An Identity Theft Service: For Those Who Have Everything

Perhaps the most important time in the awful life cycle of an identity theft is the first few days, as the thief is trying out his new identity, making small purchases, signing up for odd and unsavory services. It's a time when, in theory, quick action can help stem the damage and speed the recovery. Sadly, most people are unaware that their identity's been stolen until very late in the game, when a lot of damage has been done and the timeline for regaining control of your name, address, social security number, and such can stretch into years.

Intelius, a Seattle-based background-check company, believes it has come up with a solution, called IDWatch, to help ID theft victims learn they're in trouble much, much sooner. The new service launches today and can be found at www.intelius.com.