Should you Pay for Lifelock when you can Prevent & Monitor Identity Theft for Free? A Lifelock Review
A Lifelock Review: Is Lifelock Worth the Money?
You may know LifeLock CEO, Todd Davis’s social security number, 457-55-5462. Most people have seen it, as Lifelock has plastered it everywhere as a symbol of their identity theft protection service.
But before signing on to Lifelock, realize that there are plenty of solid ways to protect yourself from identity theft that are absolutely, 100% free and legit. In many ways these free identity protection measures go above and beyond the paid services, such as Lifelock, that are out there. Let’s take a look at what Lifelock will do for you (for $10 per month), and how you can achieve the same results for free on your own. But if you’re forgetful and lazy like me, you might find Lifelock to be exactly what you need.
Benefit Claim #1
First, we ask the credit bureaus to set free fraud alerts on your behalf. Usually, this is done through our automated systems and the alerts are set within an hour. From time to time there may be a hitch and we have to do the first one manually, usually because they have a different address on file for you. If this happens, we’ll tell you right away and do what needs to be done to get the alerts set. (In case you’re wondering, we don’t charge anything more for this and our Total Service Guarantee is still in effect from day one.)
Free Option #1:Go to any of the three credit bureaus and request this on your own. You only have to do this with one bureau and they will notify the rest. And guess what? No ‘hitches’. Here’s the link to Experian’s fraud alert.
Benefit Claim #2
Second, unless your circumstances change and you tell us not to, every 90 days or so we ask the credit bureaus to do it again. You can do this for free if you’d prefer, but we make sure it gets done and that it gets done right. That’s where the oil change analogy we were talking about kicks in.
Free Option #2: In this case, the ‘oil change’ is putting four dates on your yearly calendar to renew after 90 days.
Benefit Claim #3
Third, we request that your name be removed from pre-approved credit card and junk mail lists and we keep making the requests as they expire. Statistics show that this is one of the many ways that thieves hijack identities. Plus, all that mail is just so irritating. Many of our members tell us that this alone is worth the price. If you are a do-it-yourselfer, you can do this for free, but why not let us do it for you?
Free Option #3: Do you see the recurring theme in even their own benefits – ‘you can do this for free’? In this case, you can do this for free at optoutprescreen.com.
Benefit Claim #4
Fourth, we order your free credit reports on your behalf from the major credit bureaus and they are sent directly to you. We do this every year. You can also do this yourself for free.
Free Option #4: You can do this on your own for free at annualcreditreport.com. See my post on how to take advantage of this – ‘Smart Planning will get you 3 Free Credit Reports Per Year’.
Benefit Claim #5
Fifth, hassling with lost or stolen wallets is no longer a problem with WalletLock. If ever your wallet goes missing, just give us a call – anytime, anywhere – and a WalletLock specialist will help you contact each credit card, bank or document issuing company, cancel your affected accounts and complete the paperwork and steps necessary to replace your lost documents*, including your credit/debit cards, driver’s license, social security card, insurance cards, checkbook – even travelers checks – at no additional cost.
Free Option #5: It’s not really clear how much work the Lifelock Walletlock ‘specialist’ will do, but again, these are all things you can do on your own with a few phone calls. The disclaimer goes on to state that they don’t cover document fees, cash, or anything else.
Benefit Claim #6
Last, but certainly not least: If your Identity is stolen while you are a member of LifeLock, we’re going to do whatever it takes to recover your good name. If you need lawyers, we’re going to hire the best we can find. If you need investigators, accountants, case managers, whatever, they’re yours. If you lose money as a result of the theft, we’re going to give it back to you.
We will do whatever it takes to help you recover your good name and we will spend up to $1,000,000 to do it.
We don’t think you will see a guarantee like this anywhere else from any other company. If you do, let us know because we’d like to do business with them. There isn’t much fine print in our Guarantee. To see the details, click here.
If you have a reason to think that you will become a victim of Identity Theft, we can help you stop looking over your shoulder, because we’ve got your back.
No free alternative to this one, but the bottom line is that it may be a guarantee that they don’t back up. According to Rob Carey, a lawyer representing consumers in a class action lawsuit against Lifelock:
“The fine print in this $1 million guarantee is so limiting, we think it is almost worthless,” said Rob Carey, partner in the law firm Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro, who is representing consumers. “LifeLock buries the truth beneath a pile of inconsistencies and disclaimers so deep that we believe the intent is to mislead consumers so they don’t make claims.”
The bottom line is that Lifelock is not a scam, it’s just that you can do a lot of what they do for free. Lifelock might be worth it if you have the attitude “well, I could do this stuff for free, but I don’t want the hassle, and I’ll probably forget, so I’ll just let someone else handle it for a small price”. If you’re interested in checking out Lifelock – click here for more details.
Lifelock Discussion
- Are you willing to pay $10 to Lifelock per month for free services in order to save the time?
- Have you tried Lifelock? Was it worth it?
Related Posts:
I am G.E. Miller, & 
Another great post, G.E! The Pre-approved credit junk mail tip alone made it worth the time to read.
Hey Michael, it definitely cuts down on time wasted sifting through as well as it saves a few trees over your lifetime, I’m sure.
Save a few trees? Tree hugger!
Good post, nice site. I will definitely be back to read more.
I couldn’t agree with you more with regards to LifeLock which incidentally is being sued for misleading customers. However, identity theft cannot be prevented. What LifeLock, Transunion, Experian and the rest neglect to tell you is that financial id theft accounts for less than 30%. None of these protect against Social Security, Medical, Criminal or Motor Vehicle identity theft and none of them offer restoration which is by far the most critical and costly component for a victim.
@ Trevor – all in good conscience, my friend.
@ Duane – The fraud alert feature that you can activate does make it so if someone attempts to create a new credit account with your SS #, you must first be contacted by phone – but you are correct, there’s a lot of theft out there that you sometimes cannot prevent.
This notification service does not work. I had the Lifelock service and opened a Firestone credit card and bought a motorcycle through a credit union that I had never used before and never got alerts from them.
Now that I’m a subscriber G.E., I look forward to more postings with regards to identity theft. All the best.
I am really surprised that in the 21st century many people don’t really know what identity theft is. Rather, they get tiny clusters of information and piece it together to come up with something truly strange. Most of my 20 something friends don’t even know that they can obtain a free credit report at http://www.annualcreditreport.com or when they are denied for credit.
Great info!
We know it’s difficult to take risk, but Life lock give us more security, good services and more about related life lock. Life Lock improve quality day by day they know they are responsible for our life so they give us good quality service and every day they improve security option to protect people life.
Everyone has been told they can do what lifelock is offering for a monthly fee for themselves but the risk is doing it right. I used http://www.optoutdetectives.com because for 40.00 they gave me all the letters I needed and links to various opt out websites (even the ones lifelock charges for and more) They even have a checklist on how to do it. I no longer have a monthly payment and I’m actually protected better because I have a credit freeze. The company was designed by police officers. Think about who you call when you become a victim. I think they have some inside knowledge.
raymond- good info on opt out detectives. i used them. i actually called them and asked to talk to one of the officers. i wasn’t sure on all the terms and ways to protect your identity but found them to know their stuff and anwsered my questions. i now agree anyone can protect themselves but they just made the paper process and weblinks easier to complete without worry it was being done right.
i am one of those 20 something girls who doesnt know how to completely protect myself for free on my own because was never taught what my options were and how to find them. i think alot of people who are in their 20 somethings and take this opportunity to sign up for something such as lifelock are doing it because lifelock already claims to know how to go about it and they know the steps to take. i dont even know what i would look for if doing this by myself. now im not saying lifelock is a good idea im glad i didnt sign up for it. but now that i have not is there anyone out there who DOES know ALL the steps in doing it for themselves and how to get it done. im only 28 and i have been a victim twice and the first time i was only 9 mos old. in 1981 someone wrote a bad check to toys r us using my social security number to open a bank account and i was only born in 1981 im pretty sure i didnt write that check.
LifeLock left me in the lurch with my problem and I am now trying to fix it. The problem was LifeLock notified me that someone had opened an account with Wells Fargo using my SS#. After my having furnished them 27 pages to give them the information they required about me, as well as having to do the same with another company that would handle my problem and then having to do the same with Wells Fargo, LifeLock informed me my case was closed. Here I sit with my SS# floating around. The bank finally did inform me that someone had opened a business account with an ID# that was the same as my SS#, suggesting I notify the IRS and Social Security. Both said they would send me the forms which they haven’t done yet after several weeks. It now is my problem, not LifeLock’s or the bank’s. It has been a most frustrating experience. I am sad to learn that LifeLock did not carry this to it’s finish and I still have to fix my problem. I was first contacted by LifeLock six months ago, a long time to be dealing with this problem. I am 89 years old and need to get this taken care of. Is their service worth it?? They did inform me I had a problem and put a fraud alert with the three credit companies. The bank shares some of the blame. Why didn’t they immediately notify their customer that they had used an incorrect ID number. It would have been so simple to fix unless there is something we don’t know about this. Maybe LifeLock didn’t look deep enough.
@Amber – I just highlighted all of the steps in this post – did you read it? =)
Thanks for the post. I was just considering signing up for the annual plan with a 10% discount, but now it looks pretty useless. I’ll spread the word not to sign up.
I have to say I know more than I would like to know about the world of Identity theft. To date though the most complete work on getting the word out on the epidemic possibilities of Identity theft is the book: The Silent Crime by Michael McCoy. A must read for anyone who knows the warnings of these posts and want to take responsible possitive steps to protecting themselves from all 5 areas of Identity theft!
So, for $120 bucks a year, I can have someone do all this mundane crap for me? What is so bad about this service? There is a lot of things I can do on my own for free or for much less money… however, what is wrong with paying someone else to do it so I can persue the things I am meant to do?
I don’t get the bashing of this company?
Two points: First my time is far too valuable to let ten dollars a month keep me from having this service.
Second: In August of 08 my wallet was stolen. I made one call to LifeLock which was followed up by a return call from them to notify me they had taken care of my credit cards etc: It worked for me and I’m a statisfied customer.
Here is what I know. Several years ago my identity was stolen and I when through a year of trying to recover. It was a mess. Five years ago I purchased lifelock and have not had anymore issues. You can say they are misleading, but all I know is the impact they’ve had on me and that is my identity has been totally protected since I’ve joined them. I have nothing to gain but to tell the truth….Miles in Illinois.
I have experienced Identity Theft twice… in both cases, they were inside jobs from the credit card company. The first time was a nightmare… and more hassle than one can imagine… had to go back to every credit card I ever had, even those that we “pac-maned” up by other banks… was advised to cancel bank accounts as well as savings accounts and open new ones… Our local police were great and helped with the process… and thank God, I kept monthly statements for years past. Knowing what it takes… I am signing up for Lifelock but am still keeping my documentation. Also make sure you read your statements and follow all charges…No more surprises please!
brilliant!!! great info!!!!!
Great article, I’m going to try to do this all on my own. I was wondering though, will adding a fraud alert through Experian have any negative affect on my credit report? Does it make it seem like you fear someone has already compromised your ID? I like the idea of proactively going in and having creditors confirm your identity before extending credit in my name, but only if it doesn’t make me look risky or anything.
This post is quite old.
Lifelock can no longer put an “Initial Security Alert” on you. The 3 credit bureaus were so swamped when Lifelock did this, they banned them from doing it any longer.
Lifelock did notify us that this portion of their service had ended in the fine print of an email, but it was buried so far down in the email that I’m sure 99% of the customers were unaware.
I was (and still am) a member of lifelock when my wife’s identity was stolen. Lifelock did help clear up the mess, but had the initial security alert been in place, as it was when I first joined the service, the identity theft would not have happened.
You can do it yourself though. It has no negative affect on you credit. I’ve been doing it for the last 6 quarters.
I had my Identity stolen and Citibank was very helpful in sending me all of the required paper work to advise the three credit companies, to place a fraud alert on my credit file, and any other steps necessary to clean up the theft. But I find that I can no longer get credit. Even though I have never defaulted on credit and have always had a clean history, and i completely own my home outright, every time i apply for a credit card I’m denied. I finally was able to get at $2000 line of credit from the bank where I have a checking account (but was denied a credit increase.) I feel humiliated, frustrated, and I feel like all my years of doing things the right way was all for nothing. I’m 52 years old and feel as if I’m starting from scratch. Any advice out there?
Even with a fraud alert put on your file, you can still get credit. Contact one of the 3 companies and explain your situation. They’ll help you out. It will be extra steps involved when applying for credit it, but it’s not like you’re jumping through hoops our anything.
My house was recently broken into and in the process, mine and my 3 children’s social security cards where stolen as well as birth certificates. What can be done to protect my children from someone using there SS#s? I took the steps needed for myself, but not sure what to do for them.
I’m thinking bout really signing up for this. I want to know the negatives things about b this lifelock because as of tommorow I will be a member. Plz comment me back
I have had life lock for almost two years. I got it right after i was mugged and all my personal information was in my wallet at the time. I have had no problems with life lock and in the course of me getting mugged until now nothing has happened or been reported. I recently decided to get rid of life lock because i find that it is not worth the 15$ a month, that is my personal belief but if you want an extra piece of mind then get it, but I dont think its worth the 180$ a year when your banks and local law enforcement can help you( which they helped me before I got life lock).
Actually, LifeLock is a scam because they do not encrypt customer data on their computers nor do they use anti-virus or anti-spyware software. Therefore, by signing up for LifeLock you actually may end up becoming a victim of identity theft. Wired has some articles on Lifelock’s shady practices on their website for anyone who wants to read more.
I signed up for LifeLock about 5 months ago. I wanted to do the $10 a month basic service to see how it was, but was pushed to go for the $25 plan. Afterall, how much is the security of my identy worth? That was fine, I could have changed it, but I did agree the added protection may be worth the extra. When I signed up, their website was not accepting information, so I signed up over the telephone.(This is important to mention)
Over the next few months, I attempted to access mt LifeLock Portal using my three security words, but to no avail. I emailed the company and was always told I needed to call them. I suggested that, since the issue was on their side, they should call me. They quite simply sent several emails, but refused to call me. I know this may sound pety, but it is good customer service, and afterall, that is part of what they promote. I even emailed and told them that I was going to cancel my account. They emailed back telling me to ‘have a great day.’ I don’t know how the actual ‘service’ was, although I did take a 100 point on my credit rating that LifeLock never contected me about. Now I will need to pay for another credit service to find out what prompted the credit loss. Their service may be fine, their customer service is poor
Your credit score went down 100 points
Lifelock like so many sponsors pay to have their protect endorsed by a Rush Limbaugh…this is how he makes money. It doesn’t mean he uses it (although he sez he does)..it just a sponsor paying big bucks to advertise. Don’t blame Rush, he’s got bills to pay too…
You are so right. No company seems to be doing a good job of protecting our data these days. How many times do we see stories about someone hacking into system and getting all of our email addresses, information, etc. Last thing I want to do is to give anyone my social security number!
Thanks for the tip on optoutprescreen.com!
Excellent post and website in general. Thank you very much for your tips.
Thanks for these helpful tips. Still don’t know about Lifelock but I put several of these security protections in place. A couple of things though: I used the http://www.annualcreditreport.com website and chose the Equifax report. I don’t know if it is specific to them or not but wanted to print my report and leave the site and it wouldn’t let me. There was a choice of Yes or No as to whether I wanted to “print and run” or set up and account to review for 30 days. I kept trying to use the NO button but it wouldn’t accept it. Thinking it might be my computer I tried to move around the page to fill in the info for the 30 part and it was working fine. When I went back up to the Y/N it still wouldn’t accept the no. Then it just went off highlight and wouldn’t even let me get to that question again. That was problem number one. The second was that he site asks us to use the RETURN TO ANNUALREPORT.COM when we are done, but it wouldn’t let me do that either. It kept asking me if I was sure I wanted to return and when I used the button it indicated it just stayed on that page that wanted me to set up the account. Annoyingly, it also kept using the EXCLAMATION point on every page to indicate I had to PAY for an actual score. I had the same problem when my husband did his report with Equifax right after me. My info was correct so I didn’t feel strongly about the need for a copy but if I have to pay for my husband and I for a score each time I use this I think I would prefer the better report and presentation I get from MYFICO.com. Otherwise this was a very helpful aricle and good research.
I appreciated the article. As I read I took a moment to add the fraud alert and to opt out. My question concerns losing a driver’s license: I just realized I lost mine 3 days ago. I’m going to the DMV first thing in the morning. Other than issuing a fraud alert what else should I do to prevent identity theft from someone potentially using my license?
Hi G.E. Miller, I was ready to start all this on my own, fisrt by going to the experian site, but, when I was ready to fill the form, as usual, an insecurity thought came to my head, so I rather ask you (which it might be a stupid question, although the only stupid question is the one has never been asked), is it sage going through this sites filling all your vital information?
Thanks man, I appreciate how someone helps the needy ones.
I have a problem that I have not seen written about, yet. My 38 year-old daughter keeps opening accounts with TV, cell phones, CC
s, etc., over the phone. They only want my name, birthdate, and SS#, and they open the account. Sometimes, it takes years before I find out, at which point my only options are to either pay the bill, or put her in jail. (which I’d love to do, but…) I want to know it putting a credit alert on my SS#, and/or doing Life Lock will protect my SS# from these kinds of situations? In this day of cyber-hell/identity theft, I would think this would be a major problem with family members. Any comments
I got LifeLock because of its advertising in NRA magazines (and maybe AARP). But it is charging my credit card $18 per month for their most basic protection level! I found Bargaineering.com website because AAA is now offering ProtectMyID FREE WITH AAA MEMBERSHIP (YOU MUST ENROLL IN ProtectMyID Essential IN ORDER TO RECEIVE BENEFITS). Or PROVIDES EXTRA SURVEILLANCE THROUGHOUT YOUR DAILY LIFE FOR $6.95/MONTH (56% DISCOUNT FOR AAA MEMBERS) to monitor the other two credit bureaus. Does anyone need this? Does anyone need AAA or any other insurance? I’ve found AAA worthwhile. After the reviews on this Bargaineering and this 20SomethingFinance.com website, I’ve decided to cancel my LifeLock and get the free version of ProtectMyId, since I am gonna keep AAA. I will try OptOutDetectives.com too, after reading the comments on this website.
Looks like OptOutDetectives is defunct.
My LifeLock was $18 per month, because I had chosen option to include spouse. They didn’t give me any hassle over the phone about cancelling.
Yeah I was a little disappointed to find that most of the links on optoutdetectives.com go to dead domain names.
I also tried optoutdetectives.com and they didn’t pull up.
I love AAA and now that ProtectIDessentials is a possible add with my membership, it will add more value.
I just contacted AAA to enroll in ProtectMyID and the rep told me that it is availble if I buy the insurance otherwise I can get a discount at Lifelock. I am a AAA member.
Fantastic article! I just got a mailer from them and was considering it. This saved me many dollars. Thanks so much for all the info on it!
I think your LifeLock review needs to be updated. There are comments from 2008 to 2013. Has anyone noticed this? There is LifeLock Ultimate now that has bank account protection for savings and checking accounts (right now now one else offers this), monitors websites and file-sharing sites and you can see your 3 credit scores on-line 24/7 among other services. They claim anytime someone tries to use your personal info to say apply for a credit card, get a payday load or access your bank account you will be notified and that transaction will be stopped. I think it might be worth the high yearly price if you worry about personal ID theft. You’ll never be completely protected from ID theft but having LifeLock might stop someone from stealing hundreds if not thousands of dollars that you don’t have and couldn’t pay back. Have anyone of you guys heard of people that find out too late that someone has used their personal info to buy a hundred thousand dollar house and now they have a house in their name they didn’t know anything about it and are stuck having to pay for it. Hopefully I won’t have to deal with a headache like that ever. So I’m going to try LifeLock.
I actually just purchased LifeLock yesterday for the full $25/mo. Here’s my take on this: My aunt just had an issue with her taxes because someone got ahold of her SS#. My BF just received a bill in the mail for a credit card he did not open. My boss’ wife had her identity stolen 3 yrs ago and is STILL trying to resolve the issue. As for me – nothing has happened. Yet. But that doesn’t mean it couldn’t. I don’t have the time to check up on every account all the time. Besides that, yes you can do a lot of this yourself and you are allowed your free credit report every year. Once a year is not good enough. It needs to be monitored all the time. Every day. I don’t want to find out a year from now that someone bought a car or applied for a mortgage and left me holding the bag. IRS is slammed as it is. They’re not going to afford you the personal attention you need to resolve anything if it’s not withing their time-allotted schedule to do so. I want to be alerted the minute something happens, not 3 months later. I have a job, a house, a car, 2 retirements funds and 3 kids with prepaid college funds. I’m not going to put my family’s well being or future at risk because I didn’t want to take the necessary steps to protect my information with the resources that are readily available to me if I am able to afford them. I can guarantee you I’ve spent $25 a month on much more frivolous things, there’s no excuse for not having this in place.
Wow, gotta say this seems to be an ad against Lifelock that would push someone to another service. While it may be true some of this can be done for free no one has time to do this and there’s nothing wrong with paying $25 a month to have someone do all this for you. For those that understand, this is a make or buy decision. Do it yourself or pay someone to do it for you.
As for those who said they weren’t notified for their alerts? Maybe of you gave them correct contact info you would get alerts. I know several people who get all the alerts they are supposed to and had no problems. Funny how you did and they didn’t.
Bottomline it seems as though every company and service has those that do not like them for whatever reason so continue your campaign against them and good luck with that, let us know how it works out for you. Waste your life railing against a company who prosecutes theives and actually helps people.
When your get your identity stolen and can’t get a checking account much less a call phone or used car maybe then you will see how useful this service can be. Until then, enjoy watching your info travel the internet like a bad party pic and your financial life hit the wall and leave a splat worse than a water balloon at a junior high.
I’ve got one word, Kroll.
G.E. Miller, Great job! Very succinct and helpful. I remember seeing the first Life Lock commercial with the CEO’s SSN# on the side of the bus. That certainly grabs your attention. I then reviewed not just the claims and advertisements but the fine print as well. That’s where I was quickly turned off. I recall there being so many loop holes in what is covered and the limitations of any expense incurred by them under the Million dollar protection that is seemed to me they could do very little and legally be ok with that. I feel I’m really purchasing is insurance for repair services. Attaching so many limitations is a red flag. This in no way makes it a scam but the potential is certainly there.
Having just received a discount offer through an NRA mailing I thought I’d research it now that it’s been out awhile and ran across your article and numerous others. Seeing the lawsuits mostly revolving around my original concern I have decided to continue taking my own precautions regarding ID theft.
As you and other reviewers have pointed out, it may very well be a value if you wouldn’t otherwise do it yourself. Don’t want to make your bed or do the dishes? Hire a maid. Don’t want to mow the lawn hire out for that too. Protect my identity? Ok I’ll spare some time.