Bogus Lifelock Sites Litter the Web
Lifelock is that company run by the dude who boasts, "Here's my Social Security Number! I can't be hurt by ID Theft Man, I'm In-VINCIBLE!!!!" or some such nonsense.
First of all, he was robbed by some guy in texas which proves the point I've been trying to make all along: Lifelock doesn't PREVENT ID theft. But more important than that is how this company advertises. Besides having ads just damned everywhere on the web, I've found a wealth of fake sites that pretend to be 3rd party recommendations, but have little to no content other than Lifelock ads disguised as reviews. Whether this is the direct result of Lifelock marketing or the fault of over-zealous users of a Lifelock affiliate program, but either way, having sites like this really damage what little reputation Lifelock has.
http://sixfoldsecurity.com/financial/identity_theft.php
Created: Nov 2007 by Larry from Bothell WAThough the site has a ton of links and categories, the only actual page I can load is the one under identity theft which contains lines like "I was skeptical at first" and "Lifelock does a lot more than I thought".
http://www.lifelock4me.com
Created: Sept 2007 by Marketing Partners INC. St Joseph, MIThis site has no content other than a few pages explaining things about Lifelock.
http://www.igotmyidentitystolen.com
Created: Feb 2008 by Domains by Proxy, Scottsdale AZI found this site originally because the very first comment on my "Lifelock Sucks" article was from a guy who left this url with his comment. The comment appeared to be reasonable, if wrong, criticism of my position. But when I went to the site, I found out that it was a thinly disguised front site. Though there are a few articles on it not related to Lifelock, the page navigation consists only of "About Lifelock", "Features", "How Lifelock Protects You", and "Order".
I love their "About Us" page:
Here at IGotMyIdentityStolen.com we try to focus on protecting you from identity theft. Giving you tips and updating the site with the ever changing identity theft crisis changes. Criminals think of new ways every day to scam innocent people.
Identity Theft has been such a problem in the United States along with the world. So prevent yourself from identity theft.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns. Please feel free to drop us an e-mail at support@igotmyidentitystolen.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
– Trying to make your life easier,
Mr. Identity Theft Protector
Could you get more generic than that? Note that neither the domain registration information nor the comment left on my site has a name attached.
http://lifelockreviews.com
Created: April 2007 by Whoisguard (a company that shields the registrant)You couldn't make a better search engine bait site than this. Lifelock is mentioned 55 times in 4 postings (the only four posts on the site) with titles like "A Review of Lifelock", "Lifelock Consumer Review", "Lifelock Million Dollar Guarantee", and "Lifelock – Identity Theft Security or Scam".
And of course, the first line in each "unbiased fair 3rd party review" is "LifeLock is the only Identity Theft Prevention Solution backed by a one-million dollar guarantee!Click here to get a 10% discount."
http://lifelockreviews.net
Created: April 2007 by Kurt from TallahasseeSingle page ad for Lifelock. No other content.
http://lifelockreviews.org
Created: March 2008 by Patty from LouisvilleFour posts on a blog, all about Lifelock.
http://lifelockreviews.info
Created: Nov 2007 by Ken from SingaporeSingle page ad for Lifelock.
http://lifelock-reviews.com
Started in April 2007, lifelock-reviews.com has put out a wealth of (sarcasm) useful unbiased information (/sarcasm)… into their only two categories "ID Theft" and "Lifelock". Of note, this site includes real news and videos unlike every other site I've seen so far, but the last line in EVERY post is something similar to this: "To purchase LifeLock or get more information please click here."
http://idtheftquiz.org
Created: Sept 2006 by Kurt from TallahasseeThere is nothing, nothing, on this site but a single page ad for Lifelock. I count is as a front site because of this:
We are proud to be working with Lifelock to offer the most comprehensive ID-Security programs available... blah blah blah
http://www.identitytheftlabs.com
Created: April 2007 by Domains by Proxy, Scottsdale AZ (another registrant shielding service)This one is a bit curious. They have information about some other monitoring services as well and aren't as clearly a front site, but they've got the tell-tale signs. They were also started in April of '07 and their postings are heavily weighted towards Lifelock more so than the others they talk about (which, by the way, is only 2 other services).
http://lifelockworks.com
Created: Feb 2008 by Domains By Proxy, Scottsdale AZA single page ad for Lifelock. Most notable is that the normal links at the bottom of the page (Contact, TOS, Copyright, etc) all link straight back to lifelockworks.com. They're only there for looks.
This is getting dull so here are some more listed in no particular order
lifelock-promo.com lifelocktv.net safeidentityreview.com getlifelock.net identitytheftsecrets.com reviewsonlifelock.com www.f1racing.ws/ http://www.hillarybillary.com/
And the following are sites that have other posts, but at least one on lifelock that pretends to be a review, but isn't:
http://www.brokencode.us/finance/lifelock-scam/ (3 articles) http://brinformatica.alojagratis.org/2008/04/06/lifelock/ (3 articles) http://mbaonlinedegree.biz/2008/04/10/lifelock-review-for-the-id-prevention/ (1 article) http://dmnewexpress.com/?p=128 (4 articles) http://infinitum-media.com/ (4 articles) http://www.drcopa.com/index.php?s=lifelock&x=&y= (1 article) http://www.ginolopez.com/?p=43 (1 article) http://abshome.blogspot.com/2008/04/value-of-life-lock_13.html (18+ articles) http://msteenybopper.multiply.com/journal/item/146/Lifelock_Promo_Codes (1 article)
And a million more. Just do a search for Lifelock and you'll find them everywhere.
Tags: Consequences, Identity Theft, If You Only Knew, Lifelock, Scams - Ripoffs - Dirty TricksShare This
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Arent these sites resellers or affiliates for LifeLock? Weird you are against affiliates.
All the sites you listed are affiliate sites. If you investigate them and click on the links, which take you to the http://www.lifelock.com site with a promocode, its pretty obvious.
hey what you say about idtheftquiz.org is not exactly accurate. The site has resources, yes it promotes LifeLock but it also has real content and a real quiz. Also fraud alert do prevent the most common type of id theft. This is a HUGE problem! Have you ever had your ID stolen, the problem never goes away and it is extremely hard to fix. Credit Monitoring is the scam. You are notified after the fact, like a dummy light in a car that goes off after the damage is already done. Do some more home work, you sound like a “hater” LOL.
I do have to give you credit to allow posts without filtering, at least you allow rebuttals. Really you should look into this more. LifeLock is helping get people to deal with this issue proactively. The credit bureaus are businesses not consumer advocates. Many of the attacks on LifeLock seem to orchestrated by them. While I agree that LifeLock should tone down their message, they are doing Americans a great service as advocates of our right to privacy.
@George: Checking again I see that there are a few links off of the idtheftquiz site that go to more promos for lifelock. My point that it has no real content or any content it might have is “token” content only is still quite valid.
Fraud alerts prevent nothing. They are a VOLUNTARY check that retailers can do or not as they wish. I can agree with is that ID theft is a problem and what you say about the futility of Credit Monitoring. I also think very lowly of the credit reporting companies (which I won’t refer to as Bureaus or Agencies because both these terms lend them credibility they don’t deserve).
But again, I have to disagree that Lifelock is helping people. I think Lifelock is hurting them with their broad promises and slim delivery (they don’t PREVENT anything, but sure want people to THINK they do). They are nothing more than ID theft insurance with a few one-time extras. I also take particular issue with the vast array of lifelock promo sites, affiliate or not. Their affiliates are playing dirty and that’s not ok.
@John Morgan/A.K.A PMR: Weird that both of you posted comments from the exact same source IP. Hmm…
That aside, this illustrates exactly why I complain about all these “sites”. Considering your short negative posts under two different names that outright ignores the fact that I already said these could be affiliate sites, chances are that you are Lifelock employees or affiliates yourselves.
That and the fake recommendations pretending to be neutral (“I was skeptical at first” and “Lifelock does a lot more than I thought”) is not ok. It is manipulative and, in my non-legal opinion, fraudulent. Even if it’s not Lifelock’s direct fault that this is happening, it is their responsibility and they should put an immediate stop to it if they ever want to earn my and others acceptance as a legitimate service.
I see a ton of these bogus pages when looking for discussions of Lifelock. I look for the discussions so that I can refer readers to my blog post which shows how to get the main services provided by Lifelock for free, by doing the work themselves. Even my post has an affiliate link though, because there are some people who are too lazy, or busy, to do the work. For them, Lifelock does have some value.
As you said, it won’t prevent id theft, but taking preventative steps is a good idea, especially if do it for yourself for free.
If interested, my post is at: http://www.richerbytheday.com/2007/11/free-services-provided-by-lifelock.html
[Jeremy: I’m cautious about letting people post links in my comments, but I’ll allow yours because your site seems legit (if a little ad-heavy). You also provide information on how to do the things Lifelock does without paying them and until I get around to doing that myself, I might as well link to yours. However, you might add that after they use Lifelock to get those services, they can cancel since most of what Lifelock offers is a one-time benefit.]
The Million Dollar Guarantee is nothing more that an errors and omissions insurance policy anyone can acquire for around $500 a year. Has anyone noticed that many sites are jumping on that bandwagon and offering the same. Lifelock just happened to be the first to get people thinking it was something golden.
Kudos to Jeremy for helping spread the word about what this really is. There are a number of sites that are doing the million dollar deal with all of the “services” but for $25 a year.
Think about the real meaning of prevention – this is mitigation – but you would not pay as much for that would you.
A FRAUD ALERT TELLS YOU A THIEF ALREADY HAS STOLEN YOUR INFORMATION! NOW THEY ARE TRYING TO USE IT!
What about the thief who uses your identity for criminal purposes. Will the alert system work for that? How’s that cheesy insurance going to help when you get slammed to the ground after getting pulled over for speeding because you have an outstanding warrant for jumping bail for robbery.
The business model is to build a base of people then sell the company, instead they were recently sued in federal court by Experian for abusing the free alert services that were set up for consumer use. Experian also claims they are violating federal rules by calling in as the consumer!
And the credit reports they provide you as part of the paid service, those are from the federal rules requiring 1 a year for free from each credit agency.
They are using all free services available to consumers via the web and PRETEND TO BE YOU to obtain them!
There are also sites that are now offering for free what they charge for.
Well you know you make some good points here. It reminds me of politics. Politician might be more direct if it actually worked. LifeLock is very strong in their marketing department and doing what they have to in order that they make more than they spend. I see this as a product that will evolve in time. There is much more they can do and will once they reach the million user mark. I think they are over 700,000 users now. Also they have legal issues to resolve with Experian (the ultimate hypocrites considering their freecreditreports.com play that was not close to being free and simple sells us our own private information). Consider there is sniffing technology to find SSNs on the web and telephony verification systems that may be added to the LifeLock system very easily. The challenge is finding a solution that people understand. They seem to understand someone giving their social out. Once you have enough customers all the other solutions can be brought into play. That is why I am pro LifeLock.
Hello Jeremy,
Check us out. We are a small American start-up company, making American products to protect your identity from “Wireless Skimming”. Another type of ID theft crime that completely circumvents the ID theft notification services.
It’s about this…have you heard of RFID (radio-frequency) interception and theft? (Not to be confused with magnetic stripe skimming.)
RF tagged cards can be door access cards, debit/credit cards, employee badges, store loyalty cards, MiFare cards and the new REAL ID driver’s licenses. All of these can be activated while still in your wallet! That RF tag signal can be captured and cloned to be used however the thief wants, and you could be robbed of your time, money and reputation.
Please visit http://www.ArmadilloDollar.com to see our American made RFID shield, which can be customized with your own logo for your security personnel and premier customers!
We also have an affiliate program, and even offer a 20% Lifelock discount with promo code DILLY. When we approached Lifelock about co-branding with our products, (they sell air basically) and finally realized what it is we protect against, they gave everyone in my company free memberships for the year! We do something they don’t do. For a minimal investment of $20 (with promo code DILLY) you can get maximum hardware protection for your wallet.
We hope to educate those who are ahead of the curve in technology, so they can share this with their customers!
View our TV interview here!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8uDwHL_uuQ
Firewall your wallet with an Armadillo Dollar or Armadillo Dollar Dilly card folder!
Thanks for your work. It’s helped me quite a bit in trying to figure out what to do.
In the end, I went to https://www.dmachoice.org/MPS/proto1.php and https://www.optoutprescreen.com/?rf=t to do the opt outs. Also, I found https://creditlock.com/members/index.html. For $4 they provided fill-in-the-blank form pdf letters that I can send to the 3 agencies for a credit lock. I’m from Michigan (one of the 10 backward states), and it was worth $4 to me to get the right wording and the right addresses.
I’ve used optoutprescreen.com myself, but I’m not familiar with the other two. However, you can go to consumersunion.org to get templates to send the credit bureaus without wasting 4 dollars.