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Award winning app with Mobile Attack Control
2 months free on all annual plans
3-bureau credit monitoring, scoring and reporting
IdentityForce.com is, according to various online consumer reports, the best identity theft protection available. There are at least a couple of reasons why this might be true. First of all, the company has recently joined forces with another high-profile security agency called EZShield. This partnership has resulted in exceptional service with a wide range of services and handy prevention tools. Both subscription plans include social media monitoring which is quite rare, while the slightly more expensive one will give you all the credit monitoring you might need.READ REVIEW
Award winning app with Mobile Attack Control
2 months free on all annual plans
3-bureau credit monitoring, scoring and reporting
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Intersections Inc, a company that created Identity Guard, appeared way back in 1996 and essentially established the entire ID theft protection industry. Identity Guard has evolved significantly over the years, especially thanks to the fruitful partnership with IBM’s powerful AI software Watson. However, one of the main reasons this might be the best family ID theft protection is the price. Starting at $7.50 a month, it is among the cheapest offers on the market. As numerous Identity Guard reviews on the web show, it’s definitely worth a try.READ REVIEW
Watson AI system
Near real-time response
Dark web monitoring
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The Norton LifeLock partnership is one of the best combinations you can find for extensive security of your personal details. If you choose to opt for the antivirus version, your best protection for identity theft will also come with a free VPN, which is often charged as a separate service. The higher up the subscription plans you go, the more monitoring options you unlock but be careful of the price. All of the subscriptions are presented with prices for the first year while the renewals cost more. Make sure you read the fine print before making your choice.READ REVIEW
Norton 360 antivirus
Credit monitoring in all plans
VPN services
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While you won’t find the best free identity theft protection on the market worth your while, IdentityIQ might be the next best thing. With its prices starting as low as $6.99 a month, this company is a great choice for users who want an inexpensive but reliable service. The excellent identity restoration team will guide you through the entire process if it comes to that while the insurance protects both you and your family. READ REVIEW
Low prices
Dark web searches in 25 languages
Criminal activity alerts
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There are dozens of companies on the internet claiming to offer the best protection against identity theft but do they really live up to people’s expectations? To find out whether that’s true, we’ve put all of them through our filter and handpicked the top ones. Here are some of the main elements we looked at.
First off, we check to see the quality and the range of the promised monitoring services. Does the company keep track of all your financial accounts? Can it dive into the dangerous waters of the dark web to find stolen information? Will it keep an eye out on social media and photo leaks?
Does it also offer the best credit card identity theft protection? These are all important questions that give you a good idea about the quality and depth of the service. Some ID protection companies focus solely on credit monitoring service, while others only search the web for your personal details. We demand an all-inclusive package.
Logically, the service can’t just end with detection. What happens after your leaked data is discovered? We need to make sure that the company won’t leave you hanging. What kind of reactions and remedies can you expect?
Does the company offer valuable advice or act upon it? We also understand the importance of prevention that is often at the very heart of the best identity theft protection service. Because of that, we appreciate it when the provider takes some extra steps to prevent scammers from stealing your information in the future.
Since you’re not personally searching for your data online, you can only know as much as the software will tell you. This is precisely why the site’s interface plays such an important role. We take a look at the platform, its compatibility with devices you have and ease of use. How efficient is the alert system and how much information does it provide?
You can tell a lot about the company simply by looking at its website design, especially in this niche. The best identity theft protection companies that make it onto our list really give you that professional vibe right away.
The thing with customer support is – you don’t care about it until you actually need it. So, it’s good to know that the agents are just around the corner, waiting to respond to your emergency. We check to see how many methods you have at your disposal and assess the quality of the service.
Sometimes, the companies will include plenty of information on the website with a comprehensive help center, so you can find the answer yourself. A solid FAQ section can often answer the majority of basic questions.
The best identity theft protection plans usually aren’t too expensive but since it’s a monthly subscription, it can add up. Our reviews will let you know if there are any hidden fees or additional costs covertly included in the deal. Most of the time, we include the prices at the very end because, at that point, you already know what you’re getting. You’ll be able to determine by yourself if the promised services are worth the money.
Although not under the same name, IdentityForce has been around for decades. Today, it is considered the best identity theft protection as consumer reports and numerous positive reviews on the web confirm. In 2019, the company joined forces with another high-profile developer called EZShield to create the ultimate security system.
It’s no wonder then that IdentityForce has so many features to offer both in its basic and advanced packages. Let’s dissect the offer, bit by bit.
It’s quite refreshing to see a company with pricing plans whose names are just self-explanatory. The main difference between the basic UltraSecure package and the advanced UltraSecure+Credit is, you’ve guessed it, its credit monitoring services.
Besides that, they’re identical. If you want the best identity theft protection for a family, you will need to contact the customer support and get a custom quote. In terms of transparency, it’s not ideal that you can’t get the IdentityForce family plan cost on the website but at least the support team is helpful and quick to respond.
The UltraSecure plan includes various monitoring features like fraud, change of address, court records, medical misuse, criminal activities, and even social media coverage. In addition to that, the service also analyzes data from the dark web and protects you from mobile attacks.
Although most of these features are found elsewhere, IdentityForce has some special options like junk mail opt-out. This feature removes you from major emailing databases that scammers use for outreach.
Even though IdentityForce’s best ID theft protection for families doesn’t include an antivirus, it does give you a couple of useful PC security tools to help with the prevention. The anti-phishing and anti-keylogging software stops you from visiting suspicious websites and blocks any script that tries to read sensitive information through your keyboard.
This is generally how most scammers operate, so using this together with two-factor authentication will ensure safe browsing.
You receive all your alerts through text messages or emails, according to your preference. The dashboard looks modern and, more importantly, it’s extremely simple to navigate. If you want to check the status of your best ID theft protection on the go, you can use the well-built mobile app that offers a smooth experience on both Android and iOS devices.
Everything we’ve mentioned so far belongs to the standard UltraSecure subscription plan at $17.95 a month. The company brags that it’s a discount from $17.99 but, honestly, that just sounds ridiculous.
The UltraSecure+Credit package will cost you $23.95 a month with just a few more features and credit monitoring services. Namely, you will be assigned a dedicated specialist to guide you through the process of freezing your account or reporting identity frauds.
That way you ensure the best credit identity theft protection and recovery in case you need it. This IdentityForce pricing plan keeps an eye out on your credit reports from all three bureaus but also adds one more interesting tool. With the credit score simulator, you can actually test various financial decisions and see how they affect the numbers.
Reasons to Buy
Partnership with EZShield
Social media tracking
Credit score simulator
Mobile attacks protection
Junk mail opt-out
Anti-phishing PC software
Android and iOS apps
Dark web analysis
The main driving force behind Identity Guard’s praised service is its artificial intelligence system Watson. It does an exceptional job of scanning the entirety of the web for your personal information, with some of the best response times in the industry.
The subscription plans are quite affordable and offer good value even with the cheapest option. You can utilize dark web monitoring, credit reporting, and even keep track of social media. All of these reports are delivered to your dedicated mobile app. Let’s take a more in-depth look at the provided service.
Like we’ve mentioned at the very start, the reason why Identity Guard is among the best rated identity theft protection companies on the internet is the use of a powerful artificial intelligence system named Watson.
It is a platform developed by IBM that allows for quick scanning of millions of files across the web in search of your details. The system is so efficient that you get near real-time alerts about potential problems and suspicious activities. This exclusive partnership of Identity Guard with Watson is definitely the company’s main selling point.
All of the information you need is presented through a modern but simple dashboard. It shows you the number of alerts for each section along with the credit score and risk management report. Note that the best identity theft protection and credit monitoring are only unlocked with the second-tier subscription plan.
Seeing how you’re getting a monthly score based on TransUnion reports, it’s worth the few extra bucks. The platform is compatible with various devices and has a well-optimized mobile app. It’s the easiest way to use Identity Guard, sign in through your phone and keep track of your data on the go.
The cheapest Value subscription plan can provide you with three types of alerts – high-risk bank transactions, information leak on the dark web, and personal threats found by Watson AI. With the second plan you get alerts for bank account takeovers and credit score changes.
The most expensive plan will throw in a special ingredient to the mix – a full credit report from all three consumer reporting agencies. While the third plan might seem expensive in comparison, you do get the best credit monitoring and identity theft protection in one package, which is worth your money.
When you become a member of the Identity Guard community, you also get a fraud insurance policy with a maximum of $1 million. This means that the company will reimburse you up to a million dollars of the funds you lose while under its care.
Naturally, the Identity Guard will make sure you don’t lose a penny but it’s still nice to have this form of guarantee. Speaking of prevention, every package also includes a safe-browsing extension and anti-phishing mobile app. The top-tier plan will give you a report about potential threats on social media.
The majority of the best ID theft protection companies on the market gladly offer a trial mode for new customers but Identity Guard is not one of them. The cheapest you can go is with the Ultra plan that will cost you $7.50 a month if you pay annually.
The family plan bumps the price to $12.50 but covers all of the adults and children in one household. If you have a big family, this is a bargain. All of the prices are clearly presented on the site with no hidden setup fees or extra charges. What you see is what you get and that’s commendable to say the least.
Reasons to Buy
Watson AI system
Near real-time response
Dark web monitoring
Optimized mobile app
3-bureau credit reports
$1 million identity protection insurance
Safe-browsing extension
Anti-phishing mobile app
LifeLock was the best identity theft protection for families even before its partnership with sister company Norton. Now, even with the cheapest package you also get a reputable antivirus that has been providing solid protection for nearly three decades now.
Besides this, users appreciate the fact that every plan includes Equifax credit monitoring service. Naturally, the plans become progressively more complex the higher you go. The problem is that the prices significantly go up after the first year promotional offer. Here is our take on it.
First of all, it’s commendable that LifeLock doesn’t actually push you into getting Norton 360 together with your package. If you’re only searching for the best protection from identity theft and nothing else – you’re free to choose the Standard package.
It keeps track of your identity, SSN, privacy issues, and takes note of any data breaches. LifeLock reviews the data on the dark web and monitors your credit, assuming you are verified with Equifax. Overall, it’s not a bad package for $8.33 a month. The annual plan renews at $124.99 a year, which comes to about $10.4 a month. It is a jump but still nothing too bad.
Now, if you want to get Norton 360 with LifeLock, you can opt for the seemingly same-priced Select package. In addition to the best identity theft protection service, you also get an award-winning antivirus together with VPN for safe browsing. It’s a great bundle for $8.33 a month in that first year but there’s also a “hidden” fee.
Namely, since you’ll also be subscribing to the antivirus protection, your plan renews at $149.99 a year. That’s about $12.5 a month. Seeing how this buys you identity protection and security for up to five devices, it’s the best value for money.
There are two higher-tier LifeLock plans available offering additional monitoring options and covering more devices. With Advantage, at $15 a month, you get the best personal identity theft protection from previous plans along with alerts for financial changes and any crimes committed in your name. Advantage also secures up to 10 devices which is enough for most households nowadays.
The most expensive package at $21.67 a month for the first year called Ultimate Plus protects an unlimited number of devices and includes annual credit reports from all three bureaus. This premium plan unlocks various other monitoring services but be careful about the hidden LifeLock cost and read the fine print.
The plan renews at around $29 a month after the first year, which might be a bit more than you bargained for.
Almost all of the best ID theft protection services on the market offer some form of insurance if your identity gets stolen on their watch. The standard $1 million insurance is only valid for the most expensive plan.
Advantage has a limit of $100,000, while the two cheapest offer reimbursement up to $25,000. There is also the “virus protection promise” that will give you a refund if Norton can’t remove the virus from your device. You can contact the LifeLock customer service to get all the detailed information about any of the plans. They are always helpful and friendly.
Reasons to Buy
Norton 360 antivirus
Credit monitoring services in all plans
VPN services
Bank and credit card alerts
Criminal identity theft protection
Identity theft protection insurance
US-based identity restoration specialist
Excellent customer support
Compared to some other entries on the list, IdentityIQ is not that old. The company was founded in 2010 but thanks to its high-quality service, it quickly found its place among the veterans as the best-rated ID theft protection by impacted people. IdentityIQ.com has a total of four plans available with the cheapest one costing just $6.99 a month for the basic service.
With this basic plan you can only get the essentials at a more affordable price
That way you can only get the essentials at a more than affordable price or go a bit further with credit monitoring, score checker, or LPOA restoration. The choice is yours. Here is what it all looks like.
As you might expect from a premium platform like this, IdentityIQ offers a wide range of monitoring services. You get SSN alerts, file sharing network searches, credit changes, criminal activity, and dark web analyses. The only thing missing from this extensive list is social media tracking.
We have to mark it down as a flaw in our best identity theft protection review. This type of identity theft is quite common nowadays so it’s important to keep it in check.
The basic subscription named Secure Plan will cost you $6.99, which is among the lowest figures on the market. It includes all of the basic monitoring features except for some advanced credit options. This plan is perfect for users who don’t want to damage their budget too much but still want a decent amount of protection.
On the other end of the line is the most expensive Secure Max plan that will cost you $29.99 a month. With this plan, you get the best ID theft protection plus monthly reports from all three bureaus, alerts on potential criminal activities, and the family protection insurance. The latter covers all of your household family members and reimburses any theft damage up to $25,000. IdentityIQ saves you the trouble of getting a specific family plan for your loved ones.
So, what happens if your identity gets stolen? Every client is protected with IdentityIQ $1 million insurance, to reimburse the damage caused by it, pay for lawyer fees, and any additional expenses that might come up.
You are assigned with a dedicated US-based case manager to guide you through the recovery process. The best ID theft protection reviews on the web show that these professionals do an amazing job and, thanks to the LPOA authorization, can do all the paperwork in your stead.
Another interesting feature worth mentioning concerns deep web searches. Namely, IdentityIQ performs these inquiries in more than 25 languages. This simply expands the area of search and gives you even better results. Unfortunately, there’s no way to try out the service before you buy it.
There is no IdentityIQ free trial mode or any similar promotions. We recommend you try out the cheapest option and see if it works for you.
Reasons to Buy
Low prices
Dark web searches in 25 languages
Criminal activity alerts
Credit changes monitoring
Family members insurance
US-based case managers
LPOA restorations
Before you can choose the best identity theft protection services, you need to get acquainted with the concept itself. As the saying goes – know your enemy. We live in a world where you just can’t afford to be in the dark when it comes to online protection.
Identity theft is broadly defined as the deliberate use of someone else’s identity usually for financial purposes. While this type of crime is older than the internet, it really took off in the online era.
Nowadays, we all share way too much personal information with the world, which makes us compelling, easy targets for scammers and criminals. It makes sense then that, according to experts in identity theft, the best protection starts with ourselves. Once you’re aware of the problem, you’re already on the road to solve it.
There are plenty of reasons why scammers might want to steal your identity. First off, it gives them direct access to your bank account and your funds. Secondly, it gives them means to apply for a loan or receive various other benefits in your name.
Worst-case scenario, they can sell your personal information on the dark web to various criminals who might blackmail you or commit serious crimes using your credentials. Unfortunately, the possibilities are endless.
There are dozens of different identity theft types, both online and offline. We’ll give you a short breakdown of the most important ones so you can decide what is the best identity theft protection accordingly.
Identity Guard is often named the best value identity theft protection for a number of reasons. Even the cheapest subscription plan relies on IBM’s AI technology called Watson that can go through heaps of online data and successfully locate potential threats.
You get real-time alerts through a well-optimized app and a dedicated case manager. If you compare Identity Guard vs LifeLock you might also opt for the latter simply because it includes credit monitoring from one bureau with its cheapest plan. At slightly higher prices, LifeLock also offers VPN services and secures your devices from future threats.
Identity theft can be a serious problem that affects your life in a number of ways. Investing a small portion of your monthly budget in the best ID theft protection service might save you heaps of money in the long run.
The thing is – this type of threat will only get more complex and sophisticated as time goes by. Scammers keep finding new ways to abuse your personal information, so you need a reliable partner to keep an eye out at all times. Some services will only help you find the leaked info, others will help you patch the holes, while the best ones usually offer the full package.
According to financial expert Dave Ramsey, the best identity theft protection on the market is offered by Zander Insurance Group. The company has fairly affordable subscription plans with free service for children included in the family package.
It covers all types of identity theft and does the recovery work for you. However, despite its claimed proactive approach, Zander doesn’t provide any security tools within the package. In addition to that, you don’t get automatic credit monitoring, you have to check it yourself. Zander is a good low-end choice but falls short of being the best ID theft protection out there.
If you make a LifeLock versus Identity Guard comparison, you will see that both services have their advantages and flaws. We lean towards Identity Guard simply because it uses IBM’s Watson system to search for your personal information and it’s available even with the cheapest subscription plan.
LifeLock, on the other hand, includes credit monitoring from one bureau within its cheapest package, which might make it worth your while. When it comes to prevention, Identity Guard gives you a safe browser extension and an anti-phishing mobile app. LifeLock, on the other hand, includes a VPN as part of its costlier best identity theft protection family plan subscriptions.
Make sure you password-protect all your applications, especially financial ones. If possible use different passwords for all of them to minimize the damage if someone manages to come in. A password manager might help you out with this task. Don’t visit suspicious websites or click on phishing links. In most cases, your antivirus or even your browser will let you know when something is unsafe.
Don’t give out your personal information to people or companies you don’t know. Besides all these steps, you will also need the services of the best identity theft protection company the internet has to offer. Fortunately, there are plenty of affordable options on the web that will provide you with all the security you might need.
