Attorney General Tom Corbett has announced that more than $320,000 is being distributed to Pennsylvania consumers as part of a multi-state settlement with LifeLock Inc., an Arizona-based company accused of making confusing or misleading statements in the advertisement and promotion of identity theft protection services.

Corbett said a total of 29,449 eligible Pennsylvania consumers will each be receiving a $10.87 restitution check. The payments will include a notification letter from the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which is administering the distribution of settlement funds across the country.

Consumers with questions about the settlement can call the FTC's LifeLock Hotline at  1-888-288-0783 or visit the LifeLock settlement website at: http://www.ftc.gov/lifelock.

Consumers attempting to verify that a refund check is legitimate can obtain additional information on the FTC website at: www.ftc.gov/refunds.

Corbett said the multi-state investigation reviewed complaints that LifeLock allegedly exaggerated the risk of identity theft, inflated the likelihood that consumers would become future victims and made confusing statements about a "million dollar guarantee" which would not actually provide any compensation or reimbursement for victims.

Corbett noted that the settlement included $11 million national fund for consumer relief, which is being distributed to eligible LifeLock subscribers in 35 states, along with $1 million to support future consumer protection investigations and education by the states. 

Corbett urged concerned consumers to visit the "Identity Theft Toolkit" section of the Attorney General's website, at www.attorneygeneral.gov, for tips to help prevent ID theft, along with step-by-step instructions for responding to any problems you encounter (Move your mouse over the "Consumers" button on the front page of the website and select "Identity Theft Toolkit" from the menu that appears).

"Consumer can take many easy steps toward preventing or quickly catching identity theft, absolutely free of charge," Corbett said. "Closely checking your monthly credit card bills for unauthorized charges, studying your bank statements for unusual activity and regularly reviewing your credit report for signs of suspicious new accounts will give you a clear and accurate picture of your credit activity - putting you in a strong position to respond to any problems."

Corbett noted that every Pennsylvania consumer is entitled to one free credit report every year from each of the three major credit bureaus.  By spreading out their requests, it is possible for consumers to retrieve their credit reports several times per year - minimizing the length of time that any problems could go unnoticed.

Consumers can request their free credit reports by using the national website, created specifically for this purpose:  www.annualcreditreport.com.