Too smart by half

I am sure that everyone has seen the commercial for LifeLock in which the CEO of same advertises his Social Security number on a rolling billboard to emphasis the security of his company’s data protection service. That boast, rather predictably, turns out to be bogus.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Todd Davis has dared criminals for two years to try stealing his identity: Ads for his fraud-prevention company, LifeLock, even offer his Social Security number next to his smiling mug.

Now, Lifelock customers in Maryland, New Jersey and West Virginia are suing Davis, claiming his service didn't work as promised and he knew it wouldn't, because the service had failed even him.

I bring this up for two reasons. One, nothing is going to protect you from really determined identity thief. I deal in that kind of data all day, every day and in our modern computerized society, damn near every transaction in which we participate leaves footprints. From your debit card, to automatic toll collection, to your cell phone, everything is logged and stored somewhere, and that means someone has access to it. So unless you sell your car, close your bank and credit accounts, and otherwise fall off the grid, this is a fact of life. Which leads to my second point: do not make available important information like your Social Security Number, date of birth, bank PIN number, or a couple other more esoteric by nonetheless damning data points. Burglars will often skip over a house with a dog or a security system for an easier mark. Same goes with identity theft. Keep this stuff under wraps as much as possible. I know that sounds obvious but hey, an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure. So for God’s sake people, let’s be careful out there…