How to prevent identity theft?

PHOENIX, USA: New ID theft prevention service touts individual privacy control: individuals not asked to grant power of attorney; sensitive info never stored, fraud alert call forwarding reinforces early warning notification, web based service places emphasis on total privacy control and secrecy of all individuals as the only way to stop ID theft.

"Smart technology along with an emphasis on total privacy of all individuals is the only way to prevent identity theft from ever occuring," says Anthony Tomei, vice president of LockDown My ID LLC.

The Phoenix Arizona based company's website, http://www.lockdownmyid.com, is offering quite a unique service that some say rivals LifeLock and other copycat services that claim protection over prevention.

Tomei says, "There is no service out there that can protect an individual from identity theft. Only people who are interested in becoming "classified" can protect themselves fully and that's exactly what LockDown My ID helps them to do."

"Currently there are a few concierge services that require the individual to give them power of attorney and store that person's sensitive information on their server, this places the customer at risk of data breaches and possible attack from professional hackers. "Storing sensitive personal information on another company's server defeats the entire purpose of preventing identity theft and is counterproductive to establishing any protection," says Tomei.

LockDown My ID has taken a different approach to identity theft by allowing individuals to LockDown their identity using a virtual web based service that doesn't ask for power of attorney, doesn't store sensitive personal information and offers fraud alert call forwarding with up to 3 phone numbers, plus e mail alerts to make sure consumers are quickly notified wherever they may be.

"Actual services that benefit the consumer will spearhead an effort to help individuals extract and request removal of their indentity from numerous databases online and offline," says Tomei.