Identity Guard provides extensive identity theft protection and detection

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January 8th, 2008 - Posted by Joe

Identity Guard Total Protection is by far the most comprehensive identity theft product and really lives up to its Total Protection moniker. It's the only service that offers both identity theft protection and detection. Plus, it has the most extensive fraud monitoring we've found and offers them all at a great price, just $14.99 per month plus one month free (this special deal is only available through our site). Identity theft detection services help to detect that you have become a victim of identity theft by monitoring your credit file at all 3 credit bureaus. Identity theft protection services aim to stop identity theft from happening in the first place by setting fraud alerts on your credit file at all 3 credit bureaus, meaning a lender must take the extra step of calling you to verify your identity before processing a new application from you. If you are very concerned about identity theft or at least mildly concerned and also want to keep tabs on your credit and credit scores, we recommend you get both types of services, and Identity Guard Total Protection is the only service that offers both in one package. Identity Guard Total Protection is not only a great fraud prevention service, but is also a credit monitoring service on steroids. Like many credit monitoring services, it completes daily scans of all 3 of your credit files and notifies you of any changes. It also gives you all 3 of your credit reports and all 3 of your credit scores every quarter. Identity Guard goes far beyond other credit monitoring services in detecting identity theft by also monitoring public records for any changes in your name, scanning for application or social security fraud, and monitoring the internet's black market for any use of your credit cards. If anything is found, they will alert you by e-mail immediately. Additionally, they provide card registration services to help you in case your wallet gets lost or stolen. Finally, if you are not all that concerned about identity theft or don't want to have to be contacted when you apply for new credit, you have the option to turn fraud alerts off with Identity Guard or never turn them on and still enjoy all the other great services they offer. The only thing Identity Guard Total Protection doesn't do is remove you from junk mail lists, but you can do that yourself for free and it more than makes up for it with all its other great services.

The signup process is relatively quick – you will go through a short series of screens asking you for information, including payment information. To verify your identity, you will be asked for your social security number, date of birth, and the answers to 5 multiple-choice questions of information in your file. By default, the credit reports and alerts are available online and through e-mail. If you want hard copies mailed to you however, you can call their customer service number and get them at no extra charge. Your subscription includes access to a very useful credit analyzer. You can try out different scenarios, such as paying off your credit card by a certain amount or opening up a new loan, to see how your credit score will be affected. If you are monitoring your credit, this analyzer can help you to make the best choices to raise your credit score. In the event of a credit card theft, you can report the incident to Identity Guard and they will handle all the details for you, including reporting the cards as stolen and getting new cards issued to you. Identity Guard offers generous customer service phone hours (8am-11pm M-F and 9a-6p Sat) as well as postal mail and e-mail contact methods. When we tried contacting them, a customer service representative answered almost immediately, and was able to provide useful advice about the service. Reporting for lost or stolen cards can be done on the phone or through your account, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you like this service but are looking for a cheaper alternative, you may want to try another Identity Guard service, Extra Caution, that is just $11.99 per month ($3 per month cheaper)plus one month free when ordered through this link. It has all the same services as Total Protection except for public record reporting and scanning for application and social security fraud. For those really serious about identity theft protection, though, Total Protection is the best service you will find.