Technological advancements are giving rise to more sophisticated forms of identity theft.
Millions of Americans fall victim to identity theft each year, and today’s fraudsters are harder to catch.
That’s why it’s a good idea to invest in ID theft protection. These services prevent fraud by monitoring your accounts for any suspicious activity, working to detect the use of your personal details on the dark web, and even recovering your identity. To help you find quality and affordable services, we scoured the market for top identity theft protection companies.
Equifax is a major credit reporting company that also offers fraud protection and identity restoration services. These days, ID theft protection is more critical than ever, as anyone who owns a Social Security Number can become a victim of identity theft. One thing that makes Equifax stand out among its competitors is its family protection plan, which covers up to two adults and four kids.
$19.95/month
PrivacyGuard is another provider that offers identity theft protection, credit reporting, monitoring, and recovery services. The best thing about PrivacyGuard is the diversity of its subscription plans. You can choose one that focuses mainly on identity monitoring, one more concerned with credit reports and scores, or go with the Total Protection plan that covers everything.
$19.99 - $24.99/month
If you’re looking to find a solid identity theft protection solution and save some money while doing so, you should consider Zander Insurance as one of the first candidates. Once you compare id theft protection services, you’ll see that the company offers some of the most affordable packages around. It has two plans, and both include credit report access, personal information monitoring, 24/7 support, recovery services, and alerts.
$6.75 - $19.49/month
ID Watchdog is another user-friendly and easy-to-understand protection solution suitable for individuals and families. It has two plans, the Select and the Premium. With ID Watchdog, identity theft protection is a top priority, which is why both of its plans include monitoring of public records, the sex offender registry, social accounts and the dark web, customizable alerts, and more.
$14.95 - $21.95/month
ID Watchdog is another user-friendly and easy-to-understand protection solution suitable for individuals and families. It has two plans, the Select and the Premium. With ID Watchdog, identity theft protection is a top priority, which is why both of its plans include monitoring of public records, the sex offender registry, social accounts and the dark web, customizable alerts, and more.
$11.99 - $32.99/month
A lot of people try to handle the immediate aftermath of identity theft by themselves. They call their bank to cancel their credit cards and contact the credit bureaus. But resolving issues related to identity theft can be both time-consuming and expensive. This is where the professionals step in. Here are some of the services you can expect from identity theft protection companies.
Identity fraud doesn’t happen immediately after a bad actor gets a hold of your information. Instead, they’ll wait a few months, maybe even a whole year before attempting to use your personal details for their benefit. Services that offer identity theft prevention will alert you the moment that happens. They monitor your accounts for any unusual activity and notify you if something looks out of the ordinary.
Once you sign up for one of these services, you can expect monthly reports on the status of your different accounts. Good protection services don’t hide anything from you, so you’ll know exactly what’s going on with your accounts every month.
One of the more common ID theft protection tips is to keep an eye on the dark web for any signs of your personal information. Identity thieves are harder to track on the dark web due to the nature of this part of the internet, making this sort of illegal activity even more appealing for them. If you’re not sure how to access the dark web, you can employ identity protection services to do it for you.
Equifax is perhaps best known as a consumer credit reporting agency. But the company also provides advanced ID theft protection services, including versatile family plans. The agency offers instant credit checking via its mobile app while providing three-bureau reports on an annual basis. Its own reporting is automated with daily updates.
When it comes to fraud prevention, Equifax has a lot in common with PrivacyGuard. That means having features such as dark web scanning, automated alerts, and lost wallet assistance. Your plan comes with a dedicated team of ID restoration specialists to help you get things back in order if you become a victim of identity theft. This includes up to $1 million in theft insurance.
Thanks to its simple pricing policy, Equifax is the best ID theft protection for families. Instead of calculating different rates or paying add-ons, you simply get the Equifax Complete Family plan that covers your spouse and up to four kids. This offer makes up for the fact that the starting price here is slightly higher than with a lot of the competing services.
With its competitive pricing plan, daily reporting, and quick lockdown tools, Equifax is a comprehensive solution for anyone that cares about keeping their ID safe. If you’re searching for the best ID theft protection for your family, look no further!
If you’re looking to protect your identity but wish to avoid those complicated and expensive plans, PrivacyGuard is an ideal option. The company tailors to individuals who are new to these types of services or those asking the question: what is identity theft? PrivacyGuard’s friendly support staff is ready to answer all of your questions and guide you through some of the more challenging processes.
The basic plan includes dark web surveillance, Social Security and ID verification monitoring, and up to $1 million in theft insurance. If you wish to protect your credit score, choose the PrivacyGuard Credit Protection plan, which includes daily credit monitoring with all three credit bureaus, fraud resolution support, and the aforementioned $1 million insurance for stolen funds. If you want to enjoy all these benefits in one place, sign up for the Total Protection plan, which offers comprehensive identity theft insurance along with credit monitoring from all of the credit bureaus.
You can try out PrivacyGuard for 14 days by paying just $1. From there, plans range between $9.99/month and $24.99/month. Keep in mind these are all plans for individuals, and there is no family option available at the moment.
Privacy Guard is an excellent choice if you’re on a budget or don’t need all the advanced features. Even without family plans and certain security components, this is still one of the best ID theft protection companies in the US.
Zander Insurance is one of the oldest companies in the business. Founded in 1925, it’s not only one of the most experienced insurers but one of the most affordable ones. The company has made its ID theft protection services available for just over ten years. These days, it offers up to $1,000,000 on personal and double that on family plans in stolen funds and expenses coverage.
Zander Insurance also protects against medical and employment fraud and will cover your lost salaries for up to $7,500 per month. Compared to the industry average, this amount is roughly 50% higher.
Like all previously mentioned services, the reimbursement limit is $1 million, but there’s no option for social media monitoring and credit reporting. That’s the main reason we didn’t crown Zander as the top-rated identity theft protection service.
On the plus side, the price of this service is unbeatable. If you choose to pay for a monthly plan, it’ll cost you just $6.75. The annual plan is an even better deal and costs $75, giving you an entire month of service for free. The family plan is only slightly more expensive - $12.90 per month or $145 annually, which is still more affordable than most of the competition.
Zander Insurance may not offer all the bells and whistles, but it’s undoubtedly the most affordable ID theft protection you’ll come across. Many decades of experience and a professional team ensure that your identity is kept safe without costing you a fortune.
ID Watchdog has been providing identity theft protection services since 2005. A subsidiary of Equifax, this Denver-based service also checks in with all three major credit bureaus and specializes in helping people recover from doxxing and identity theft.
ID Watchdog provides robust credit monitoring tools. Available through its website and mobile app, it allows you to read daily Equifax reports and track your credit score. It also offers monthly reports and VantageScore checkups, with an instant lock in case of any fraudulent activity.
Other monitoring tools include dark web scanning, subprime loans, public records, notifications about unusual transactions, change of address, sex offender list, and more. It’s quite a comprehensive identity theft protection plan.
There are only two plans on offer. ID Watchdog Plus will cost you $14.95/month, while Platinum costs $19.95. For a few extra bucks, the Platinum plan monitors all three credit bureaus, provides credit reports, and offers $500,000 in insurance for money stolen from a 401(k) plan.
ID Watchdog provides top-notch security for its customers, even though it’s more about prevention than about recovering your stolen identity. If that’s what you’re after, this is the ID theft protection company for you.
IdentityIQ is an ID theft protection solution filled with cutting-edge protection features designed to help users stay one step ahead of cybercriminals. Its main capabilities include dark web and internet monitoring, coverage for lawyers and experts, SSN alerts, lost wallet assistance, and more. While it probably isn’t the best identity theft program for those who like to try the service before they commit, as it offers no free trial, IdentityIQ is a robust and affordable solution for protecting yourself and your family from internet predators.
All IdentityIQ plans cover up to $1 million in losses resulting from identity theft, lost wages, and costs of hiring legal experts. They all also provide enhanced credit monitoring with at least one credit bureau, so users can see all the changes to their credit profile and get alerted in case of any change of personal information, address, new credit inquiries, 10-point increases or decreases in their TransUnion score, and so forth.
And if you’re looking to get the best identity theft protection for families, IdentityIQ has you covered as well. It implements strong security measures to protect the identities of entire families.
IdentityIQ offers four pricing plans:
The basic plan comes with one-bureau credit report monitoring, while other plans cover all three major bureaus.
What makes IdentityIQ one of the best identity protection services are its top-notch features that make it stand out among its competitors. The four pricing plans are tailored to fit the needs of both individual users and entire families. That being said, it does lack an app, which might discourage some users from opting for it.
After getting a broad overview of how ID theft protection works, it’s time to identify the top companies that provide this service. We’ve explored many different options on the market, and our evaluation method helped us pinpoint the best ones. Here’s how we picked and rated the companies that will keep your identity safe.
First things first. What can the company do for you? We analyze different methods of protection that not only cover credit cards but everything from your Social Security login to your social media accounts.
The best ID theft protection companies should at the very least offer three-bureau reporting, identity monitoring, as well as bank monitoring. In other words, your identity should be protected with several layers of security. A good service will try to prevent any misuse via its monitoring tools, report any findings, and alert you immediately if there is any activity. Dark web surveillance should also be included in the package. Of course, if there are any additional services provided free of charge, that’s only a plus.
The truth is that identity theft protection and prevention isn’t always possible, especially if your ID was already compromised. For example, someone might have doxxed you on a public forum or you were carded while shopping. Whatever the case, if there are any financial costs, you’ll want to get reimbursed. Since this is insurance for your identity, each service provides some level of reimbursement, oftentimes with specific limits depending on the chosen plan.
In addition to services that guarantee material compensation, we highly value companies that provide lawyers and other legal help to customers. Some of the best identity theft protection services include this sort of assistance with all their plans.
It goes without saying that the service must be affordable because potential customers are always on the hunt for a better deal. Therefore, we analyze the different plans, the prices, and what’s included in the offer. If it’s good value for money, the service gets a recommendation from us. Those with family discounts get extra marks.
There are several steps you can take to make it harder for someone to steal your identity. First, don’t give out your personal information, including login details to various accounts. If you receive any physical documents that might compromise your ID, either destroy them or keep them in a safe place. Always take your receipts, especially from ATMs and whenever you use your credit cards. Experts also suggest minimizing the number of cards you carry with you. Finally, you can sign up with one of the ID theft protection companies that monitor your accounts and notify you if any suspicious activity occurs.
Some signs of a stolen identity include inexplicable withdrawals from your bank, not getting your bills in the mail, and your tax returns getting rejected.
The answer to this question depends on your needs and habits. If you believe your identity might be compromised, if you can’t actively monitor your credit and bank accounts, or if you simply want to be ready to freeze your credit reports, you should hire an identity theft protection company.
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