Ohio at High Risk of Identity Theft: Urged to Enroll with Debix

If you live in the great state of Ohio, you have likely heard the story in the news about the state intern who lost a disk containing thousands of peoples' personal information.

"It was announced that a data device containing state workers' personal info had been given to an Ohio state intern who reported it missing after his vehicle was burglarized. At the time, officials reported that the data pertained to 64,000 state employees."

Myself, in addition to the other four people in my family, have received letters from the state. These letters stated that our names were on the stolen disk, and while it can't be confirmed that this disk is accessible to the thief, we are recommended to sign up with Debix. Debix is a company that specializes in reducing or limiting the effects of identity theft. Out of the kindness of their hearts, the state has said they would provide this service to us for one year free of charge.

That sounds great, the only problem is most identity thefts don't occur for several years after the information is stolen. Who knows when this thief will be able to access the information. The other problem is, once you are a victim it is likely to be a recurring crime. So basically, a one year membership will not do a whole lot of good.

My next problem with Debix is, they don't offer much as far as identity theft restoration after the crime has occurred. They will send you a do-it-yourself kit to get the problem corrected. Now yes, you can actually restore you own identity, BUT the problem is the amount of time it takes. Most of the agencies and creditors you need to call are open regular business hours, so those of us working our 9-5's would have to either have to make these calls at work, or take time off.

So as you can tell, I don't think to highly of Debix. I prefer the company I use because they offer 100% restoration. They also monitor more than just my credit report. They also check public records, medical records, postal records, and driver records. Anytime there is a change to any of these, they email me with the details.