Be Proactive in Preventing Identity Theft

Every day there are headlines in papers around the world about businesses losing client and employee information. The Federal Trade Commission recently reported that identity theft is the fastest growing crime for the sixth straight year. According to The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a non-profit group in San Diego, Calif., it is estimated that 10-15 million Americans have been the victims of identity theft and identity fraud since February 2005.

As a proactive measure, Bowling Green State University has partnered with LifeLock Identity Theft Service to have LifeLock available for purchase by members of the campus community at a discount. LifeLock has developed a proactive identity theft solution designed to prevent identity theft crimes before they occur and the company backs its services with a $1 million guarantee.

“At a time when many colleges throughout Ohio are very concerned about the security of personal information, we are looking to LifeLock as one more option we can give students, faculty, staff and alumni toward protecting their personal data,” says Dr. Linda Dobb, executive vice president.

LifeLock does the prevention work for a client by maintaining active fraud alerts with the three major credit bureaus as well as ChexSystems. LifeLock clients are contacted every time someone attempts to open credit in their name or change an address. This step eliminates illegal use of private information.

“LifeLock is the only service of its kind that doesn’t wait for a problem to occur to protect credit data,” says Bruce Petryshak, chief information officer. “It’s a proactive approach individuals can take to avoid the potential problems associated with identity theft.”

BGSU is pleased to offer LifeLock to BGSU students, faculty, staff and alumni at a 10 percent discount. You are encouraged to consider the benefits of the LifeLock program and to enroll if you find it suits your needs. Anyone associated with Bowling Green State University can go to www.bgsu.edu/lifelock to enroll and receive the discount.

What does LifeLock do?

• LifeLock blocks your credit so only you can use it.
• LifeLock places alerts with all four major credit bureaus—Equifax, Experian, TransUnion and ChexSystems—ensuring that if anyone tries to do anything with your credit report you are alerted if anyone tries to:
• • get your credit report,
  • get new credit in your name,
  • change your address,
  • expand your credit lines,
  • open a checking account in your name,
  • get insurance, utilities or sign a lease in your name.
    LifeLock clients are called directly for their approval before anything happens.
• LifeLock stops pre-approved credit offers and greatly reduces the amount of junk mail clients receive.
• LifeLock provides clients with free annual credit reports.
• LifeLock guarantees that if a client’s identity is ever stolen, LifeLock will fix the problem and will reimburse up to $1 million in financial losses.

Identity theft facts

• It takes consumers an average of 177 hours and two years to restore their identities after they’ve been stolen.
• Some consumers report that after four years they have not resolved the damage done by identity theft.
• Average time thieves use a victim’s identification: 3.2 months.
• More than 15 million identities will be stolen this year—that’s one identity every 2.1 seconds.

How much does it cost to enroll in LifeLock?

Enrolling as a BGSU student, faculty, staff or alumni will entitle you to a 10 percent discount. Your cost for one year of LifeLock will be $99 or you may choose to pay at a monthly rate of $9 per month.

How do I enroll in LifeLock?

To enroll in LifeLock, simply go to www.bgsu.edu/offices/cio and click on the “LifeLock” icon. You will be taken to the LifeLock Web site and prompted to select your BGSU affiliation (student, faculty, staff or alumni). Your 10 percent BGSU discount will automatically be applied.

Who should I contact if I have questions about LifeLock?

LifeLock may be contacted online by visiting LifeLock.com or by calling 1-877-LIFELOCK.