LifeLock

Infobox Company
company_name=LifeLock
company_
type=Privately held
foundation = 2005
location_city=Tempe, Arizona
location_country=United States
homepage=http://www.lifelock.com LifeLock, founded in 2005, is a personal fraud protection company.cite web
url=http://phoenix.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2007/06/11/daily15.html
title=LifeLock founder resigns amid questions about his past
publisher=bizjournals.com
date=2007-06-12
accessdate=2007-06-19] For a fee, the company once every 90 days asks for a fraud alert on your file by calling Experian, Equifax or TransUnion (the three major credit bureaus) who communicate this information to each other. [http://www.lifelock.com/lifelock-for-people LifeLock Identity Theft Protection & Identity Theft Prevention Products] ] [ [http://weblog.infoworld.com/robertxcringely/archives/2007/07/dumb_dumber_and.html Dumb, dumber, and Davis] published July 26, 2007] Experian has accused LifeLock "of deceiving consumers about the breadth of its protection and abusing the system for attaching fraud alerts to credit reports." [ [http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/05/22/lifelock.flap.ap/index.html?eref=rss_topstories CNN] article "Fraud-prevention pitchman becomes ID theft victim" published May 22, 2008]

Marketing

Lifelock's Web site states: "Our Guarantee: If your Identity is misused while you are our client, we’ll spend up to $1,000,000 to make it right." The television ads, featuring a truck advertising CEO Richard Todd Davis' Social Security Number (457-55-5462), boasts the same.

Former United States Senator and 2008 US Presidential candidate Fred Thompson, as a part of his ABC contract, recorded a radio spot for LifeLock. In these commercials, Thompson recounts a tale of military heroism in Iraq, then introduces himself and says the company’s service can stop identity theft. cite web
title =An awkward ad by Fred Thompson
url =http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-lifelock9jun09,0,1969540.story?page=1
accessdate = 2007-06-16 dead link|date=October 2007] Other celebrity spokespersons for LifeLock have included Howard Stern, Paul Harvey, and Rush Limbaugh.

Controversy

Robert J. Maynard, Jr., one of the co-founders of the company resigned after it was revealed that he had once been accused of taking money from consumer bank accounts without permission. Maynard spent several days in a Maricopa County Jail in 2003 because of an alleged unpaid $16,000 casino marker from the Mirage. Maynard came up with the plan for LifeLock while sitting in his jail cell, so other people could avoid being victimized by identity thieves. While it's true Maynard spent that time in jail, he was "not" the victim of identity theft. The $16,000 casino marker was his. The Mirage had gotten a copy of his Arizona driver's license when it made him the loan.cite web
title =What Happened in Vegas...
url =http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2007-05-31/news/what-happened-in-vegas/
accessdate = 2007-05-31]

In 2007, it was reported that the founder and CEO of LifeLock, Todd Davis, became the victim of fraud when someone used his published social security number to obtain a $500 loan.cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/05/22/lifelock.flap.ap/index.html?eref=ib_technology |title=Fraud-prevention pitchman becomes ID theft victim |accessdate=2008-05-22] The alleged identity thief did not face criminal charges because LifeLock stepped in before the police could finish investigating the crime and coerced the suspect into making a videotaped confession that isn't admissible in court.cite web
title =Dumb, dumber, and Davis
url =http://weblog.infoworld.com/robertxcringely/archives/2007/07/dumb_dumber_and.html
accessdate = 2008-01-10 ]

In February 2008, the credit information company Experian sued LifeLock for fraud and false advertising. Experian alleged that LifeLock initiated false credit fraud alerts on Experian customer accounts and misled the public as to the necessity of its services.cite web
title =Experian Sues LifeLock For 'Abusing' Fraud Alert System
url= http://www.forbes.com/markets/commodities/2008/02/21/experian-lifelock-update-markets-equity-cx_md_0221-markets32.html
accessdate = 2008-03-20 ]

As of 2008 there are currently over 25 people using Todd Davis' social security number and also three lawsuits pending against them for illegal activities and misrepresentation. This comes directly from transcripts of the court proceedings.cite web
title =ID theft protection firm sued
url= http://www.wvgazette.com/News/200805172662
accessdate = 2008-05-20 ]

On May 29, 2008 in an interview with talkshow host Mike McConnell on WLW, Todd Davis claimed that out of a total of 88 attempted thefts of his identity, only the $500 payday advance loan was a success, which was not the fault of LifeLock, because the lender failed to check the validity of the thief's claim. Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.