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What is Intelius People Search? It is a data gathering information service available for individuals and businesses. With Intelius' search capability, individuals may complete a search based on name, address, telephone number, cellphone number (in some cases), and email address. But how does Intelius get all this information? Who can use the results, and is there someone out there trying to crack Intelius' people search?

Intelius gathers information for individuals and businesses to review. As an individual, you may complete a people search based on name, address, telephone number, cell phone number, and email address. Upon completion of your search at Intelius' web site, a message will indicate whether results are available, and then, you may purchase different reports including credit reports, phone records, birthdate, and a review of address history, among several other options.

Intelius Review:
Among the many on-line search sites to find out information about an individual, Intelius is foremost in the amount of information available from its service. Intelius is the background base for many other people search websites, including sites like Zabasearch. For example, when you search Zabasearch, trying to crack into information on your new boyfriend or girlfriend, you will likely be led to use Intelius to get more information. Because of the completeness of the Intelius search engine, many others are relying on it to complete their searches for them; also many of them have been purchased or acquired by by Intelius.

Intelius also provides a variety of services. Among these are protection services, which include identity theft and credit reporting services, criminal and sex offender search results, and a reverse cell phone call directory. The identity theft protection service is used to create an identity profile, obtain credit information, create fraud alerts, and build a warning system to notify you in case of any of the information that is part of your profile is being used to obtain credit. In the event identity theft occurs, Intelius' Identity Theft protection product also provides a $25,000 insurance policy to assist you with recovery related issues.

The business services program that Intelius offers assists businesses, apartment owners and landlords. Businesses may perform people searches to do background and criminal checks on applicants. Landlords may perform credit and background checks for collecting information on potential tenants. Other business services are available, including providing research and information to businesses about safe hiring practices. Business services may be customized to perform searches based on specific criteria, or may be a full background and credit check.

The price for these services varies. Some sample prices are:
$4.95 for a cell phone record
$44.99 for a full background check on an individual
a statewide employment check is $29.95.
A nationwide employment check is $59.95.

Intelius Club Members
Club members get discounts on a variety of products. Reports may be saved online or printed for future reference.

Technical and customer support assistance is available through telephone, email messages from the Intelius site, and many questions are answered on the Frequently Asked Questions page within the site.

The idea of being able to retrieve this much information at the touch of a keyboard and with the simple online use of a credit card purchase is very frightening. I admit that my first response was to review my options for getting removed from this service. Like a do not call list, Intelius has an "opt out" service. For more information on how to opt out of being one of the millions of people in the Intelius database, you need to contact them directly. They will provide you with a fax number and instructions on how to have your information removed from the system. But, consumers should know the following about the opt out policy:

"As a courtesy we can 'opt out' your specific information from the Intelius People Search service. What this means is that your name as it appears in a particular record and the associated identifying information such as your address and phone number will be suppressed if you request this in the manner described below. However, please note that any time your identifying information appears in a public record in a manner which is different from the record you opted out; it will again appear in our system. For example, if your address or area code changes your new information will again appear unless you opt out the new record. There also are many other public records search services which are not owned by Intelius and your request that we opt out your information will not prevent your information from appearing on other people search services. To opt out your publicly available information from being obtained by someone using our People Search service, fax or mail your name and address as it appears on our website or send us a copy of the page from our website that includes your information."

However, before you do that, let's look at some of the very important services that Intelius has to offer. For example, if I have a house for rent, this system will allow me to do a background check on my potential tenant. I can find out if they have been convicted of any crimes or if they have a history of bad credit. Both of them would make this personal an undesirable tenant. After all, I wouldn't want someone living in my house that may be producing methamphetamines? Or that had a search history which showed that they wouldn't pay their rent.

Another example of everyday use for the average individual would be to do people searches and get background reports for a new love interest. With the use of the internet, dating services and chat rooms, just to name a few, are places to meet both friends and romantic partners.

It could be very helpful, useful, and provide a level of safety to be able to find out exactly how much information this person is providing is truthful. For example, by doing a people search on your new love interest, you might discover that they may still be married, or convicted of a crime, or that they are in bankruptcy. These are all things that you should now in order to make a decision regarding your continued involvement with them.

However, despite good reasons for people search engines like Intelius, critics of the service make valid points. Some criticism is simply that there is just too much information available, and with this you could literally put a $50.00 investment into a purchase, and have enough information to steal a person's identity. For a $50 investment, you, with a little criminal mind and a bit of ingenuity, can spend thousands of dollars and do more significant damage, to the people whose information you've stolen. Identity theft information could be sold to users, it could be used to get jobs, medical care, buy a house and obtain credit cards. Not a bad return on a small investment.

Another criticism of the service is that information is often outdated. This is explained by the use of the databases used to retrieve the information. Court records and DMV's are often out of date and the information available on them is frequently inaccurate. As a result, you or your businesses search results may not be complete.

A very valid criticism of this product would be that this information is available, and therefore could also be sold to marketing companies. Once done, mass marketing companies could then flood consumers with annoying purchase offers via telephone and mail. Not only are these annoying, but they are very time consuming to be removed from. Offers like these also increase a consumer's chances of becoming a victim of identity theft and credit card fraud.

Intelius has won the following awards:
2006 Ernst and Young finalist for Entrepreneur of the Year
2006 Stevie Award for Best New Company
2007 CODiE Award finalist for Best Online Consumer Information Service
2007 Stevie Award finalist for Most Innovative Company

Many testimonials are available regarding the effectiveness of the Intelius products. Stories include those from doptive child birth parents, businesses that are satisfied with the protection and information results they obtain through the use of Intelius prior to hiring individuals, and others. As scary as the idea is, of this much information being obtained all in one spot, it is important to note that all Intelius really does is pull the information together.

It is already out there, and with some work, it could be found, without the help of an information gathering service.

So even if you removed your information from Intelius, and every other people search engine available, you are not truly protected, thanks to the freedom of information act.

In many cases, the assistance that Intelius provides to businesses and individuals may outweigh an initial response to this type of product. After all, wouldn't you want to know the truth about your prospective partner, employee, or tenant? Maybe you want to find a long lost family member or friend?

There are many valid reasons for using a public information service like Intelius, and before deciding if it is helpful or harmful, take a look at it yourself.

On-line shopping is easy, convenient, saves gas and time. But how can we, as consumers, shop safely when so many instances of credit card theft occur as a result of using our credit cards on-line, especially with those sites that "store" your credit card information. Since we are shopping in the virtual world, why not use virtual credit cards?

As millions of people have become victims of identity theft, consumers have become savvy and cautious about how they use and protect their personal information, including their credit card numbers. Many people want to enjoy the convenience of shopping on-line and saving time and money, especially with today's gas prices, but are fearful of using their actual credit card numbers on line.

One-fifth of identity theft victims blame on-line credit card use for making them vulnerable to this crime. Fear of becoming an identity theft crime victim is the number one reason given by those who avoid shopping on line.

A virtual credit card is one option and layer of protection for those who would like to shop on line but still protect their credit cards numbers.

What is a virtual credit card?

A virtual credit card is a set of replacement numbers for your actual credit card number that can be used to make purchases on line. In some cases they may be called "single-use card numbers." Consumers use these replacement numbers and only the cardholder and card issuer have any access to the real credit card numbers.

Who offers this service?

Right now Discover, Citi Bank and MBNA credit card companies each have a virtual credit card program. American Express tried one and reports that members who used the program were very pleased but not enough of
their members used it, so the program was discontinued.

The idea is not a new one. The technology has been around for around for about seven years but it is just starting to get more attention as more and more people discover that they have been the victims of identity theft.

MBNA's program is called SafeShop and they have been offering it for three years now. "It's very popular with the people who use it," says Jim Donahue, spokesman for MBNA. "The only people who know the real number are you and us," Donahue.

Citibank's protection program is called Virtual Account Numbers. It allows users to set an monetary or time limit of use and is tied to your actual credit card. When you place those settings, a "new" credit card number is generated for use for that purchase. The expiration date option is very useful when registering for a service for 90 days and you are sure you will want to cancel at that point.

Discover's version is called Deskshop and according to Steve Furman of Discover, Deskshop has "grown at a fairly strong pace over the last six to eight months."

PayPal, partnered with MasterCard, has begun a BETA version, offered to a select number of PayPal users. Using the PayPal Virtual Credit Card number also saves you time and money by filling in forms for you. Using PayPal's virtual credit card number will automatically fill in fields in online forms, like your name, address and shipping information. There is no additional charge for using the PayPal Virtual Credit. To make it even easier, you can download the virtual credit card tool bar, and create a security image to be sure it is an official PayPal site. This service also provides you with a fraud alert service. This service detects if a website is fraudulent and then a pop up warning image appears on your screen, so that you do not complete your transaction.

What do I have to do? What does it cost me?

Each provider's program may differ slightly but the basic idea is the same. Currently, there are no costs for the consumer. It is simply a free service provided by these credit card companies to offer their product's users peace of mind.

Credit card holders can sign up for this service at their credit card provider's web site. You may need to download software, or be able to opt for an on line version. Participants receive a randomly computer generated alternative 16-digit number that can be used on line, over the phone, or by mail. Some cards can be used once but some may be used more than once if it is for the same store. For some virtual credit cards, consumers can choose an expiration date that ends in one month, or some extend for up to a year, as long as the date doesn't extend past the expiration date of the actual card. Discover's program expiration dates concur with the actual card.

Some plans have spending limit options as well.

When can I use it? Only on-line?

Virtual Credit Card numbers can be used for any purchase where credit cards are accepted. This could include:

*On line shopping
*On line bill paying
*Shopping by mail
*Shopping by phone

Keep in mind that he virtual card number can't be used for picking up purchases where you will have to show your actual card. A good example of this would be "will call" game tickets.

These services take some extra steps but can also offer an extra layer of protection and more peace of mind. For those who have utilized strategies such as requesting a new credit card number every three months, this won't seem like more trouble.

Identity thieves strike using many vulnerable areas in personal privacy protection. Credit cards are just one of them. Virtual Credit cards have become a virtual reality that can offer protection and peace of mind for consumers who want to enjoy the convenience of on line shopping, without the fear that their cards will be overdrafted by criminals or abused by identity thieves..

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ID Watchdog provides identity theft protection, prevention and resolution services, not only in the event of credit card fraud, but even in cases of other types of fraud, mis-use of your identity to obtain employment or medical treatment and a great deal more.

Unfortunately, identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America. Identity theft includes credit card, medical, tax and criminal fraud. The numbers of identity theft cases has risen from fewer than 100,000 in 2000 to 10 million in 2006. Most cases of identity theft involve losses to consumers over $5,000.00 and can take a minimum of 400 hours to be resolved. How can a consumer be protected not only from these deep pocket losses as well as take all the steps needed to resolve the mistakes made as a result of identity theft including credit problems, lack of medical care, stolen income tax refunds and more?

Several protection services are now available, including LifeLock and IdentityTruth. However, I.D. Watchdog is the newest identity theft protection service available that provides a comprehensive protection plan which includes not just detection and protection but most importantly resolution. ID Watchdog was developed by an impressive team of consultants and advisors that included state and local law enforcement leaders, U.S. Postal Inspectors, federal agencies and state attorney general's to create and develop and over all identity theft solution. State bankers' associations have even endorsed them.

What areas of protection are provided by ID Watchdog? And where do competitors leave you vulnerable?
--Credit Card Protection: I.D. Watchdog monitors credit cards, both new and existing accounts. The competitors only monitor new accounts, by placing fraud alerts, leaving existing accounts open to threat. Twenty-five percent of identity theft crimes involve credit cards but only 15% involve new accounts.

--Phone and Utilities: Again, I.D. Watchdog protects all of these phone and utility accounts, which account for an additional 9% of identity theft cases. You should know that some competitors are only monitoring wireless phone accounts.

--Loan Fraud: Don't we constantly hear how from loan advertisers how "easy" it is to get a loan from them? Unfortunately sometimes it is easy for identity thieves to get a loan in your name too.

--Employment & Governmental Fraud: This is a must in today's economic and political climate. I.D.
Watchdog competitors aren't watching your back in this area where another 14% of identity theft crimes occur. For more information on Employment fraud, visit What Can You Get besides a Job Posting Your Resume Online. Tax time is when many individuals find out about their identities being stolen when individuals find out about tax returns and refunds issued in their names, individuals employed using their information and taxes owed, based on identity theft.

--Fraudulent Criminal Records: Victims of identity theft are vulnerable to more than debt and credit
issues. Identity thieves can rack up criminal charges against you as well as credit charges. For example, one I.D. Watchdog customer found that he was fraudulently wanted in 5 states because he'd been the
victim of identity theft. Talk about a case of the wrong guy! Or is it the right guy, wrong name? Or the wrong guy, wrong name?

How does I.D. Watchdog provide this high level of comprehensive coverage? As part of their protection and prevention service they perform checks and a number of databases and records that include: credit records, banking records, utilities records, property records, DMV records, State Issued ID Cards, immigration records, Vehicle Registrations and Professional Licenses.

When you register and provide I.D. Watchdog with the necessary information to check all of your records in the areas of vulnerability listed above. I.D. Watchdog then creates an Identity Profile for you
that include your information. Often, criminals use your name but another address. If you see any suspicious errors all you have to do is click on it and I.D. Watchdog will start investigating.

After the initial Identity Profile check, I.D. Watchdog searches databases from all over the country for any changes. If any are found, you will be notified immediately and an identity theft resolutions
specialist will work with you to resolve all threats.

I.D. Watchdog provides this complete coverage for $19.95 a month. You can even try I.D. Watchdog FREE for 15 days, by paying only a $1.95 verification fee. I.D. Watchdog backs up their coverage with a 100% guarantee. They will resolve all identity theft issues.

This service is taking consumer protection to a new level, by including identity theft resolution assistance. It is also looking to the future of consumer protection. Justin Yurek, the President, and co-founder of ID Watchdog testified before the Subcommittee on Social Security of the House Committee on Ways and Means on June 21, 2007 on protection of social security numbers and the plight of consumers.

I.D. Watchdog can alert you to any threats of identity theft immediately. Consumers are told when and if their information has been compromised, or if they have already been a victim of identity theft. The expanded search functions provide more than credit protection, it provides identity protection. Resolution specialists are there to help you resolve instances of identity theft, saving you money and time. Don't be one of the millions of victims, wasting thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours fixing the problem after it occurs, but find ways, like this one to protect yourself and your family from identity theft.

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What are the chances your computer has a bug? If you've used it for more than 30 days, the chances are high. In fact, 94% of personal computers have files that are corrupt and potentially damaging. It's not uncommon for personal computers to have up to 200 errors. Just as human walk around and catch bugs from all kinds of different contact from shaking hands to pushing shopping carts or getting money from the ATM, your personal computer picks up "bugs" from wherever you may visit or download.

PC Bug Doctor offers software to fix hidden bugs and errors on your personal computer and get you back the speed and performance you were enjoying before. PC Bug Doctor offers an instant and free trial download and it's key features include: a free scan of your personal computer for errors, repairs to errors that slow your computer down, fix corrupt files on your computer, prevent hidden errors on your PC from causing additional damage and assist your operating system avoid reformatting and common reboot errors. All of these problems on our personal computer are commonly referred to as "bugs." You can be sure that if your computer is running slowly, or you get strange errors messages or the blue screen appears, that you computer may have a bug or two, or two hundred.

What are the chances your computer has a bug? If you've used it for more than 30 days, the chances are high. In fact, 94% of personal computers have files that are corrupt and potentially damaging. It's not uncommon for personal computers to have up to 200 errors. Just as human walk around and catch bugs from all kinds of different contact from shaking hands to pushing shopping carts or getting money from the ATM, your personal computer picks up "bugs" from wherever you may visit or download. Whenever you install or uninstall software, from a new program to a game or music from the Internet, debris is left on your computer. Redundant files, invalid application paths, short cuts to removed programs and so on can clog up and slow down your computer.
PC Big Doctor has a free trial but a Full 30 Day Money Back Guarantee for subscribers. A yearly subscription for $39.95 can protect your PC for a full year. You can use PC Bug Doctor as many times as you need it during your 1
year license period. You'll also get unlimited and free tech support. It is similar to purchasing "insurance" for your personal computer to avoid the cost of computer repair shops or replacing your computer. A Lifetime License option for $77.00 offers a huge savings and you get lifetime use, lifetime updates for free and lifetime tech
support. PC Bug Doctor has been rated "excellent" for ease of installation and ease of use by Top Ten Reviews.

However as IdentityTheftSecrets.com researches and tests software available for personal computer users to assist them in obtaining complete protection against viruses, spyware, adware, malware, phishing, hijacker, and other threats to your computers performance as well as your personal information, sometimes we find those products that our considered "outstanding" and sometimes we find those products that as many users on their website state, "they love," however, technical professionals have tested the product and have not provided it with the highest of ratings.

According to Top Ten Reviews, PC Bug Doctor (Complete) Ratings are as follows:

Overall Rating 2/4
Ease of Use 4/4
Feature Set 2/4
Ease of Installation 4/4
Help/Support 1/4
Safety 1.5/4
However, additional testing and research found: :

"PC Bug Doctor from Maxium Software is successful at finding invalid shortcuts on your machine. However, due to the lack of support and limited feature set and safety tools, I would recommend selecting another program for your registry repair needs."

Not of the mindset that seeing is believing this writer always tests products prior to writing about them. Unfortunately, the above statement is correct. In our customer service test a call was placed for service at 8:30 am. Five hours later, a return call was received. No additional support is offered either in the form of online forums, email support or FAQ's. Much of a products' effectiveness involves the ability of customer support to assist you with the installation, customization or use of their product in a timely manner.

In a comparison of registry cleaners in test completed by Experts Review April 2008, their technical professionals rated RegCure as the clear winner of the most highly rated registry cleaners. It was described as "easy to use,
eliminated all known errors on our computer, includes great safely features and left our PC running incredibly fast. We were extremely impressed!"

RegSweep came in second and was considered by testers to be very use, friendly but did not perform as well in tests. Testers had this to say about RegSweep- "A really good tool and is gaining in popularity. Didn't perform as well in tests as RegCure, but still left or computer in great shape."

In my own comparison, my software of choice, was more effective at detecting bugs, as well as completing the search in a timely manner. While I continued working, it worked in the background.

Many customers provide glowing reviews of the effectiveness of this service. However, before fully endorsing a product on IdentityTheftSecrets.com we research deeper than just the products own website. It is important when choosing a registry cleaner or "bug doctor" that is you choose one that is proven effective by one or more of the world's leading research labs, such as PC Magazine, PC World, CNET, PC Pro Magazine, PC Authority, PC Answers and other trusted labs. A good registry cleaner should also include back up and restore features, early detection, be able to work in the background, provide excellent and timely customer service, as well as be able to detect the highest number of errors on your personal computer to provide you with the highest level of protection. In this case, you may want to look for a second opinion, prior to calling this doctor.

STOPzilla offers superior, all-around protections with a completely rebuilt Anti-Spyware engine. If you are looking for new ways of identity theft protection, especially protection from all the ways your personal computer can be attacked or even used to invade your privacy, then this software may be for you.

What are some of STOPzilla's features?

- It stops pop-ups, phishing, hijackers, keyloggers, Trojans, Bots, dialers and more.
- It kills Adware, Spyware and Malware.
-It erases cookies and histories.

This is especially helpful protection, while providing an additional layer of privacy, especially if anyone else ever uses your computer. (Who knows what the babysitter does after the children are in bed?)

One of the most annoying aspects of using the Internet are "pop ups," advertisements that appear on your screen uninvited and in some cases remain long after you clicked your mouse on the close button. The especially annoying ones continue to give you several chances to not miss out on this "special one time offer." STOPzilla's Pop-up blocker is so advanced it stops and destroys all advertising pop-ups but allows for pop-ups you've chosen
like the ones from your bank or e-mail! How does STOPzilla know the difference from annoying pop-ups and legitimate ones? With special technology developed specifically to filter the "junk mail" before it appears on your screen without special program and granting of access with ever visit to a website. Now, that's smart technology.

Computer Shopper magazine boasts "There is no better tool for roasting pop-ups!"

Additional important features of this software include:
True Real-Time Protection: STOPzilla's True Real-Time protection detects, stops and quarantines known and potential Spyware threats before they can attack. It begins working to protect you from the moment you turn on your computer.

ZILLAsmart Technology: This "technology" automatically checks for updates on a daily basis.

Simple to Use: Listen to other users of this software. You will consistently hear that it is user friendly. STOPzilla offers a convenient 'console' for users to be able to access all major settings, tools and features. This technology
was designed to work effectively regardless of the users' level of expertise. Users can depend on the convenient built-in default settings or advanced users can configure in their own protection details.

Many programs but offer some of these features but STOPzilla offers thorough protection. Laptop Magazine says, "As pop-ups and adware programs find new ways to hijack your computer, it's become increasingly difficult to find one tool that does everything... STOPzilla is a one-stop answer to hostile ad software."

One of the most important features offered by STOPzilla is unlimited, free, support for customers through e-mail, live chat or even toll-free calls. This is top of the line customer support. Compare it to many other programs and you'll see this company has superior customer service options even though you probably won't ever need them.

Have you ever searched and searched from page to page on a site to try to find a phone number for customer support? And then make the call only to spend too much time with voice mail and automated services? Do you want to talk to a human being? STOPzilla actually gives you a toll-free number right on the top of their web site pages. What's even better, in test checks we were able to call the number, choose tech support from the menu and speak to a friendly human being is less than one minute! That's awesome.

How can you get the identity theft protection, spyware protection and pop-blocker from STOPzilla? One year subscriptions are $19.95 and life-time subscriptions are $39.95. You can even try it free for 15 days.

STOPzilla has earned top ratings of 5 Stars by CriticalFiles.com, File Cart, Five Star Files and Geek Files. They've also been chosen for the CNet Editor's Choice Award and Laptop Magazine's Editor's Choice Award.

It's easy to join the over 10 million users worldwide have relied on STOPzilla's award-winning technology that can protect you from threats to your computer and the risks of identity theft. It is also easy to see why these 10 million customers have chosen this software as their personal computer protection software and service.

Can you get a free copy of Spybot Search and Destroy?

We aim to answer that in this IdentityTheftSecrets article.

Are you being spied on? Is your privacy being invaded? Is someone keeping track of your internet habits? Or possibly, even worse, are you being sold out?

Spyware threats are silent stalkers. Spyware keeps track of your internet browsing habits and creates a profile on you and your habits. It is then sold to advertising companies so that they can market products to you.

This isn't just invasive and annoying. It can also cause your browser to crash or allow your home page to be altered or even hijacked.

What's worse? Your computer may be infected even if you have not experienced any symptoms or problems.

Spybot - Search and Destroy, which recently released the 1.5.2 version, detects and removes spyware. It is important to know that many common anti-virus software, especially free downloads do not include spyware protection and cannot detect spyware threats.

This anti spyware protection program is free. But is it good?

Yes. So good that it won the PC Magazine's Editor Choice Award and PC World calls it "the best."

If you have had experience with other anti-spyware programs you're probably aware of how long they take as they scan through each file. Here's where Spybot - Search and Destroy is really unique. It takes just minutes. Spybot is able to be fast and still be thorough by focusing on the specific places spyware programs will have to invade.

One very important feature of Spybot Search and Destroy as an anti spyware program is that it includes the safe removal of adware, spyware, dialers, key loggers, Trojans, and usage tracks.

Many people see the term key logger, but are not sure exactly what it means and what harm it could do to their computer or their information. Some other features of Spybot includes the: safe removal of threats by shredding them, backups of every removed problem, and free support by e-mail or discussion forum.

The name key logger was coined back in DOS days where computers where handled just by using a keyboard. The "keyloggers" just logged the keys you press. The spy needed physical access. Modern keyloggers are much improved. They don't need physical access. They can log the keys you press; make screenshots to show what
Windows you're using, and gather information about your internet usage.

Does anyone else ever use your computer? Spybot Search and Destroy can also clean usage tracks. This function protects your privacy if you don't want other computers users to see the "tracks" of where you go on the internet.

Another impressive function of Spybot Search and Destroy, over many competitors, is the "immunize" control. It enables the program to reject certain recognized spyware programs before they can invade your computer's hard drive.

Spybot Search and Destroy offers two options, an Easy mode for new users that comes will all the basic features and does all the work for you or an Advanced mode for professionals who want options for more control over settings or skins. Both the Easy and the Advanced mode of Spybot Search and Destroy are free.

You can use Spybot Search and Destroy at no cost to secure your unprotected computer. You can also use Spybot Search and Destroy software to investigate how well an anti-spyware program you are already using is protecting you. You may be surprised. Steve Bass, PC World was:

"...I discovered an app that outshines Ad-aware: Spybot Search and Destroy. Both Ad-aware and Spybot are free, so I downloaded and ran them both, and then I compared the results. (If you do this, make sure to set the programs to find spyware, not remove it, during the test.) The score? Ad-aware found 9 items (cookies and one false-positive program), while Spybot red-flagged 26 items (cookies and two spy apps). Guess which of the two I always use now?"

Spybot Search and Destroy covers your tracks, removes and even prevents lurking invaders. It protects the information you have saved on your computer as well as protects your information from being stolen, sold and used for someone else's personal gain. If you spend a great deal of time on your computer shopping or working, a protection program is absolutely essential, and Spybot Search and Destroy is one you should absolutely consider downloading.

Find out more and download Spybot Search And Destroy at http://www.SpyBot.com

Do you know your options for complete protection from identity theft? Take a look at this comparision and you decide which identity theft protection program is best for you and your family, IdentityTruth vs. Lifelock.

Is your identity safe? Are you one of the 85% of people who think their identity is safe when in reality over 13 million people had vital personal information compromised last year alone? Do you know your options for complete protection from identity theft?

You've no doubt seen an ad for LifeLock. In the ad, LifeLock CEO Tom Davis grabs consumers' attention by giving out his real social security number on television and on line to make the point that he is safe from identity theft because he has multi-layered protection LifeLock.

IdentityTruth is another such service that wants to protect consumers from the devastating consequences of identity theft. IdentityTruth also offers a protection program involving multiple components.

There are certainly a few precautions that you can take on your own to prevent identity theft and some you can do for free. But did you know that when an identity is stolen, it is abused an average of thirty times before a consumer is aware? You may be able to restore your good credit on your own but how long will it take you? If time is money, what will identity theft cost you on top of the nightmare of ruining your credit? Are you willing to pay for prevention and protection from identity theft?

IdentityTruth subscriptions run $9.99 per month and LifeLock subscriptions are $10.00 a month. Since both are competitively priced, how do their protection programs compare?

Both LifeLock and IdentityTruth will:

1. Set Fraud Alerts

Both LifeLock and IdentityTruth will set up fraud alerts so you will be notified whenever someone tries to establish credit in your name.

2. Removal of your name from pre-approved credit offers

Pre-approved credit card offers can be very susceptible to identity theft because identity thieves can collect these preapproved applications, use and abuse them, and consumers won't know that they
have a problem until their credit is ruined. IdentityTruth and LifeLock will stop these offers and remove this risk. This also eliminates lots of annoying mail.

3. Check your credit report

Both IdentityTruth and LifeLock will order copies of your credit report but there is a distinction between the two here. LifeLock orders the free copies you are entitled to annually while IdentityTruth service actually provides an additional credit report so that you can still claim your free one for yourself at any point in the future.

4. Guarantee Protection

LifeLock offers up to one million dollars to restore your credit in the event of damages from identity theft. IdentityTruth's guarantee offers up to two million dollars.

IdentityTruth and LifeLock also each have unique features. IdentityTruth offers an Identity Health Score.™ The Identity Health Score® is a unique feature of IdentityTruth that is widely recognized as the standard for measuring the risk of your exposure to identity theft.

LifeLock also offers a unique feature called WalletLock™. If your wallet is suddenly stolen, a WalletLock specialist will help you contact each credit card, bank or document issuing company; cancel your affected accounts; and complete the paperwork and steps necessary to replace your lost documents (excluding photos and cash), including credit cards, debit cards, driver's license, social security card, insurance cards, checkbook, and even travelers checks. LifeLock offers this service at no additional cost to subscribers.

Your identity is a lot more than just your credit. Identity is connected with personal assets and identity theft puts you at risk financially and legally. Your identity is much than just data. It's your security. It's your life.

With comprehensive protection plans available from LifeLock and IdentityTruth, finding the right plan is a matter of personal preference and need. The monthly investment is a small price to pay for guaranteed protection against a growing problem, that threatens your peace of mind and financial well-being.

Recently I found myself spending way too much time searching and scanning a bunch of different identity theft and information security news sites to get ideas for what to talk about on IdentityTheftSecrets.com, and as well as keep up to date myself on what's going on.

Every few days, I would find myself spending 1-2 hours reading news sites to get great information about identity theft and information security, which isn't a problem. But once I was on a major news site, I would end up reading everything from the horrors that happen on a regular basis to the offbeat news.

Not the best use of my time.

So I set out to find a way to get all the identity theft and information security news that I scan daily into one place.

To save the unnecessary tech talk, this search brought me to create a personal site that collected all the top headlines from the sites I read-or at least scan-regularly.

These are sites like Schneier on Security, the Truston blog, The Identity Theft Resource Center, The FraudWar Blog, and a whole bunch of others.

It was helpful, but then I realized that if I wanted to share this with you, the Identity Theft Secrets Super Sleuths, I couldn't.

Mission failed... until...

Through a friend's help, I found a script that could "aggregate" all the breaking identity theft headlines onto one public site.

This simply means that all the most recent identity theft news and information security stories and blog postings from around the web are now in one place.

This means that you will be able to reference them and stay up to date on what's going on in the world of information security and Identity Theft.

It's called "IdentityTheftPress" and I'd like you to check it out.

And more importantly - I want you to use it!

But before you do, I would like your help to spread the word about it...

I obviously want people to use this tool, (It's absolutely free and there's nothing you have to sign up for).

So to help get the word out and get more people interested in how this news can affect their lives, here's what you can do...

1. Visit the new site - I'll give you the address at the end of this email.

2. If you like the site, please make it your homepage and/or add it to your bookmarks.

2a. If you know what Digg.com or StumbleUpon.com are, please be sure to "digg" or "stumble" the site using the little icons in the top right corner.

3. If there's a news website or blog you really think should be on the site, please send me the site address.
(Please keep in mind we'll only consider identity theft or information security news sites, or frequently updated, credible blogs with traffic)

That's all... it should take less than 2 minutes of your time and would be extremely valuable to everyone wanting to know how to protect their information.

Right now, as far as I know, myself and a couple other Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Specialists are the only ones who's using IdentityTheftPress, but so far we've all found it's a great way to get more information, more quickly, so we can keep ourselves and our friends/family/clients informed.

Visit http://www.IdentityTheftPress.com

Here's to getting real knowledge into the world more quickly...

- Jonathan

PS: It's been amazing to watch Identity Theft trends on this site.

Especially with all of the recent data breach scandals.

It's also saved me a ton of time!

Go ahead and check it out

Click here to visit http://www.IdentityTheftPress.com - a breaking identity theft and information security news resource!