This post about identity theft has been sponsored by LifeLock and Find Your Influence but all opinions expressed are my own. #LifeLockProtect
I like to think that I am very careful with my personal information. I work in the medical field so I know all about the importance of protecting personal information! I shred important documents, shop only on secure websites, and cut up old credit cards into miniscule little pieces. However, sometimes identity theft is completely out of our control. When a business disposes of our private information in an incorrect way, unscrupulous people can swoop in to steal it! Every time you give your personal information to a business, you are risking identity theft!
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I remember the day I learned that my identity had been stolen due to mishandling of personal information by a business. I used to live in Houston, Texas but had been living in Georgia for over three years when I received a mysterious phone call. Apparently, someone had opened a bank account in Texas with MY personal information and bounced a $300 check at a Houston Walmart! I was shocked! I had not lived in Houston for 3 years…how could there be a bank account with my name on it there?
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In my case, a past employer, bank, or the DMV had neglected to dispose of my information correctly. Most businesses hold a person’s private information for a minimum of three years after an account is closed before disposing of it. My name, address, and driver’s license number were fraudulently used to open a new bank account. In this case, no matter how careful *I* was to protect my information from identity theft, I was still susceptible to criminals!
Thankfully, none of my actual money was involved in this scam but that doesn’t mean I could just ignore it! This type of identity theft can destroy a person’s credit rating and had to be dealt with. I had to file a police report, which included filling out a TON of paperwork. And since the crime happened in Texas and *I* lived in Georgia, I ended up shipping stacks of paperwork back and forth to the Houston police department. Identity theft is definitely a huge hassle that I hope I never have to deal with again!
LifeLock’s monitoring services protect your credit and personal information from identity theft and fraud, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. They offer a wide range of identity theft protection and credit monitoring that encompasses old school and high tech methods. They offer several different protection levels, based on your personal needs and budget. If you are looking for peace of mind and assurance that your identity is protected, LifeLock is a good choice!
If you would like to learn more about identity protection, head over to the LifeLock Site. You can get 10% off with promo code LifeLockSecure.
Diane is a professional blogger and nationally certified pharmacy technician at Good Pill Pharmacy. She earned her BS in Microbiology at the University of New Hampshire and has worked in cancer research, academics, and biotechnology. Concern over the growing incidence of human disease and the birth of her children led her to begin living a more natural life. She quickly realized that the information she was learning along the way could be beneficial to many others and started blogging and freelance writing to share this knowledge with others. Learn more about her HERE.
This happened to my mom! I’m going to tell her about Lifelock!
Being on the computer, cell phone, tablet etc constantly, I am very worried that identity theft could find me! Lifelock sound like a solution we all should be exploring
So scary!! I lost my wallet last year and I was a wreck, wondering who had my information and what they were doing with it. I still worry!!
in today’s high tech world, just walking passed someone on the street can be dangerous!
We’ve had “minor” instances of people trying to use our checking account information – which is a pain enough! Having to go to the bank to get a new account number, get all new cards and checks, and notifying businesses who autodraft or deposit is a pain! But nothing compared to my friend whose entire identity was stolen. She dealt with that headache for years, literally!
that is horrible! We have had our credit card number stolen a few times too and it is a HUGE pain!