Last week's press conference by the FTC and 35 Attorneys General launched a media frenzy over the FTC vs. LifeLock settlement. The news and findings reported left some of us shaking our heads and some others confused.
Now, the truth is, I have NO problem with the FTC and State AG's investigating a company over consumer complaints that point out any degree of deceptive practices or deceptive advertising. None! I try to expose these practices when they are brought to my attention. The thing is, whether it's 12 complaints or 200 complaints, if consumers are damaged by corporate wrongs, then the company doing it should be scrutinized, period. The Better Business Bureau has taken that stance for years and it's worked quite well.
Problem is, it's getting more and more difficult to know what to believe in these days. Who to trust --and who not to --isn't so clear. When looking for unbiased info on the web, first we need to sift through the massive amounts of biased reviews. Sorting fact from fiction these days isn't only frustrating --it's time consuming. This latest joint press conference brought about more than just a media storm, it brought about confusion from consumers wondering how best to protect their identities.Call me crazy, but the confusion and distrust consumers and advocates alike have over the identity theft protection industry itself, can be partialy blamed on the behavior of some in the industry itself. The Consumer Federation believes the identity theft industry should develop best practices to encourage providing clear, accurate and complete information about what identity theft services do. I agree.
It's important for consumers to take the time to review the various services on the market today in order to make an informed decision --based on facts, not fiction --when trying to figure out what if any services are worthy of your money --and trust. Figure out who is out to protect you --and who is out to protect their profits.
See: Best Practices for Identity Theft Services: How Are Services Measuring Up?
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