May 26, 2004
The cost of protecting your identity
Cnn writes With identity theft rampant, we need to be cautious with our personal information. But consumer advocates say there's something else we ought to be vigilant about: expensive services for identity theft protection.
The prevalence of credit card fraud and other identity-related crimes has given rise to a cottage industry of services aimed at protecting people from falling victim.
These products include access to credit reports, e-mail alerts about changes in your credit status, and insurance that can cover expenses you might incur in righting any wrongs.
While some services are offered for free by financial institutions, others cost well over $100 a year.
That gives pause to consumer advocates, who say some of the services offered -- like lawyers' fees -- are rarely needed.
A more common scenario is that someone misappropriates your credit card, which technically counts as identity theft, but your liability for that is limited by federal law to $50 -- and that amount is often waived.
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