There are two crimes which really get my blood boiling:

• Crimes against children and
• Identity Theft

Child crimes are self-evident and self-explanatory. There are also numerous laws on the books to protect children, although many of them are not enforced. However the point of this section deals on the second issue I have and that is identity theft.

When it comes to protecting an individual’s identity one finds the laws extremely lacking, both in substance and enforcement. To me stealing a person’s identity is below the morality of a slime-ball. In fact slime-balls have more morality and ethics than the person who steals another’s identity.

Now I have never had my identity stolen, at least not to my knowledge. But I did have my military ID stolen and that gave me a major cause for concern (I’m retired military). The military ID has a ton of personal information on it and once a maggot (sorry, maggots have more character than identity thieves) has it in their hands the damage that can happen is unbelievable. Once I realized that my ID had been stolen I took immediate steps to protect myself. That happened in 2005 when we were on vacation. To date my identity is still intact due to the steps I took to protect myself.

So what did I do?

For starters I contacted each of my credit cards. I had them cancel the original cards and send me replacements. Now it helps to have your card numbers and their contact numbers in a separate location from your wallet or purse, but in a place you can easily get to. I keep these numbers in two places, my briefcase and at home.

Next I contacted the bank and had them cancel my old debit cards and send me new ones. I also changed all my passwords for EVERYTHING.

I lost my driver’s license and that meant a trip to the DMV (oh joy) where I was issued a new license. The DMV’s reaction when I told them, Oh don’t worry about it. Typical government response.

I also had to take care of the military side of the house, which is a whole new ballgame. Those that are military can understand what that entails, so I’m not going to bore the rest of you with the details.

After all of this I did one more thing, I searched for a business that protects one from identity theft. There are a few places out there engaged in this type of business so which one to choose became a concern for me. I wanted one that I could trust and would be there for me if I ever needed it.

I know that no identity theft business can prevent all identity theft, it’s just not possible but it is possible to slow it down. The question became which company would be best at doing that? I did a lot of research on these companies and finally settled on one, Lifelock.

Now I don’t get paid to be a Lifelock spokesman and with the exception of being a customer I have no affiliation with the company (more thoughts on this later). So, when I compared companies, I looked at who was recommending them, and how they operated. I decided that Lifelock could handle my needs.

Now it cost me over a hundred dollars a year to use this service, so it really isn’t cheap. But in 2005 when my military ID was stolen I needed a company I could trust to protect me as best they could. Hence Lifelock and I have not been disappointed. I have never had to use them and I hope I never have to, but with my lost ID floating around out there I cannot take the chance. So every year since that fateful day I renew my membership and I will for the rest of my life.

This is not right. I should never have to worry about someone stealing my identity and if Congress and law enforcement would get off their butts I wouldn’t have to. Unfortunately Congress is so busy raping us over the coals and stealing our money that identity theft for them is a non-starter and even encouraged. So I have to take responsibility and action to ensure I’m safe, in all aspects of life. (Don’t get me started on the political issues on this page, I’ll save that rant for another page.)

The point remains while several companies exist to help protect your identity it is your responsibility to ensure you are safe. The best way to do this is by constant credit monitoring. To be blunt this process is a huge pain in the posterior. It takes time, it takes discipline, and it takes persistence to constantly monitor your credit. Most of us taxpayers, who are busy making a living and not protesting for the unions, don’t have the time to really monitor our own credit the way we should. I found that it is more mind calming if I let someone who I can trust perform this action for me. So I pay them, and I pay them a lot, at least it is a lot to me.

In this economy I have to pick and choose where I will spend my money and a hundred dollars a year buys a lot of bread (I’ve been surviving on bread and water lately thanks to our beloved and respected tax system). Thus having Lifelock constantly monitor my credit is a task, and chore, I don’t have to engage in. So the hundred plus dollars a year is worth the cost, in both time and peace of mind.

Are they worth it? Does Lifelock really live up to its promises?

To be blunt I don’t know because I have never had to use them. But I have contacted their customer service for some questions I had that needed an answer. I was not disappointed. Their customer service is great and if their customer service is great then that tells me the company is great. You can ALWAYS tell the quality of a company by its customer service. ALWAYS. Are they worth it? To me yes, and as I said I hope I never have to use their service.

Do they stay in contact?

Yes. At least quarterly. They will send me an email to inform me if any suspicious activity is occurring on my account. I figure if I only hear from them once a quarter I am in great shape, knock on wood.

Now I’m not disparaging the other companies out there, my wife has a different company than I do. But she didn’t have her military ID stolen either. The company she went through is via one of her credit cards which is adequate but not impressive. Still it works for her and it’s cheap.

(And in the time since I wrote that previous paragraph I have gotten her into Lifelock. Best thing we ever did.)

You may find a company you like better than Lifelock, if you do great and best of luck to you. But I am pleased with Lifelock and have been since I joined so many years ago. I do recommend them, but the primary point of this page is simple: PROTECT YOUR IDENTITY AT ALL TIMES, because law enforcement and Congress don’t give a rat’s rear-end about you, or your identity. And your identity is the only thing that makes you, you.