostile. And as you review your household budget yet again for one more way to cut back on expenses, you might be dripping tears onto your keyboard.

Here’s some (sort of) good news from the Identity Theft Resource Center that might help you lighten up a little: Government agencies were responsible for only 16.7% of all data breaches in 2008.

And now the bad news (because when the subject is data breaches, there’s always going to be some bad news): There were 656 data breaches last year, representing a 47% increase in the number of data breaches that occurred in 2007.

Local, state and federal governments were to blame for a total of 110 information leaks last year. The causes for those data losses break down as follows:

• 28 resulted from the improper protection of information while traveling over the government network.
• 22 were attributed to insider theft.
• 20 occurred when employees accidentally exposed citizens’ information.
• 15 have been chalked up to subcontractors with sloppy systems security.
• 5 were the product of hackers.

Which federal agency wins the prize for the biggest bungling of data protection? The U.S. Army wins this dubious distinction for their inadvertent Internet posting of promotion selection lists that contained the names and Social Security numbers of more than 50,000 officers.

So, what does all this tell us? While you’re trimming your budget leave an extra $9 a month for Life Lock protection services. Enroll using the LifeLock discount code Defense for the lowest available price.

Senior citizens represent roughly 20% of all identity theft victims, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

Senior citizens control more wealth than members of any other age group; more of then have homes that are paid off, and their other investments have been accumulating longer. Without children to provide for, they’re able to preserve more of their assets. (more…)

We’ve all heard – or experienced – the horror stories of identity thieves who use stolen identities to open credit card accounts or buy cars, boats and houses. But, it could be worse. Take Malcolm Byrd’s story for instance: it’s the stuff Coen brothers’ movies are made of.

It starts with a guy in Wisconsin, Malcolm Byrd, reading a story in the local newspaper that details his arrest of the previous night. What the …? He goes to the police department. They explain that some guy got arrested for coke possession with intent to sell and gave his name as Malcolm Byrd.  By the time the “real” Malcolm Byrd read about the arrest, the impostor had bonded out of jail and was released.

Next, Malcolm goes to the paper. Apologies are made. A retraction is run. It was a strange, strange day for our hero, but it’s all been cleared up, right? Of course not. If it were all cleared up, it wouldn’t be worthy of the Coen brothers. (more…)

Americans have benefited from widespread identity theft prevention education campaigns. We know better than to give out our personal and financial information over the phone. We’re getting a lot better at spotting phishing e-mails. We’re more careful about giving out our Social Security numbers.

But it’s not always strangers who commit ID theft; in 26% percent of identity theft cases, someone known to the victims — family members, neighbors or employees — commits the crime.

But how do we protect ourselves from bank employees? There have been several cases recently where bank officers used their customers’ personal and financial information to commit identity theft crimes.

Such is the case of George Clayton, a former bank vice president of commercial lending from Manheim, Pa. Clayton took out four loans totaling $712,000 using the identities of three bank customers. His crimes took place between January 2006 and June 2008. One of the customers Clayton victimized finally discovered the loan and contacted the bank. (more…)

It’s National Protect Your Identity Week, and if you haven’t done it already, this is the perfect time to enroll with Life Lock.

Last year, 8.4 million Americans became victims of identity theft. In less than four years, more that 250 million personal and financial records have been lost, stolen or exposed in data breaches. And, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center,

• Someone known by the victim perpetrates 30% of identity theft cases.
• Lost and stolen wallets are still one of the most common causes of identity theft
• 82% of the ITRC survey respondents discovered the crime through adverse action (bill collector, missing bank funds, job or credit denial, contact by law enforcement)
• Existing account ID theft costs victims an average of $550.39, and took an average of 116 hours to resolve
• New account ID theft costs victims an average of $1,865.27, and took an average of 158 hours to resolve

When you enroll with LifeLock, you’ll be covered by their comprehensive ID theft protection that makes them the service of choice for close to 1.5 million Americans. Their service includes:

• Fraud alerts
• Credit reports
• Reduction in pre-approved credit card offers and junk mail
• Removing your name from phone solicitors’ lists
• LifeLock exclusives WalletLock™, TrueAddress™ and eRecon™
• $1 million total service guarantee

Don’t wait another day. Visit LifeLock.com to learn more about these Life Lock services, and start protecting your identity today. For the very best value use the LifeLock discount code Defense.