“Kim, Lifelock has gotten so expensive. Do I even need it?” — Matt in Texas
I’ve been hearing this a lot, Matt. I agree, LifeLock is pricey. My bill was $239.88 a year. Now, I’m paying $62.64 a year, that’s a 74% savings! More about that later.
Yes, you really need a service to protect your identity, more so than ever before. Number one, there have been so many data breaches, just assume the scammers and thieves have all your personal data.
Add to that today’s AI tools make it super easy for someone to create fake documents, clone your voice and put you talking in a video.
No red flags
Throw away your assumptions that you’d somehow “know” if someone stole your identity. No sirens go off. You don’t get a text from a hacker whispering, “Gotcha.”
In reality, identity theft often happens in total silence every five seconds.
Like the retiree in Florida who lost $14,000 when a thief opened a credit card in his name and drained his credit line before the bill even showed up.
Then there’s Susan, who got a collection call for a $36,000 car loan she never took out. A thief used her name and driver’s license to snag a new SUV.
Another woman had $18,000 in loans taken out using her name. She never got an alert. Not from her bank, not from her credit monitoring service.
The dark side
You find out only when you try to do something boring, like apply for a loan, get a job or file taxes. By then, you’re already in financial Hunger Games with your name attached to debt, crimes or worse.
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