Shore Up Your Identity-Theft Safeguards

But it wasn't just these intimate details that shocked me. What was really scary was the number of records it found for people who share my name and might be confused with me.

I learned that there's another Terry Savage in Illinois who has huge credit problems and filed for bankruptcy. The PIP report found 11 criminal records that match my name around the country. Several of those people are currently in jail for various offenses, and some are out on parole. And disappointingly, of the 129 unclaimed assets reported in my name, none belonged to me!

The report made me stop to think about the kind of information available, and the nefarious ways it could be used. That's why the second companion product, also owned by MyPublicInfo, is so valuable.

It's called IdentitySweep, and for a montly fee of $4.95 it sends email alerts of any manipulations to your name or Social Security number. It provides automatic scanning of your personal information found in Internet directories and databases, including your name and up to three of your phone numbers, addresses and email addresses. So if your information is stolen, you can take immediate action.

IdentitySweep even monitors more than 100 Internet chatrooms around the world, mostly located abroad, where hundreds of people buy and sell stolen identity files.

For an additional $2 per month, IdentitySweep provides a zero-deductible identity-theft insurance that gives you up to $25,000 coverage for lost wages, legal bills and expenses for filing forms if your identity is compromised.

This type of public record search and warning goes far beyond credit reports and credit monitoring services. You're empowered to maintain control over the potential misuse of your identity. That's worth paying for -- and that's The Savage Truth.