Hackers and identity thieves are using a number of tricks these days to steal your personal information. They are creating credit cards in other people’s names, selling their information on the dark web, and even using their identity. These identity thieves can cause havoc in your life. Some criminals go big by applying for loans in your name others may just be interested in stuff like subscribing to Charter Spectrum cable service using your SSN and bank details.
Since it has become so common, identity theft protection services are available to help keep our personal information and identity safe from these crooks. The finest identity theft protection services will keep an eye on your credit for unusual behavior, give real-time notifications if fraud is found, and provide ID theft insurance in the event of a data breach.
We’ll go right to the top picks for identity theft protection services for ID monitoring, credit monitoring, and more. Let’s begin the list!
1: LifeLock
LifeLock is a subsidiary of Symantec. Remember the time when LifeLock’s founder posted his Social Security number online to prove his faith in the company’s services? While he did suffer from identity theft but LifeLock’s theft protection services help him recover.
ID verification monitoring, alerts on checking/savings accounts, protection of stolen wallets, and home title monitoring are some of the services offered by the company. Depending on the plan you choose, LifeLock is willing to offer $25,000 to $1 million in reimbursement.
2: Credit Squad
It’s a New York-based credit monitoring and identity theft protection company that offers ID theft protection services by giving a personal touch.
You tell the company what information you want it to track when you sign up, and they use the Light Watch scanning technology to do the deed. You’ll get real-time alerts whenever Light Watch detects any of your information online. The company claims to cover you for up to $1 million in losses if you become a victim of identity theft.
Credit Squad’s customer support team is available 24/7 US-based to provide its customers with financial advice based on their individual needs. If your identity is ever compromised, you’ll be assigned a caseworker to assist you with the recovery.
3: IdentityForce
IdentityForce’s identity theft security monitoring solutions are a complete package! The company literally acts as a guard dog against identity thieves by checking for public information record updates, any changes in address, court and arrest records, payday loan applications, and your PI information on a variety of illicit identity-sharing websites.
They also keep an eye on sex offender registers to check whether your name is linked to anything. Another great thing about IdentityForce is that they track your SSN to see if it is being used in new ways or if it is being linked to new names.
4: Complete ID
Complete ID offers identity monitoring solutions for monitoring for illegal use of your Social Security number. It has a feature called neighborhood watch that provides information on sexual predators and crimes in your region.
They also provide an annual credit report to let you have a thorough look at your credit score. Monthly credit scores are also available.
5: Intelius Identity Protect
Intelius got famous for allowing its subscribers to obtain a new credit report every 31 days. Other companies only provide credit reports once a year. While the monthly reports only represent one of the three big credit agencies, all three bureaus’ reports can be purchased.
They have got their own score called Intelius Identity Protect score, which is similar to a FICO score is useful in predicting how well your credit will perform for loans, and transactions. Intelius offers record monitoring services too.
The company lets you monitor two addresses, 2 phone numbers, three credit/debit cards, and two bank account numbers. This is more than what its competitors are offering. You would be glad to know that they have a $1 million identity theft insurance policy.
6: McAfee Identity Theft Protection
McAfee’s identity theft protection package is the cheapest on this list. The company provides a $1 trial for the first month, but the price of a full-year plan is $70, which is far cheaper than the other players.
Its “cyber monitoring” service searches for credit activity on a customer regularly and notifies you if anything suspicious is noticed occurs. McAfee is also offering a $1 million identity recovery reimbursement. Their recovery service will also refund up to $10,000 in stolen funds. If you lose your wallet, the company promises to reprint contents from your IDs and credit cards to concert tickets as a bonus, which is kind of cool but not a replacement for your loss, of course.
Conclusion
The importance of early detection of fraud cannot be overstated. It’s less about stopping the first breach and sparing you from becoming a victim of identity theft. By signing up for an identity theft protection service, you can save yourself from a lot of trouble.