Bob’s Special Tip – Do Identity Theft Protection Services Work?

Me and the guys have a tip for you. Remember that guy from Lifelock that showed his social security number on TV and dared people to steal it?  Well it was stolen 13 times.  To prevent this, watch for phishing tactics, run antimalware utilities (Malware Bytes is a good one) and shred documents.  Unfortunately you have no control over the banks you deal with.  Identity theft protection services will monitor your credit or public records for any suspicious charges for a monthly fee.  They may also help you if you identity gets stolen.  FIND OUT WHAT THEY MONITOR.  According to Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, identity theft protection services don’t monitor Social Security number fraud, debit / credit card fraud, criminal identity fraud, medical fraud or prior instances of identity theft.  WHAT THE HELL DO THEY DO?  You can do this yourself if you 1. Check your bank statement monthly, 2. Get a free annual credit card report at annualcreditreport.com and check with your local bank about their fees for monitoring.  ISN’T THAT RETARDED?  The first annual BedBug Summit is being held in Chicago  I can’t wait to go.