In case you haven’t heard, Sony faced a major setback in April thanks to its PlayStation Network and a crafty identity thief. The thief was able to breach the security system and obtain names and email addresses of thousands of individuals who were registered for the service. According to Sony, more delicate personal information was encrypted, yet the company cannot be certain that details such as credit card information were not made available to the hacker.

So what was Sony’s solution to this major PR nightmare? It provided all users of the service with free identity theft protection from Debix. It also took the network down for over a month to check and improve security measures. If you were involved in the Sony debacle, you had until July 31 to claim your free year of ID theft protection. If you weren’t able to get that deal, you should research some of the many identity protection plans that are available at affordable prices and find the best one for you.

This incident is just one of many where consumers have their information compromised due to no fault of their own. Even if you do everything right and are hyper vigilant about keeping your personal information private, the crime of identity theft can still happen to you. It can be expensive and time consuming to have your identity rightfully restored unless you have an identity theft protection service that can help you. If a company as large as Sony can rely on such a protection plan to keep its customers safe, the odds are pretty good that it is a useful tool to have.

We offer the Debix service along with several others so that you can find the plan that suits your needs and budget the best. Some are even available at substantial discounts due to our partnerships with the companies that offer them – although you really can’t put a price on peace of mind, it never hurts to try.

A report by Javelin Research reveals that identity theft incidences are on the rise, even in recent months. Its latest data, released in February, stated that over 11.1 American adults were victimized in 2010 which is an increase of 12% from the total in 2009. This is not the first time victims have increased, but instead is somewhat representative of a trend. A trend that will hopefully start trending in the other direction sometime soon.

Unfortunately, the trend of convictions for these cases of identity theft is not so good, at least according to the U.S. Justice Department. An audit published by the Office of the Inspector General states that only 138 of 239 suspected identity thieves were convicted in 2009, a total of about 57% — not very impressive. The report on the audit also says that representatives of the Department often cite the fact that they don’t have sufficient guidance from DOJ leadership. This can no doubt hinder the prosecution and conviction process.

What this means is that you can’t rely on law enforcement alone to keep your personal information safe. While you should certainly report any instance of identity theft or fraud to the local authorities, you have to put some of the burden of safeguarding your information on yourself – or perhaps more helpfully, on the shoulders of an identity theft protection plan.

A protection plan is a good way to go for a lot of reasons. Three of the top ones are the following:
*It can help prevent you from becoming a victim by keeping a close watch on your credit.
*You may have more recourse, in the form of insurance, for time and money lost if you are victimized.
*You can have another organization in your corner, besides your creditor and law enforcement.

Using an identity theft protection service may even help law enforcement with their process of obtaining a conviction because of this extra assistance. Don’t take this as a guarantee that it will happen, but every little bit of extra information helps, and Debix for one has shown examples of how they have been successful in aiding law enforcement.

When purchasing a plan, don’t only think about protecting yourself from identity theft. Think of your family as well. A number as large as 11.1 victims means that if identity theft doesn’t happen to you it will likely happen to someone that you know and care about. Family plans are available, so you can easily safeguard the accounts of yourself, your spouse and your children all for one price. The peace of mind is worth every cent in our opinion.

The Debix Identity Protection Network, gave Javelin data on 500 children who were enrolled in their service from July 18, 2008 through September 12, 2008 to research and analyze for their child identity theft study. The study found that 5% of children, aged 17 and under, had a credit report with their Social Security number. Children should not have credit reports. At 1 in 20 that is one child in every classroom in the United States that has their credit messed up in some way. Statistically, 3.8 million children may already be affected by identity theft. Other highlights of the study are:

• Among the 5%, the average amount of debt was $12,779.
• 12% of those with credit problems were aged 5 and under.
• 25% of these victims had bills or lines of credit in collections or foreclosure. 66% of these children had fake or wrong names listed under their SSN.
• 42% of those children with erroneous credit reports only had credit files at one credit bureau, meaning their fraud could have gone unnoticed without checking all three bureaus.

Debix has also released the story of some of these children, with the parents permission of course, and they are very interesting. Gregg White enrolled his 17 year old daughter along with himself and found she owed $325,000 and that her Social Security number was in use by a criminal for 25 years. That’s right 25 years, it was being used for 8 years before she was born. Another child had seven identities under his SSN. One fourteen year old had a credit history spanning 10 years and included credit cards and a foreclosed mortgage. These point to an important issue regarding child identity theft, that the crime can often go undetected resulting in larger losses and a far more difficult time restoring your credit and identity.

Debix helped all these victims restore their identity but many young adults are left to fend for themselves unaware that they were saddled with debt and fraudulent credit activity until they are turned down for their first job or refused their first credit application or student loan.

So what can you do to protect your child from identity theft?

First, you have to realize that they are just as vulnerable as you so you have to be vigilant in your protection of their personally identifying information. Just a few weeks back a former PTA president in California was convicted of identity theft and sentenced to three years in prison. Her victims, 57 people, included her neighbors, her dead mother and a 6 year old girl. Trust no one, not even family. Question those who require your child’s SSN. Do they really need it? How do they protect it? Talk to your child about keeping their personal information private especially online. Shred any identifying information.

Second, write to the credit bureaus using certified mail to see if your child has a credit report or if there are any public records using your child’s SSN. If your child has a credit report you know their is a problem and will unfortunately spend many hours researching, filing paperwork, and making phone calls to restore your child’s identity.

Third, your families private information at home, both physical and electronic, should be locked up. This means password protecting your computer and using a safe or locking file cabinet. Child identity theft is often committed by someone known to the victim.

The other option, and a much better one in our opinion, is to use an identity theft protection service such as Debix to protect their identities. Debix will monitor your child’s SSN to make sure it isn’t used fraudulently. They routinely search thousands of available public databases, including all three national credit bureaus, criminal and bankruptcy records, utility service records and others, to determine if someone is using your child’s SSN. They will also include identity theft insurance and restoration services in the event they do become a victim. With Debix you can even sign up your child even though you are not enrolled. Debix costs $24 per year per adult and $20 per year per child. Get the peace of mind you deserve, protect yourself and your children today.

Debix has added an incredibly valuable offer to the identity protection market. Previously Debix concentrated on selling to corporate clients and consumers could sign up with LoudSiren, their partner in the identity protection network. In an exchange of roles, LoudSiren will now market only to businesses. Consumers can now sign up direct at Debix.com. To kick off the change in roles Debix announced, in a surprising if not shocking move, that they were lowering their price to only $24 per year. Though their is no guarantee that the large discount will always remain, there are no signs that this is a limited time Debix promotion. Family plans are also available at a discounted rate.

For those still unfamiliar with Debix, they are the company that signed residents of the States of Ohio and Connecticut, as well as the City of Nashville, after they experienced large data breaches. Currently, Debix protects government agencies in 35 states.

Debix is also known for their unique fraud alert system that protects your phone number and provides an audit trail. Instead of placing your phone number in your credit file, Debix places their phone number. When a potential creditor calls, Debix routes the call to any three phone numbers of your choice. You can then either approve the transaction or connect to a Debix Identity Response Specialist, a licensed investigator, who will contact and involve the appropriate authorities. In one case reported on their website, Debix protected one of their customers from an illegal $30,000 equity loan. Nothing special there but there On Call Investigator was able to learn how the customer breach occurred and realized this customers business associate could also be at risk. They notified the associate and sure enough he was about to get dinged for $30,000 as well. The appropriate bank was notified and the transaction stopped. This is a unique selling proposition for Debix as they are the only identity protection network offering this service.

Click here to see a video on how an On Call Investigator helped protect one Debix customer.

The other claim to fame for Debix is that they are the only identity protection company that can prove they prevent identity fraud. Recently they stated they have stopped over 1400 cases of identity theft worth a total of $9,310,000 in the last 10 months. Their unique system allows them to track how many identity fraud attempts they have stopped.

Like their competitors Debix places and renews your fraud alerts every 90 days, stops pre-approved credit offers, significantly reduces junk mail, and provides you with a 3 bureau credit report. They also provide $25,000 worth of identity theft insurance.

In our opinion, this is a very strong company and offer. In fact, we find the price unbelievably low. Debix can make this offer due to the economies of scale brought forth by their innovative fraud alert technology. Please read our Debix review for an unbiased, in-depth review of Debix or take the initiative to protect your identity now at Debix.com

Editors Note:Debix has simplified their pricing plan. Debix identity protection is now available at a price of $24 per year per adult and $20 per year per child. This removes the confusing multi family plans they previously offered.

The LoudSiren Debix Identity Protection Network has added another beneficial feature to their offering and it is one we are very happy about. As an addition to their leading edge and patent pending fraud alert technology system Debix has implemented an Incident Response Specialist to act immediately upon the notice of a fraudulent credit application as a coordinator between you the lending institution and law enforcement. This is how the LoudSiren Debix system works.

1. You enroll in their services and pay them $99/year or $89 by using our LoudSiren discount.

2. You give a quick recording of your voice, give up to three phone numbers you can be contacted at and choose a personal identification number (PIN) as you would for a bank card. (explained later)

3. LoudSiren Debix will set your fraud alerts at all three credit bureaus and place their phone number (explained later), not yours, in your credit file. LoudSiren ensures that the fraud alert is set correctly and in the event it is not, or a lending institution fails to follow their legal requirement to call you or verify your identity, you are protected by their $25,000 insurance policy and 1 million dollar guarantee. Please note: A study by Debix in August 2006 showed that 40% of fraud alerts placed by consumers on their own were not set properly at all three bureaus.

4. LoudSiren will remove you from pre-approved credit offers, junk mail and unwanted telemarketing lists in addition to your yearly 3 bureau credit report. Note: Removal from the National Do Not Call List is optional.

5. You apply for credit so the loan officer or car salesman pulls your credit file from one of the bureaus and notices it has been flagged with a fraud alert requiring him to verify the identity of the person he is dealing with by calling the phone number in your credit file. This will be the LoudSiren Debix Safe phone number that they placed in your file on your behalf. When the loan officer calls that number it will automatically ring all three of your phone numbers (usually home, work and cell phone). You answer and will hear your own voice recording so you know this is a legitimate call. You will then hear the requested credit application and you simply enter your PIN and approve the transaction.

6. An identity thief applies for credit and as above you get a call and hear your voice but this time, since you know it is a credit fraud attempt, you simply hit the star button to decline the credit request and you are immediately connected to an Incident Response Specialist in Austin, Texas from Debix. They will investigate the attack instantly and will work with the lender in addition to engaging law enforcement when appropriate. Note: We absolutely love this feature as it can put the predator who was attempting to use your private information right where he belongs. Behind bars.

Without a doubt this is the best fraud alert system available giving the LoudSiren Debix team many advantages over other identity theft protection companies. These advantages are:

• They keep your cell phone number out of the hands of the credit bureaus and all creditors by giving them the LoudSiren Debix Safe phone number. Since you will recognize the Safe Number it also ensures you don’t miss a call from a creditor phone number you don’t recognize.
• Since you will hear your pre-recorded voice you will know if any call asking you to provide authorization for credit is legitimate and not a phone scam.
• The LoudSiren Debix system has an extra level of security due to a PIN that must be entered to approve credit.
• All calls to the LoudSiren Safenumber are automatically forwarded to three phone numbers and if you don’t answer you are informed by voice mail and email of a pending request. This not only gives you instant credit when you want it but also avoids any phone tag between you and a creditor.
• There is an audit trail of all calls placed to you which can prove very useful in a dispute resolution.
• In an identity theft attempt an incident response specialist is there with you from the beginning when you need them most. They will contact the lender ensuring that they know the application is fraudulent and find out if the identity thief is present. They will involve the appropriate law enforcement agency depending on the location of the attempted fraud and the nature of the case.

We love the addition of an incident response specialist and believe it will not only catch criminals red handed but more importantly will deter them from committing the crime in the first place as the risk of getting caught increases dramatically.

Fraud alerts are the single best weapon we have against identity theft and the system employed by the Loudsiren Debix team is the best fraud alert system on the market. It may not be for everyone as some people prefer to receive a phone call directly from the lender but we believe the advantages of their system is significant. When you combine this with a stellar reputation in the identity theft protection industry and add $25,000 worth of insurance and a $1,000,000 guarantee you know you have a winner. This is why states and cities who have experienced large data breaches hired Debix to protect the identity of their affected residents and this is why we gave the Loudsiren Debix team our highest rating. If you are worried at all about identity theft, and we believe every American should be, then we suggest you put your mind at ease by protecting your reputation, good name, hard earned money and future credit opportunities. Enroll in the LoudSiren Identity Protection Network today and help take a bite out of this devastating crime.

Nashville Mayor Karl Dean announced today that all 337,000 registered voters whose personal information was compromised will get free identity theft protection through Debix. The move is in response to a large outcry from concerned and frustrated residents. The compromise occurred when two laptops were stolen from the Davidson County Election Commission in a burglary that occurred over the Christmas Holiday season. The stolen laptops were not encrypted though they did have password protection.

“My goal is to not only protect the voters whose Social Security numbers have been put at risk, but also to protect the integrity of the election process. We’re going into an extremely important election season and I want all citizens to feel 100 percent confident that they can and should participate in this process without worrying about their personal information being compromised,” Dean said.

The City signed a contract with Debix giving voters free identity protection for the first year and a significantly reduced rate the second year.

“We are honored to extend the Identity Protection Network to the voters of Nashville,” Bo Holland, CEO of Debix, said. “In the past six months, we protected similarly affected citizens on behalf of the state of Ohio and the state of Connecticut and are well prepared for the mission at hand.”

Debix will place fraud alerts with all three credit bureaus and automatically renew them. Using state of the art, patent pending technology, Debix’s automation system receives phone calls from creditors and forwards this call to three customer phone numbers. Customers then hear a recording of their own voice and can approve or disapprove the transaction by use of a personal identification number. This technology even prevents an identity thief who has your cell phone from taking advantage of your credit. Identity Theft insurance is also provided.

Debix has been the most requested provider of Identity Protection by companies, states, and cities who have experienced a data breach. Debix in partnership with LoudSiren, has also made great headway in to the business to consumer market trailing only the market leader Lifelock.

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For months we have been hearing about LifeLock’s $1 Million guarantee. Recently, Debix and LoudSiren have stepped up to address this for all of their customers. The new updates are impressive, clearly meant to match and then exceed the LifeLock offering.

The LoudSiren (Powered by Debix) plan now offers the following protections should you ever have a identity theft issue:

1. A $25,000 AIG Personal Internet & Identity Coverage policy.
2. Additional $1 Million dollar guarantee.

All the details are available at LoudSiren.com.

This is another case where LifeLock’s commitment to high end consumer direct marketing has resulted in better programs for consumers. Regardless of which program you choose these guarantees and insurance plans should more than cover you in the remote possibility that you become a victim of identity theft while enrolled in one of these identity protection plans.

It will be interesting to see if LifeLock will add an insurance program to their current guarantee.

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Brad Stone, in an article just published in the International Herald Tribune indicates some very key investors have picked Debix as their “top dog” in the Identity Theft space. Mr. Stone even tells the story of one investor Gideon Yu (former CFO of YouTube) who personally experienced Identity Theft…and is now backing Debix.

So as consumers, we ask why Debix?

The short answer seems to be a technology. (though we did not verify this directly with Mr. Yu)

Debix offers some leading edge technology that is often overlooked, or perhaps washed out by the high profile marketing by LifeLock. Even the newest addition TrustedID, lines up behind Debix from a technology perspective.

Let’s strip away the marketing for a minute and look at the technology again, and why you should care:

All three companies set your Fraud Alerts at the major credit agencies, TrustedID will even set a Freeze if you want to totally lock things up. All three will insure that the Alerts are reset every 90 days as required.

The difference starts right here –

LifeLock and TrustedID install your phone number into the appropriate places and then presumably check to be sure the Alerts are set – this is great and provides ok ID Theft coverage. If someone tries to open a line of credit in your name, the financial institutions are expected to call your number to confirm. If you have changed your number, or a thief actually has your phone at the time of the credit application, this system can fail – granted, LifeLock’s $1 Million guarantee will be more than enough to cover you, but the fact is, your identity can still be compromised.

Debix takes this to a whole new level – Debix LoudSiren actually places a special phone number in your credit file that rings into the Debix technology, the Debix system then instantly and automatically calls the first number on the contact list you provided at registration, if there is no answer it tries a second, and a third number to reach you. But that’s not all, once the Debix system reaches you, it plays a prerecorded message in your own voice! AND asks you to enter a PIN! Do you see the key differences here?

• Your personal phone numbers are not exposed in your credit file.
• Debix will try up to three different numbers to contact you.
• You will know it’s a valid call from Debix, because it’s your voice.
• Finally, you need to enter your PIN, so even the crook with your cell phone is out of luck.

This is 2-3 layered protection, and it’s also technology with a high “cool factor” with a variety of potential uses.

Kind of a long winded post – but we really want our readers to appreciate the differences, and understand them clearly before selecting an Identity Protection Program.

Oh – and forget the prices mentioned in the article – we have arranged discounts that will get you a year of either Debix (LoudSiren) or LifeLock at well under $100!

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Almost on queue, Debix and Affinion today announced a working partnership sure to enhance the Debix position as a leader in the Identity theft Protection marketplace.

Here’s the quote from the press release which led to our title (emphasis added):

“Given the trust our clients place in us to service their brands and customers, we work with only the very best,” said Tom Rusin, president and chief executive officer of Affinion Group North America.

The things Affinion highlights in the press are the same proactive ID protection features IdentityTheftLabs.com has been pointing out to readers for months:

• Banks and other lenders are requested to check the consumer’s authorization through Debix before opening new credit accounts.
• Debix system uses a list of consumer provided mobile, home or office phone numbers to make immediate contact with you.
• Thieves are thwarted before a new account can be opened in your name. No phone number, no PIN, no new account!
• Your personal phone numbers are kept private from creditors, (a Debix feature not available from LifeLock).

Many of our readers ask, “Is Identity Theft Protection worth it, and does it actually work?”. And finally, the CEO of Debix has stepped up to the plate with real numbers in this final quote from the article:

“Every month, the Debix network stops over 70 identity thieves and authorizes over 10,000 new credit accounts safely,” said Bo Holland, chief executive officer of Debix.

The article is long one you can read it here. The bottom line is that Identity Theft is a real risk that can be largely avoided with the Debix technology, which we offer at a nice discount through our LoudSiren/Debix relationship.

By the way, don’t let the fancy new terms fool you, references to the new Debix term “Instant Authorization”, is same service we offer to our readers at a discount every day. However, we are glad to see Debix calling attention to the feature – it’s our favorite!

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We are encouraged by the feedback so far on the new LoudSiren / Debix roll out. Several readers that have experience with both LifeLock and the Debix system have mentioned the easy sign up process offered by LoudSiren. We have long favored the Debix based technology, but we welcome the simplification LoudSiren has put into process.

With basic personal information on hand you can now be completely setup on the LoudSiren identity protection system in a few minutes.

This streamlined system may also make it easier for gift giving. As it stands now, it’s a challenge to buy LifeLock or LoudSiren for family and friends without divulging personal information. We are in contact with both companies in an effort to make gifting smooth and confidential for both parties.

While “Fraud Alert Management” (as LoudSiren likes to call it) may not be a sexy gift, it is very practical. And you can bet the free credit reports and junk mail reduction features will be appreciated!

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