Control Your Identity

What's gotten into you? your wife pleads to know!

What on earth is she talking about? you wonder. She lets you know that she doesn't appreciate you going to the ballpark while you're supposed to be at work. And she doesn't think it's too cool that you ran up a $500 bar bill at an exotic dancer joint. And what did you do with the expensive rims you apparently picked up at the tire store? They certainly aren't on her car, buddy!

Doesn't sound like you, huh? Maybe that's because it wasn't you. It was the person who rummaged through your condo complex dumpster a few weeks back. Yes, it's pretty disgusting work rifling through other people's garbage in a quest for financial records and Social Security numbers on discarded credit card bills and employment papers and old tax returns, along with years-old checking account statements. Remember that box of papers your wife told you to get out of her closet? Well, that disgusting work the dumpster diver did one late night while you and your wife slept peacefully yielded several nights on the town, box seats for he and his buddies, and new twenty-twos for his Monte Carlo. And before you get through to your credit card company he'll have paid for the new paint job, too.

Man, you feel pretty small right about now, don't you? Defending yourself with the wife and making amends will have to wait. For the next couple of hours you'll be digging for customer service numbers, and feeling vulnerable as all get out to have been ripped off this way. Well, don't feel alone; it's something that happens all the time, 1.2 million known instances of identity theft in 2008. Some estimate that millions more have taken a hit and not known it, so didn't know there was anything to report, or it was just written off as a bad charge and refunded.

Identity Theft: The New Black

Most of us have heard of identity theft, that's how common this crime has become. Hopefully you've not experienced it for yourself. But there is so much more to the story than the money that gets spent. There are hours and hours of phone calls and attempts to follow up and get your name cleared. There are false reports on credit reports that must be cleaned up, credit cards to be canceled and replaced, checking accounts to be closed, and paperwork and police calls and explanations. It's a nightmare for those who experience it. And making sure it doesn't happen is a virtual full-time job.

But you don't have to be the one doing it!

That's right! While some nefarious types are willing to go the extra mile to exploit our modern financial system and cyberspace, there are men and women working 24-7 to protect people's identities. In addition to government bodies that are investigating the developments and solutions to the problem of identity theft control, there are entrepreneurs who are just as crafty and hardworking as the culprits who commit these crimes. In addition to new laws, you can tap into the innovation of businesses that have sprung up to develop monitoring and encryption programs to help you keep control of your identity. Most come with credit monitoring services as side benefits for enlisting their identity control services. Perhaps the best of the bunch is LifeLock. They actually offer a $1,000,000 guarantee that your identity will not be broached. Despite the big guarantee, their services can be yours for a mere ten dollars a month!