Details on Equifax ID Patrol and Your Chance to Win a Free Trial

Recently I had the chance to interview Steve Ely, president of Equifax Personal Solutions, about their Equifax ID Patrol service (they emailed me, I asked "why would I need this?", and an interview resulted.) Our interview is below, and after it, there are details on how you can win a free trial of the service. And for those of you wondering, no, I didn't receive any sort of fee for this. I thought the information and giveaways were worth running the interview. You can be the judge if you think this is correct or not.

Why do consumers need an identity theft protection product?

Identity theft is now surpassing drug trafficking as the nation’s number one crime, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Right now, there are people who want to steal your personal information. To help themselves to the credit you’ve worked hard to build—and use it to open bank accounts and credit cards, take out loans, and even file for bankruptcy.

Consumers should not wait until they have become a victim to take steps to protect themselves.  A proactive approach is the best way for consumers to protect themselves and minimize damage to their credit and financial health. That’s why Equifax designed Equifax ID Patrol -- to help prevent identity thieves from obtaining credit in their name and to alert consumers to potential instances of fraud sooner.

Fraud alerts are free, so isn’t that enough?

Fraud alerts alone are not enough.  A comprehensive, credit monitoring-based identity protection product does even more to help consumers protect themselves and minimize the damage that can be caused by identity theft. An initial 90-day fraud alert is only an indicator to a lender that additional steps should be taken to verify that the consumer authorized a request to open a new credit account, increase the credit limit on an existing account or obtain a new card on an existing account, etc.

What makes Equifax ID Patrol different from other identity theft protection products?

Equifax ID Patrol gives consumers access to several comprehensive identity protection features all in one product.

• The first feature is Equifax WebDetect, an innovative tool that constantly scans suspected Internet trading sites and provides alerts to consumers if their personal information (Social Security number or major debit or credit card numbers) is found

• Equifax ID Patrol also features our Identity Theft Resolution Specialist, a trained specialist available 24/7 to help consumers understand the process of notifying the proper authorities, banks and other financial institutions in the event that their identity is stolen.

• Our next feature is the Equifax Credit Report Control, an exclusive product that lets consumers lock and unlock their Equifax credit file online or by phone.

• Finally, Equifax ID Patrol monitors a consumer’s credit file with all three nationwide credit reporting agencies for key changes — such as when someone opens credit in the consumer’s name—and sends them e-mail alerts within 24 hours of those key changes.

What other steps can consumers do to protect their identity?

On top of using an identity protection product, there are a number of steps consumers can take to safeguard their personal information.

• Guard your cards -- Limit the number of credit cards you carry. If you misplace your credit card, contact the credit card company’s fraud division immediately. Keep close watch over your credit card billing statements and billing cycles.

• Know who’s calling -- If you receive a call from anyone requesting personal identification information, you should not share any information before verifying the caller’s identity. If the caller claims to be calling on behalf of a specific organization, take the necessary steps to confirm the person’s relationship to that company. You may want to record the caller’s name and telephone number to call them back upon verification of their identity and association with a particular company.

• Safeguard your Social Security Number -- Don’t make a habit of carrying your Social Security card with you. If someone steals your purse or wallet, they can use your social security number to apply for a job, credit card or loan. Your social security card is safest in a locked safe or drawer, out of sight, in your home.

If your SSN appears on your license, health insurance or Medicare card, ask your provider to use an alternate number such as a random or policy number instead. When carrying your cards, keep them stowed away in a safe place and only take them out when absolutely necessary.

• Put your shredder to work -- Use a shredder to dispose of pre-approved credit card offers and other mail and documents displaying your name and personal information. It only takes a simple phone call for an identity thief to activate a pre-approved credit card in your name. Simply throwing these types of offers and other forms of personal identifiable information in the trash is not enough – identity thieves are not above rummaging through your trash. 

By combining these steps with an identity protection product, consumers can lower their risk of having their identity stolen.

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Hmm. Still not sure I need it. What do you think?

Anyway, here's how you can win one of three free trials of Equifax ID Patrol. It's a three-month trial -- after that, if you keep it, you'll be charged.

Here's how you can have a chance to win this giveaway right now:

1. Leave a comment below -- any comment.

2. Next week, I'll stop by the post, stop the submissions, and name the winners (who I'll select at random).

3. It will be the responsibility of the winners to check back to see if they are a winner and then email me their contact information.

4. I'll email the winners back and give them details on how to claim their prize.

A few rules for these giveaways:

1. I will be the complete and final judge.

2. Legal disclaimer: I can not guarantee the prizes. Equifax has said they will honor them, so I'm sure it will be fine, but since I can't control the prize distribution, I won't be held accountable if there's a mess up.

3. If you win something and do not contact me within a week of winning, I reserve the right to give your prize away to another winner. Note again: I won't track down the winners -- it's your responsibility to come back and see if you won.

4. Local laws, rules, and regulations apply.

Good luck! Post a comment below for your chance to win!

Comments

[KellyB]

Not sure I need it either, but I'll take it for free!!

[Jen]

I would think that with the ability to freeze your credit, unless you need constant access to it, services like this would be obsolete.

If you freeze your credit on all three bureaus, and get a free copy once a year to check for errors, is there realistically anything else you'd need to do? I can't see it.

[Alan]

I'd be happy to give it a try! Thanks!

[Juggler314]

Ditto, don't really need it, but will try it out.

[Stephanie]

I'd love to try it!

[FMF]

Ok, looks like most of you are going to win. :-)

Winners of the three trials are:

*KellyB
*Alan
*Stephanie

If each of you would email me (http://www.freemoneyfinance.com/2005/04/free_money_fina_4.html ), I'll get you set up with your free trial.

[Dima]

I heard about this and did some research, id theft is getting to be a serious issue. A student in my school got his wallet stolen a few weeks ago and started receiving credit card confirmations in the mail. He signed up for a free trial with ID Patrol (it may even be the same promo). He saw seven applications for new credit cards with a credit line totaling $12,000. Good thing he was able to find them all and stop it. he's working with the police to track the thief now. Can I have one of the promo codes?

[Arabella Clementi]

I would try it

[Kathy Gallivan]

If this is like my dealings with Equifax the past few days, I would rather have all my teeth pulled.