ID theft services not necessary, but be careful on the CTA

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Updated: January 13, 2012 7:07PM

Dear Readers: When it happened to a member of The Fixer’s family, it was so fast, so seamless, they were awed by how skillful the operator was.

The poor kid never felt her school ID and CTA pass being lifted by a pickpocket operating on public transit.

Anyone who’s ever been a victim of a pickpocket knows that the only thing worse than losing your money is dealing with all the hassles necessary to protect your identity. Luckily, when you’re a kid, there isn’t much to protect. But an adult who loses a purse or wallet needs to file a police report, change their bank accounts, call their credit card companies, contact the three credit bureaus and apply for a new driver’s license.

This is a good time to remind everyone to never keep their Social Security card in their wallet and to keep a list someplace safe in their home listing the cards that are in their wallet to make things easier to deal with if a pickpocket strikes.

Speaking of ID theft

We’ve all seen offers from companies who say they’ll protect you from identity theft or insure you against losses if it happens. But is it worth it?

Not really, according to the folks at Consumer Reports Money Adviser, who investigate these offers in their February issue. The newsletter, published by the nonprofit Consumers Union, reports that much of what ID protection services offer can be accomplished on your own, for free.

Their advice? Sign up for free alerts from your credit-card issuer and bank that will let you know when charges above a set dollar amount are made to your credit card or if your checking account balance dips below a certain amount.

They also recommend against costly identity theft insurance, since it’s secondary to what your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance would already cover.

COSTLY LESSON: A consumer’s tale of woe

A new year, a new look. That’s what J.S. of the northwest suburbs was hoping for when she saw an ad online for a moisturizing cream that could erase lines and wrinkles.

Even better, it had a free trial offer, so she wouldn’t be risking any money.

Or so she thought.

The ad contained two links and what seemed to be an offer for a 30-day free trial. J.S. ordered samples from both links. But the order sent through the second link had a shorter trial period buried in the fine print on their website.

When she called to cancel, they curtly told her the trial period was only 10 days and she’d already missed it. What’s more, an automatic shipment was already on its way, at a cost of $97 to be automatically charged to her card.

“The rep said this is stated on their website and if I didn’t see it, it’s my fault,” J.S. wrote The Fixer. “I thought I was being so careful when ordering this product so that this didn’t happen. I don’t know how I missed this.”

Unfortunately, she missed it because these people are pros. Deep in one of the websites for the California company she dealt with is this language describing how consumers ordering a free trial are also giving their consent to an automatic shipment of high-priced products:

“You understand that this consumer transaction involves a negative option and that you will be liable for payment of product that was shipped to you, and future shipments of product, if you fail to notify us to stop supplying the product to you.”

Whether it’s diet pills, colon cleansers, wrinkle creams or anything else, these companies will usually cancel your subscription if you complain, but by then they’ve already snookered you into the first month’s worth of charges.

The Fixer’s advice? Stay away from all these “free” trial offers.

What is a Costly Lesson? It’s an UNFIXABLE problem that cost someone a lot of money but holds a valuable lesson for the rest of us. If you’ve got something to warn the rest of us about, e-mail szimmermann@suntimes.com with Costly Lessons in the subject line. And don’t worry — for Costly Lessons, we leave out last names to prevent further embarrassment.

Getting the runaround over a consumer problem? Tell it to The Fixer at suntimes.com/fixer , where you’ll find a simple form to fill out. You’ll also find a list of consumer contacts and tips. Because of the large volume of submissions, The Fixer can’t personally reply to every problem. Letters are edited for length and clarity.