FTC DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENT:Questionable Choices in Parenting aims to provide unbiased editorials. However, I wish to disclose that from time to time I may receive free products or other compensation from companies for blogger reviews.

I write about my Questionable Choices in Parenting, but let’s be honest, my questionable choices started long before I birthed these two kids. One particular choice still worries me and it’s all 50 Cent’s fault.

Many moons ago, I was out for a night of dancing with my girlfriends when 50 Cent’s “In Da Club” started blaring through the speakers. I needed to be on that dance floor to bust a move because that was my JAM!

Are you singing it now? Don’t worry, I’ll wait.

Done? Good. When I heard the familiar beats of my favorite tune, I ditched my purse on a nearby table and was off to the dance floor.  A couple of songs later, during a dance break, I went to grab my purse and realized it was gone!

Naively, I thought the worst part of  a purse stolen would be replacing my driver’s license; however, it was my identity and credit that took the hit.

My wallet was a thief’s dream filled with unused credit cards that I never noted the account number or what bank they were attached to. Those cards were gone and I had no clue who to contact to cancel the cards.  I should have just signed a bunch of blank checks and threw them out to people while I danced away like I was “Shorty” and it was my birthday.

If that isn’t enough to make your credit report panic, I also had my social security card in my wallet. Maybe I thought someone would need to verify my citizenship while clubbing? While 50 Cent was rapping about getting “a mill’ out the deal and I’m still on the grind,” I handed over magic numbers for someone to walk away with my identity.

Even though “you should love way more than you hate” it only took a few months for me to feel the impact of identity theft. It started with an angry collection agency demanding I pay for a cell phone in Utah. I tried to explain it was impossible for me to open a cellphone in a state that was across the country, let alone one I’ve never visited. But when they sent me a copy of a statement, there it was in black and white: someone used my information to open that cellphone account.

The cell phone was just the beginning of confusing and stressful process of trying to catch and clear up fraudulent charges and accounts . Even now, ten years later, I still worry about what could show up on my credit report from having my identity stolen.

Identify theft happened to me because of the contents of my stolen purse, but think about how much information we share and don’t even realize.

When I think about my frustration and anxiety over trying to figure out what steps I should take to protect myself, I really wish I had a trusted company like LifeLock to help me.

LifeLock is a suite of services that works together to protect your identity from various risks. With social media and technology being an integral part of our day-to-day life, it makes me feel better that LifeLock is so progressive and vigilant when offering assistance to people just like me. Having a trusted company like LifeLock to offer guidance, show me the right steps to protect my identity, and to offer authentic support would have been invaluable to me.

Interested?Then check out LifeLock right here.

So the next time you want to find me in “Da Club,” I’ll be on the dance floor holding my purse!