Identity Guard announces kID Sure protection for your children

Identity Guard has launched an identity theft protection service just for children—kID Sure. kID Sure utilizes advanced scanning technology to search for the fraudulent use of your child's personal information, including  Social Security numbers, bank account numbers and public record data. It searches the Internet black market, pre-credit sources (such as utility and telecommunications) and thousands of databases (including public records) to help protect your child from identity theft.

Most people aren't aware that identity thieves actively target minors, stealing their Social Security numbers and reselling them for fraudulent or illegal use. Common identity theft opportunities that thieves exploit include such seemly safe activities like school and sports registration. Once the theft occurs it can be undetected for years and cause substantial damage. That's where kID Sure comes in – it can help detect the exposure of your child's personal information and alert you when it occurs.

kID Sure requires the enrollment of the child's guardian or parent in our top-rated Identity Guard's adult identity protection service first. Once you've signed up for Identity Guard you can add kID Sure to your account for just $4.99/month per child. Right now NextAdvisor readers can get an exclusive 25% off Identity Guard and a free 30-day trial, bringing the price down from $19.99/month to just $14.99/month. That means you can protect yourself and your child for the reduced price of $19.98/month ($14.99/month + $4.99/month).

• Tweet

What does LifeLock Ultimate give you that LifeLock doesn't? Does it give you your credit score?

Q: What does LifeLock Ultimate give you that LifeLock doesn't? Does it give you your  credit score?

A: LifeLock Ultimate includes all of LifeLock's identity theft protection features, but adds a number of enhancements. LifeLock Ultimate's upgrades include 3-bureau credit monitoring, expanded monitoring for identity theft,  public and court record surveillance, scanning for fraudulent new bank accounts, alternate name scanning, and monitoring of unregulated global networks and file-sharing sites. They also include monthly tracking of your TransUnion credit score and nationwide monitoring for any non-credit related payday loans opened with your name, birth date or Social Security number.

As mentioned above, LifeLock Ultimate members receive monthly updates to their TransUnion credit score and their scores are tracked over time in graphic format. The service doesn't include the equally relevant Equifax and Experian scores, but the host of identity theft protection features it offers more than makes up for this slight lapse. Overall both LifeLock and LifeLock Ultimate are great identity theft protection services and you can try either one for free with their generous free 30-day trial.

If you're interested in a service that is more focused on your credit files and scores, we recommend PrivacyGuard. PrivacyGuard provides 3-bureau credit monitoring, all 3 credit reports and all 3 credit scores. And all of your 3-bureau credit reports and scores are updated monthly, a great feature that not many other services offer. Right now NextAdvisor readers can sign up for PrivacyGuard's 30-day trial for $1 and get all 3 credit reports and scores

• Tweet

Does Identity Guard monitor my bank accounts too?

Q: Does Identity Guard monitor my bank accounts too?

A:  Yes, Identity Guard TOTAL PROTECTION® monitors the Internet black market for any bank account numbers you register.  It also scans for the fraudulent use of your credit cards, Social Security number, address and other personal information.  Although Identity Guard automatically starts monitoring the SSN, address and credit card you sign up with, you'll need to manually enter your bank accounts and any other credit cards into your account.  Make sure you do so, because if you don't register this additional information you won't be taking full advantage of the comprehensive Identity Guard service.

In addition to proactively monitoring for your personal information, Identity Guard also provides 3-bureau credit monitoring, free 3-bureau credit scores at sign up and a free Internet Security suite with your membership.  Right now Identity Guard, our top-rated identity theft protection service, is offering NextAdvisor readers a special deal – a free 30-day trial and 25% discount.  That means you'll get 3-bureau credit scores and a public records report for free when you sign up for the trial, and they are yours to keep even if you cancel.  You'll also get a whopping $5.00 off, bringing the monthly price down from $19.99 to $14.99.  All-in-all a pretty darn good deal.

• Tweet

My credit is frozen. Do I have to unfreeze my credit to get a credit report?

Q:  My credit is frozen. Do I have to unfreeze my credit to get a credit report?

You can still get your credit reports when your credit is frozen

A:  No, you do not have to unfreeze your credit to obtain your credit report. Credit freezes prohibit third parties—like potential lenders—from being able to access your report, and are typically set to help prevent identity thieves from being able to open new credit accounts in your name. However, you are still able to access your own credit report.  Here's a quote directly from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) site:

"Placing a credit freeze does not affect your credit score—nor does it keep you from getting your free annual credit report, or from buying your credit report or score."

If you have been a victim of identity theft (or even if you haven't), you might want to consider signing up for an identity theft protection service. Many of these services will monitor your credit reports, scan for the use of your personal information in a variety of arenas, provide free credit scores and free subscriptions to internet security software. They are also able to monitor your credit reports while a credit freeze is in place. Our top pick is Identity Guard, and right now they are offering a free 30-day trial and an 18% subscription discount.

• Tweet

You Could Win Cash for the Holidays with the NextAdvisor $500 Giveaway!

Need some extra money for the holiday season? Well, you're in luck. NextAdvisor is giving away cash prizes every week of December! Just go to our Facebook page and click on the NextAdvisor $500 Giveaway, fill out the entry form, and you'll be entered to win. It's our way of saying thank you to our Facebook fans for being a part of NextAdvisor. Click here to enter!

• Tweet

Can a Credit Freeze be Activated at all 3 Credit Agencies with Identity Guard TOTAL PROTECTION?

Q:  Can a credit freeze be activated at all 3 credit agencies with Identity Guard TOTAL PROTECTION?

A:  Identity Guard® TOTAL PROTECTION will walk you through the steps to set a fraud alert at each of the 3 credit bureaus.  Identity Guard will not help you set up credit freezes. You can always do this on your own although there is typically a cost that varies on a state by state basis.

If you're interested in an identity theft service that will set credit freezes for you, Trusted ID IDEssentials is an excellent choice. Trusted ID features an add on to their service called CreditLock that will do this on your behalf. There is a cost of $44.95 to lock your credit reports with all 3 bureaus and $39.95 to unlock them, but you would have to pay even if you did it on your own. Trusted ID is one of our top reviewed identity theft protection services and offers a free 14-day trial to NextAdvisor readers.

Before you move forward, it's a good idea to distinguish between what a fraud alert and a credit freeze are.  A fraud alert is set for 90 days and asks the 3 major credit bureaus to verify your identity by using "reasonable policies and procedures" prior to opening an account in your name.  Typically this means they will call you to confirm.  A credit freeze completely prevents any new creditors from being able to access your credit report for any reason.   To learn more about the differences between credit freezes and fraud alerts see our Fraud Alert and Credit Freeze Guide.

• Tweet

Do I Have To Sign Up For Identity Theft Protect and Credit Monitoring Separately?

Q:  I am interested in signing up for identity theft protection and also credit monitoring.  Do I need to sign up for each individually?

A:  No, you don't.  Our top-rated Identity Guard TOTAL PROTECTION® provides both comprehensive identity theft protection and thorough 3-bureau credit monitoring.  Upon signup for their free 30-day trial, you'll also receive free 3-bureau credit scores, a free public record report and free Zone Alarm Internet Security Suite software – yours to keep even if you cancel during the trial period.  We like Identity Guard so much, we even rated them #1 in our identity theft protection reviews and credit monitoring reviews.

• Tweet

How can I get identity theft protection for my daughter?

Q:  How can I get identity theft protection for my daughter?

A:  Good question!  A couple of our top-rated identity theft protection services offer protection for your children too.  Most people don't realize it, but children are easy prey for identity thieves because their lack of credit history means they usually don't have any credit records.  Therefore, the occurrence of credit-related identity theft can go undetected for quite some time. And even if a child does have a credit report it typically isn't checked until after they turn 18, which means fraudulent activity could have happened without anyone being aware of it. That's why it's a good idea to subscribe to an identity theft protect service that will help protect your child.

Both of these services we discuss below are highly recommended by NextAdvisor, and are great choices to help protect your children from identity theft.  They both also offer free trials to NextAdvisor readers, so you can give them a test drive without reaching into your pocketbook.

TrustedID's IDFreeze will protect your entire family, including your spouse and children, for just $13.46 per month (with annual prepay). The only requirement is that everyone has to be living at the same address. IDFreeze will monitor the Internet black market for your child's Social Security number, bank accounts, name and address. It also monitors the Internet and public records for any changes to or misuse of your child's name, address, or Social Security number. In addition your child will be given an Identity Threat Score which provides a gauge of his/her individual risk level.  Right now Trusted ID is offering NextAdvisor readers a free 14-day trial, so you can test drive it free of charge and see if it's a good fit.

Identity Guard TOTAL PROTECTION® features an add-on service called kID Sure. kID Sure monitors the Internet black market for your child's Social Security number (SSN) and registered bank account numbers, scans public records for you child's SSN and name, and provides ongoing monitoring of applications submitted using a child's data. It also features ID Risk Assessment^® of your child's current risk level for identity theft.  Although kID Sure requires that you sign up for Identity Guard TOTAL PROTECTION first ($14.99/mo with NextAdvisor discount), it's just an extra $4.99 per month per child. Identity Guard is extending NextAdvisor reader a 30-day free trial of their TOTAL PROTECTION service, so you can see if the service is to your liking before adding kID Sure to it (Note: there is no free trial for kID Sure).

• Tweet

Protect Your Children's Identity with Identity Guard's New kID Sure Service

Did you know that children can also be victims of identity theft? In fact, they are more attractive targets for identity theft because their credit is usually clean and their identity isn’t as closely monitored as adults’ identity. Thieves can create a whole new identity with just a child’s social security number, and can cause serious problems when the child turns 18 and starts applying for credit cards, students loans or any other type of credit.

Identity Guard’s new kID Sure service helps protect your child’s identity. kID Sure monitors a wide range of data sources to track your child’s social security number and public records, as well as any applications for cell phones or credit cards. Another interesting feature of kID Sure is the Risk Assessment, which determines the risk factor of your child’s identity. The service is $4.99 and available to new and existing Identity Guard customers, so if you aren’t an Identity Guard customer, read our review here and get an exclusive 18% discount and a 30-day trial.

• Tweet

How Many Computers are Protected Under Identity Guard? Will the Price Go Up?

Q: Will Identity Guard protect all computers in the home for the basic price of $14.99? When does the price go up to $17.99?

A: Our top-rated identity theft protection solution, Identity Guard TOTAL PROTECTION® includes free anti-virus, firewall, anti-phishing and anti-spam software from Zone Alarm Internet when you sign up. Your subscription also includes PRIVACYPROTECT® and MOBILE LOCKBOX® technology to help protect you from hackers and thieves attempting to access your personal information and online transactions. We gave customer support a call and found that once you sign up for Identity Guard and download the Zone Alarm software to your computer, only that particular computer will be protected.

If you sign up for an Identity Guard subscription through NextAdvisor, you'll get the discounted monthly price of $14.99, which is a really great deal. Although this is not a "trial" price and there are no immediate plans to change the monthly price, like most other services, Identity Guard cannot guarantee that the price will always stay the same. If they do raise the price in the future, they'll notify you ahead of time via email. Then if you feel the value isn't in it for you anymore you can choose to cancel your subscription. Since it's a monthly subscription you're not tied into any long-term contracts.

We have to say we really like Identity Guard's identity theft protection service because it is the most comprehensive out of all the identity theft services we review. Identity Guard monitors your credit reports at all 3 credit bureaus and includes free 3-bureau credit scores. It also monitors public records for any changes in your name, scans databases for application or Social Security fraud, and monitors the Internet's black market for any use of your credit cards or other personal information. Right now they are even offering NextAdvisor readers a free 30-day trial, so you can check it out and see if it meets your needs. If you don't think it's the service for you, just cancel during the trial period and you won't be billed. You'll get to keep your credit scores and the ZoneAlarm Internet Secuity suite for free, even if you cancel during the trial, so it's a win-win.

• Tweet