What Have YOU Done to Prevent Identity Theft?

I know you've seen the commercial with LifeLock CEO Todd Davis giving out his real Social Security Number as proof that his company can help stop identity theft before it occurs. In the past year I've been placed at risk by breaches at former employers, two credit card companies and my financial institution. They were results of computer tapes being stolen or misplaced, and two laptops that got stolen that contained personal information on them. As a result the responsible companies signed me up for credit protection programs, and in addition I placed a fraud alert on the accounts at risk and requested new account numbers just to be safe.

Now that the credit protection programs which I had been enrolled in are about to expire, I thought it might be a good idea to sign up with LifeLock. I figure that they're new enough that they are likely to perform better than a company who may have become complacent about providing customer service. Plus with their $1 Million Dollar Guarantee, it was hard to find a competitive offer. The program isn't very expensive and it gives peace of mind that if any of my information does get into the wrong hands, they'll be stopped dead in their tracks if someone tries to use it.

LifeLock does what they say they will. Within a week of signing up, I received notification from the credit bureaus that a credit alert had been placed on my accounts and that a copy of my credit reports had been ordered. They also stated a request was made to remove me from mass marketing campaigns, so it will be interesting to see if there truly is a reduction in my junk mail. (Too bad they can't reduce the amount of email spam I receive too!)

Click here to Join or learn more about LifeLock.

Car Alarms vs. Vehicle Recovery Services

Should you buy a car alarm or rely upon Vehicle Recovery Services such as LoJack and OnStar? The answer is: It depends upon what you want to protect -- the vehicle contents or the vehicle itself.

If you want to protect your vehicle from vandals and petty thieves who are after the vehicle contents, then yes a car alarm serves as a great deterrent because in most instances, the alarm, flashing lights and the possibility that it may attract unwanted attention is likely to scare away the petty thief scumbags before they can do too much damage or get away with your car stereo.

However, an alarm system is not going to be much good for smash-and-grab type crimes where a thief may break a window to quickly snag that ipod or gps that you carelessly left in plain sight for him to steal. (leaving items like that in plain sight is like putting a sign in your windows that says, "The owner is an idiot - Please Steal me!") The blaring alarm in this instance will typically only serve as an alert to you (and your annoyed neighbors) that you have just gotten ripped off.

On the other hand, if you are more concerned about protecting the entire vehicle and want it back if it's ever stolen, then Vehicle Recovery Services such as LoJack and the recovery services of OnStar (found in GM and Some Acura vehicles) can be your best bet. There is a very high recovery rate of vehicles equipped with such systems and if your vehicle is worth a lot or means a lot to you, then the added investment of a recovery system would be money well spent.


See related article: OnStar going silent on millions of vehicles

All Security Companies Not Created Equal

You've seen the ads... the husband and wife are asleep at home when an intruder attempts to break in, triggering the alarm system as he flees into the night -- then the phone rings... "This is John with XYZ Company..." And so it goes. But not all monitored security companies are created equal. The major players like ADT, Brinks Home Security, ProtectAmerica, etc. all pretty much offer the same type of equipment and basic alarming services, but the real difference is in the level of customer service and support you receive.

Having been a former ADT customer, I can speak firsthand about my experience with them. Monitoring services provided by ADT seemed to be hit and miss. The first few times I accidentally triggered my system, the phone rang almost immediately afterward asking me to identify myself and provide my secret code so they would know it was really me rather than contacting authorities. One time I had an equipment failure, which resulted in an amusing false alarm. The keypad had stopped working in the master bedroom, so I called ADT to have it repaired. Not only did I get a bill for the repair, but the technician failed to call the monitoring center before removing the defective keypad. He simply removed the old one, replaced it and left.

As soon as the repair tech left, we had errands to run and also left the premises. We returned a couple hours later and my neighbor informed me that the police had stopped by due to a panic alarm being triggered. My neighbor fortunately let the police know that he has seen an alarm company truck there just shortly before they arrived and the officer noted it as a non-incident. Upon calling ADT, they had no record of an alarm at my residence being reported to police, and fortunately the police department said there would be no charge for a false alarm either. In addition, ADT failed to contact me at my secondary number. They just tried to contact the home, but did not bother to call my cell phone which was also on file.

Apparently the technician failed to alert the monitoring center of his repair, and the defective keypad sent a silent panic alarm to ADT, who dispatched police but failed to log it. Had they been made aware of the repair, they would have ignored the panic alarm. In other separate incidents, I deliberately triggered the alarm waiting the mandatory one minute or so before disarming the system. ADT never called to challenge or confirm whether it was a legitimate alarm or not. It was around that time that I switched my monitoring to the less-expensive and more reliable services of NextAlarm. I've not had a single complaint about their service and I've been very happy with their service and prices.

So before you sign a long term contract with one of the big boys, consider getting a shorter term contract so that you can switch your monitoring over and have better piece of mind at a more affordable price.

The Ultimate Home Security System?

When my alarm system was installed, I initially wanted ALL the bells and whistles until I learned how much each bell and whistle was going to cost me. So I opted for a solid system with the most useful features figuring that I would add components and upgrade later. I opted to have two keypads installed.. one in the entry near the garage where we commonly enter the house, and another in the master bedroom. They installed door sensors on every exterior door and motion detectors and windows sensors on the ground floors. A motion detector upstairs along with smoke/heat sensors on each level were also installed.

I plan to add additional siren upstairs and in the basement to ensure neighbors can hear the racket when we're away, along with an outdoor strobelight visible to neighbors/police and fire personnel to help them find the home more quickly. I also want to add additional security floodlights outside and integrate it all with a video surveillance system so I can see what's going on all around the perimeter of my home.

I've added multiple "how-to" links in the sidebar that will allows others to add additional features to their own security systems, or if you don't have one, there's articles on how you can install a system yourself if you don't want to have a system professionally installed or monitored.

Home Security: Who's monitoring your system?

I moved into my neighborhood eight years ago. Prior to moving in, my neighbors came by to introduce themselves and kindly informed me that there had been a handful of break-ins in the area. Because it was a new-construction subdivision thieves were taking advantage of new home owners and breaking in. So before moving day, I dutifly scheduled an alarm company to come in and install a burglary/fire system. The system was installed for free -- but of course there was a catch -- I had to sign a monitoring agreement for two years. No problem I thought...that's not such a bad deal. Then I did the math. Full Service Alarm Monitoring through ADT was costing just over $30/mo which added up to $360/year. So over two years, that "free" system actually cost me $720!

Then I came across a better solution. As soon as my contract with ADT expired, I cancelled service with them and signed up with a third party Alarm Monitoring and Security company called NextAlarm. They are a UL rated service, and only charge $14.95/month which is HALF of what I was paying! They also provide added features not available though ADT or other alarm monitoring companies. They are also the only broadband alarm company that I'm aware of, which allows monitoring through the use of your home internet connection without the need for a dedicated phone line. This is especially useful if you subscribe to VOIP phone services such as Vonage or AT&T Callvantage. It also allows for some very unique features such as email/pager alerts, etc. to let you know when someone comes home or enters the premises.

If you don't have a security system, I recommend you contact NextAlarm and see what your options are. Yes, NextAlarm also sells Security Systems and they have a very nice wireless system that requires no special knowledge and installation appears to be geared to the Do-It-Yourselfer!

Click here to visit NextAlarm and learn more about their products and monitoring services.