LifeLock

As the most well known provider of identity theft protection plans in the United States, Lifelock continues to grow in size and scope. Just this week, Lifelock acquired ID Analytics, an organization based in San Diego that developed a product which can help detect credit fraud using a computer-based model. This model uses patterns to predict consumer behavior based on how fraud has occurred in the past, making it helpful in future crime prevention. Currently, ID Analytics serves mostly businesses, helping them police credit card purchases and applications. ID Analytics was founded in 2002 and has since raised $35.2 million in capital. Together, the two businesses had combined revenues of $200 million in 2011.

While Lifelock is taking on the company as a fully owned subsidiary, ID Analytics will continue to operate independently. Bruce Hansen will continue his tenure as ID Analytics’ CEO, but LifeLock’s CEO will ultimately be responsible for company direction and decision making. You can quickly see how the business applications of ID Analytics’ service can be transferred to the consumer market. As part of its service package, LifeLock promises to protect its users against unauthorized use of their credit accounts. Using the capabilities of ID Analytics can help make the process quicker and more efficient – and it can make it easier for LifeLock members to be notified in time to prevent thieves from opening accounts in their names.

Exact details of the acquisition deal were not disclosed, but it was revealed that LifeLock raised over $100 million in preferred equity and took on $70 million in senior secured debt to ensure that everything went smoothly. Key investors included Goldman, Sachs & Company; River Street Management; Symantec Corporation and several others. According to Todd Davis, CEO of LifeLock, who gained notoriety after publishing his Social Security number in an extensive advertising campaign, “ This acquisition will further strengthen [us] … By combining ID Analytics’ enterprise solutions and proprietary data capabilities with LifeLock’s brand leadership and consumer expertise, we see a company poised for significant long-term growth.”

None of this information would be news, nor would it be happening, if identity theft wasn’t still a significant threat to consumers in the United States. New statistics released in 2011 by Javelin Research put the number of American victims at 8.1 million. While it is lower than the peak numbers of between 10 and 11 million seen in previous years, the odds are quite high that you or someone in your family will be victimized.

While LifeLock is certainly not your only option when it comes to identity theft protection, it is the most comprehensive and hence one of the most sought after and trusted packages. Explore this site to find out the latest information on products and services offered and to see current pricing.

There is no doubt that identity theft protection services are growing in popularity, and for one major reason – they work. LifeLock, one of the industry leaders, made the Lead411 list of the 200 companies that had the largest percentage of revenue growth from 2008 to 2010. This is the second time LifeLock has been recognized by Lead411 as one of the fastest growing tech companies.

According to Todd Davis, the CEO of Lifelock, the growth can be attributed to not be afraid to change. “We consistently challenge ourselves to deliver more than what seems possible,” he said.

To be more specific, Lifelock has seen growth of 78% in the two year period Lead411 was measuring. Not only that, but it earned over a million dollars last year and was actually in the top ten in revenue of all of the companies considered for the award. In fact, companies had to make over a million dollars even to be considered in the running.

While Lifelock is definitely the most popular and comprehensive identity theft protection service out there, it is only one of many. There are dozens that you can choose from, including many featured on this site. A lot of them are often adding new services to their packages, so if you didn’t find one that suited your life before, now is a good time to check back and see if changes have been made to make one the perfect fit for you.

Why do so many people take advantage of identity theft protection? Simple. They don’t want to be part of the millions of Americans that are victims of identity theft each year. With a proper plan, they can be notified if someone unauthorized is using their personal information, have their credit monitored regularly, get legal help if they are victimized and more. Not a bad deal for about the cost of a daily coffee – or less.

Save 10% every year, regardless of the plan you choose, with our LifeLock promotion.

Those of you visiting LifeLock.com or seeing a recent television commercial recently may have noticed LifeLock’s new marketing campaign featuring LockMan. LockMan appears strong, secure and ready to protect your identity and though he certainly won’t have the popularity of Ronald McDonald he has re-invigorated LifeLocks marketing which had grown stale with the FTC ordered banishment of their old marketing campaign featuring CEO Todd Davis.

LifeLock, the industry leader in identity theft protection, has also refreshed their website and launched several other programs namely LifeLock Command Center and LifeLock Credit Score Manager. Command Center has been out for quite sometime and includes all benefits of LifeLocks regular service with the addition of enhanced credit protection and protection from other types of identity theft. See our in-depth review for further details.

LifeLock Credit Score Manager launched fairly recently and is an add-on to either the regular LifeLock service or Command Center for $148.50 per year. It includes:
* Daily Tri-Bureau Credit Monitoring
* Monthly Credit Score Updates
* Annual Tri-Bureau Credit Reports
* Annual Tri-Bureau Credit Scores
* 24/7 Credit Dispute Assistance

A new logo and icon, redesigned website, new commercials, new services and products. LifeLock certainly hasn’t stood still, in fact, they continue to innovate and create…. doing all they can to reach new customers and protect them from America’s fastest growing crime, identity theft. I guess that’s what market leaders do and with millions of customers LifeLock certainly is the market leader for identity theft protection. Kudos to them.

October is National Crime Prevention month. As part of the month’s events, LifeLock is partnering with the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association to share information on identity theft prevention. Together, they are holding summits meant to benefit law enforcement. The goal is to educate them on the newest techniques identity thieves are using and how to adequately fight the crime.

In addition, to benefit consumers, the organization will be holding educational seminars that anyone can attend for free. These seminars are known as the LifeLock Speaker Series. Attendees of the series will learn more about how identity theft occurs and what they can do to avoid becoming a statistic. In addition to the information included in the seminars, Lifelock offered the following information in a recent press release:

*If you get an “official” call requesting personal information, cross check the number on your caller ID. Sometimes thieves can spoof the number, making a call appear to be from an institution it’s not really from. Instead of blindly giving out your personal details, make sure the number is the official one for that institution.

*Do a check of your rental history. This is one way to find out if a thief has taken out a lease in your name. You should do this even if you currently own your home. You never know if a thief could still be taking advantage of your good credit to secure a property.

*Get in touch with a company like Intelliscript to help determine if a thief is requesting prescription drugs in your name. A lot of people don’t find out until they get a notice from the insurance company. This company will let you see your entire prescription history.

*Be wary of debt collectors who still contact you after you tell them to stop. Since real debt collectors are legally obligated to cease contact in most cases, it’s likely the person that continues to hound you is an identity thief. If not, you should still report the person because he or she is breaking the law.

If you see any of these Lifelock Speaker Series advertised in your area I would highly recommend attending. Actually, it would be good to attend any seminar on identity theft… not only to learn how rampant and devastating it is but more importantly what you can do to keep yourself and your loved ones protected.

Don’t forget to encourage your law enforcement friends sign up for the joint FBI and LifeLock training as well. Without the assistance of knowledgeable peace officers the crime is going to continue its upright projection. I am sure everyone agrees that 10 million American identity theft victims per year and the cost of $50 Billion to the economy is enough. Education and action is what we need right now, so lets encourage everyone to contribute.

LifeLock, one of the largest and most well known providers of identity theft protection in the United States, recently received recognition from Arizona Business Magazine. The company was given the Most Admired Companies Award, or MAC Award. As the recipient of this honor, LifeLock was recognized at a reception on September 14 at the Ritz Carlton in Phoenix and featured in a special report in the magazine during the same month, along with other winners.

The magazine gives the MAC award to companies who display excellence in corporate citizenship, judging them based on three major criteria: workplace culture, leadership and social responsibility and customer opinion.

According to Cheryl Green, vice president of marketing for Arizona Business Magazine, “These companies truly exemplify what it means to be a good corporate citizen. MAC winners consistently show strong leadership, a commitment to the communities in which they operate and concern for their employees and customers.”

The first criterion is based on a vote by the company’s employees, the second is related to the community and environment and the third is based on polling of customers. This is the one that should matter most to you.

When choosing a company to purchase an identity theft protection service with, you want to make sure that it is a company that you can trust and one that is going to stick around; in other words, one that is not a fly by night operation. LifeLock is certainly not the only company that will fit the bill, but it is one that you should strongly consider, along with others.

Identity Theft Labs is a great resource for reviews on identity theft protection companies. In addition to our professional unbiased reviews we offer discounts specifically for our users. Whichever plan you go with, you can take comfort in the fact that, once you have your plan set up, you’re less likely to become one of the 10 million Americans victimized by identity theft each year. This can make you more reputable in the eyes of potential creditors and speaks more to you and your credit’s integrity than any award ever could.

Take some time to read our LifeLock review and if it fits your budget we would also advise you check out their new flagship service LifeLock Ultimate.