In today’s modern and technology driven world, identity theft has become disturbingly common. This is in large part to the stunning advancements in technology that have been made in recent years. While we are more connected than ever, it is easier than ever to become a victim of identity theft, most the time without even realizing it until it’s too late.
ID Theft Authority was created with one goal in mind. To help consumers avoid identity theft with helpful tips and guides, and to provide detailed reviews on the best ID theft protection companies.
Identity Guard has redefined the standard for identity theft protection and prevention. Instant fraud alerts, proactive credit monitoring, and a $1,000,000 insurance policy are just a few of many features that make Identity Guard stand above its competitors.
IdentityForce is ranked as one of the best identity theft protection services, and for good reason. Bank and credit card activity alerts, identity theft recovery assistance, and child identity theft protection are just a few of the features that make IdentityForce popular among consumers. With 3-bureau credit monitoring and a free 14-day trial, this service should be heavily considered.
TrustedID is a service by Equifax that offers both family and individual ID theft protection. Social security and public record monitoring are a couple of the main benefits of this service, as well as monitoring of Equifax credit reports and scores. This service offers free 14-day trials, followed by $12.99 per month for individual plans and $24.99 for family plans. Overall, a pretty well-rounded service, but not the cream of the crop.
Lifelock is the most recognizable brand in the identity theft industry, with 1000's of reviews and millions of customers to date. Lifelock has a pretty comprehensive set of features that includes the scanning of millions of transactions every second for identity threats. They also offer identity theft recovery assistance and a $1 Million in ID theft insurance. The basic plan starts at just $9.99 per month. Unfortunately, Lifelock has also been investigated by the FTC for false claims about the protection they are providing. We can't endorse Lifelock of this time as a result.
Lost wallet assistance, automatic fraud alerts, and $1Million identity theft insurance policy are the main selling points of Equifax ID Patrol. The downside is that their credit score and report monitoring only includes Equifax, rather than all 3 credit bureaus. Overall, a decent service, but not the best.
PrivacyGuard promises fast and secure access to your 3-bureau credit reports and scores. This service costs $1 for a 14-day trial, and then $19.99 per month thereafter. PrivacyGuard is more of a standard "credit monitoring" service than a comprehensive identity theft protection program. It's missing important features such as SSN monitoring, lost wallet assistance, black market web site surveillance, and other key features that are available with other providers.
IDShield has the biggest identity theft insurance policy in the industry, at $5 Million. This means that if your identity is stolen, they'll spend up to $5 Million to restore your identity. Although IDShield offers quarterly credit score updates, it's unclear if that includes just a single credit bureau or all three.
Although Costco's identity protection has an array of impressive features, it only provides users with credit reports from Transunion, rather than all 3 credit bureaus like other identity protection companies. In addition, we are alarmed by the amount of negative reviews online, with many customers citing bad customer service and difficulty in plan cancellation.
ProtectMyID is a service by Experian that offers identity theft detection, protection, and resolution. But as you may have guessed, this service only monitors your Experian credit score and report, and neglects the other 2 major credit bureaus. Although this level of protection is better than nothing, it also leaves a lot to be desired.
AllClear ID is a credit monitoring and identity theft repair service, wrapped into one. However, they seem to be changing their business model to cater to businesses that want to protect their customers rather than individuals looking for personal protection. Unfortunately, their web site is not very clear in terms of the pricing and plans they offer.
Nearly everyone with a mailing address is familiar with prescreened credit offers. Although these offers aren’t necessarily bad, they can be pesky, and it can be tiresome tearing them up and throwing them in the trash all the time.
What most people don’t know is that they have the ability to stop credit card offers ...
Having your identity compromised or stolen can be a stressful time for anyone who is victimized. You’ll likely feel overwhelmed and wonder how to report identity theft. You’ll want to know what steps to take to clear everything up and prevent it from happening again. It is a multi-step process, but if you follow our ...
A fraud alert is an important step to take if you suspect that you may be falling victim to identity theft or fraud. There are different types of credit alerts for various circumstances. Learning about the different kinds can better prepare you to take action if any of your accounts become compromised.
In addition ...
Along with advances in technology in recent years, there has also been an increase in identity theft cases. The numbers have varied quite a bit in different areas. Because there are so many avenues for online fraud, there are many ways in which it may occur.
There are a few examples of how identity theft can occur. ...
The California Dept. of Justice has launched an investigation on Wells Fargo & Co. over the alleged engagement in criminal identity theft. The bank was charged with the productions of unsanctioned customer accounts, as stated in the search warrant delivered to the bank's headquarters in San Francisco. Millions of ...
Throughout the United States, the many districts and states make sure that who you say you are is your real identity. There isn’t a single state that doesn’t verify this in someway. The only difference and the one that really matters is how these states are identifying who you are. There are various methods when going ...
Online dating is a great way to meet people in an interconnected world led by the Internet. You might not have ever met these people in your normal day-to-day life, and are afforded a great experience. Though it has helped us a lot in some aspects, online dating can lead to problems we haven’t been able to imagine, ...
One of the last things any college student is thinking about is identity theft. That’s the very reason they’re one of the most targeted and least prepared to deal with identify theft. We’d like to change that and inform college students on how they can protect themselves from a catastrophic battle with identity theft ...
Medical identification theft involves taking someone’s name, Social Security or Medicare number or other personal information to obtain medical treatment, purchase medications or falsely bill Medicare or insurance companies.
According to the Ponemon Institute’s "Fifth Annual Study on Medical Identity Theft" (February ...
Ongoing incidences of identity theft in the United States, and around the world, have given birth to a whole new segment of victim support groups. While the police handle the crime report, and banks and credit card companies help victims sort through financial upheaval, specially trained professionals are now needed ...