I've Been Mugged

Suze Orman Identity Theft Kit Debuts

Recently, I was talking with a coworker who had purchased the Suze Orman Identity Theft Kit. In January 2008, the TrustedID blog announced:

"Financial expert Suze Orman and TrustedID have launched Suze Orman’s Identity Theft kit, the first identity theft protection solution that protects the financial and personal information of all members of a household. Shortly after launching on QVC, the kit will be available online at www.suzeorman.com and TrustedID.comas well as through leading retailers nationwide."

I checked www.suzeorman.com and consumers can purchase the kit online. At the site, click on "Identity Theft Kit" in the left column navigation area. According to the site, the kit contains the following:

• Two People Protection
• Medical Record Protection
• Anti-Spyware Software
• Lost Wallet Protection
• Address Scanning
• Enhanced Junk Mail Reduction
• Credit Card No. Scanning
• Annual Credit Reports
• Bank Account No. Scanning
• $1 Million Service Warranty
• Child Identity Theft Protection
• Fraud Flag Placement
• Elderly Parent Identity Theft Protection

At first glance, the service seems to have a lot of value. It definitely seems worth consideration for consumers who have no identity protection in place today. However, I found the web site content very thin. The site did not explain many of the kits features. So, it's hard to tell exactly what is offered for "Medical Record Protection," "Address Scanning," "Bank Account Number Scanning," and the "$1 Million Service Warranty." Unfortunately, the QVC page didn't supply any more detail either. Maybe the actual television pitches explains these features, but I rarely watch QVC.

There are about 46 user-submit product reviews at the QVC page. You may find some of these helpful. Most of the reviews are positive, but the negative ones seem to be where consumers encountered technical problems installing the kit software and returned the product. Some of the reviewers noted that the kit does not cover department store charge cards.

For me, the kit provides services I already have from other credit monitoring services. Regarding Fraud Alerts, I added those to my credit reports on my own. I already have anti-spyware software for my home computer from McAfee. To reduce spam and junk mail, I have already signed up at several free opt-out resources for consumers.

Later this Spring, I plan to post a detailed comparison of several of the leading identity protection solutions for consumers. The comparison will definitely include Orman's Identity Theft Kit. I've Been Mugged readers would love to hear the opinions or experiences anyone has had with the Suze Orman Identity Theft kit.

A New Kind Of Identity Theft?

Last Friday, the CBS television affiliate (WBZ-TV) in Boston ran a news story about, "A New Form of Identity Theft." Apparently, an identity thief targeted and stole money from several women with the same name:

"The identity thief was posing as Lisa White. White never even owned a credit card until someone stole her identity and opened up 17 accounts using her Social Security and drivers license numbers. Now comes Lisa White, of Monson. She too is a victim of identity theft and is trying to cancel some $13,000 of debt someone spent on store accounts using her Social Security and license numbers... Then there's Lisa White from Somerset, who is also stuck with a pile of mystery credit cards. A thief stole her identity and wracked up about $35,000 of dept that she had nothing to do with."

The police haven't caught the identity thief yet, but they do have the thief on video tape. reportedly, about ten people in Massachusetts with the same name have reported problems.

My guess: this isn't a new type of identity theft. Rather, the police haven't yet discovered the connection, which may be very subtle. If all of the victims use the same bank, the police aren't saying. If not that, then it may be an inside job at the Social Security Administration or another equivalent state agency, like the Registry of Motor Vehicles or the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. That would explain why the thief did not steal the victims' existing credit card numbers, but instead opened new lines of credit with the victims' social security numbers.

New California 'Shine The Light' Law Hotly Debated

The State of California's 2005 "Shine The Light" law (Civil Code 1798.83) provides California residents with the right to ask a retailer whom else that retailer has shared their personal information with. I think that it is instructive to look at California, which was the first state to enacted strong first identity theft laws with mandatory data breach notification.

While it is against the law for retailers to share consumers' credit card information, retailers legally can share consumers' name, address, and telephone information with data brokers (companies that buy and sell lists of consumer data). Some argue that this makes consumers more vulnerable to data theft.

Consumer advocates argue for more transparency by retailers, including more opt-out choices so consumers have some control over where their personal data is shared. Not surprisingly, small business lobbyist groups argue against additional legislation in California. Given the massive TJX/T.J. Maxx data breach, retailers definitely need to do more to protect consumers' personal data. I encourage you to view this San Francisco television news broadcast from January 18.

to learn more, read this Privacy Rights Clearinghouse article and this Lyris guide for retail businesses.