Getting Unlisted

• The process of getting unlisted or deleting one's contact information can either be done by the individual or a company on their behalf. If the process is to be undertaken by the concerned individual, some steps should be taken.

• The first step is to "call the local phone provider and ask to be unlisted and unpublished." The next step is to "search for one's name in online white pages, visit the website of each company that shows a search result with the name and phone number, and contact each company individually to have the contact removed from their database."
• Identity Theft Protection companies abound to do all the work to get an individual unlisted and their identities protected. These companies typically charge between $10 and $30 monthly.

Identity Theft Protection Companies

LifeLock

•  LifeLock is a subsidiary of Symantec that provides a wide range of identity protection and monitoring services. The company's pricing model is based on membership.
• It's protection services are available in three membership plans. The first is LifeLock Standard which costs $8.99 monthly for the first year and can reimburse $25,000 for stolen funds. This plan provides identity & social security number alerts, and credit monitoring: One-Bureau.
• The second plan is LifeLock Advantage which costs $17.99 monthly for the first year and can reimburse $100,000 for Stolen Funds. This plan provides identity and social security number alerts, credit monitoring: one-bureau, bank account & credit card activity alerts, alerts on crimes committed in one's name.
• The last plan is LifeLock Ultimate Plus which costs $26.99 monthly for the first year and can reimburse $1 million for stolen funds. This plan provides identity and social security number alerts, credit monitoring: one-bureau, bank account & credit card activity alerts, alerts on crimes committed in one's name, annual 3 bureau credit reports and credit scores, and 401(k) & investment account activity alerts.

Privacy Guard

•  Privacy Guard is another identity theft protection company. The company offers three distinct plans that are billed monthly. Before commencing any of the plans, users are allowed a 14-day trial that costs $1 only.
• The company's plans include Identity Protection which monitors the user's information for signs of identity theft. This plan costs $9.99 monthly.
•  Credit Protection, the second plan provides triple bureau reports, scores and more. This plan costs $19.99 monthly.
• The company's best plan Total Protection costs $29.99 monthly and offers both credit and identity protection services.
• Privacy Guard also constantly scans "websites where identity thieves are known to buy and sell private information" to ensure that the personal, financial, and sensitive information of their clients are not at risk.

Complete ID

•  Complete ID is a product of Experian, "one of the big three credit reporting agencies." One of these service's valuable features is "its neighborhood watch, updated monthly, which provides details on sexual predators and crimes in your area."
• The company also offers "monitoring for unauthorized use of your Social Security number and other non-credit identity monitoring." It also provides a $1 million insurance on identity theft.
• Complete ID works with Costco and offers two pricing plans. Executive members are charged $8.99 monthly while Business and Gold Star members are charged $13.99 monthly.

ID Watchdog

•  ID Watchdog's competitive advantage is that "it helps its clients recover after being the victim of an identity theft experience." They provide child credit lock and social network alerts.
• The company also offers a guarantee of "100% identity theft resolution." This guarantee comes with terms and conditions. The recovery service can only be offered if the defrauded client was an active customer as at the time the fraud took place.
• ID Watchdog offers various plans for consumers, employees, brokers, and employers.