ID Patrol Review: Identity Theft Protection

ID Patrol is a new identity theft protection service offered by Equifax, one of the three national credit bureaus. This service has an impressive set of features that can help prevent, detect, and recover from identity theft. ID Patrol subscribers receive most of the benefits of Equifax's popular credit report monitoring service. These include one free three bureau credit report, unlimited access to Equifax credit reports, credit report monitoring and email alerts of changes to your credit report. The only thing that ID Patrol doesn't include is access to credit scores, but those can be purchased directly from Equifax for an additional fee. ID Patrol costs $14.95 per month which is the exact same cost as Equifax's stand alone credit reporting product. So, ID Patrol offers an excellent value for consumers that want access to credit data and advanced identity theft protection tools but are okay with buying their credit scores separately.

One feature that is unique to ID Patrol is the Credit Report Control interface that gives subscribers the ability to lock and unlock their Equifax credit report through the Internet or by calling an Equifax representative. Locking a credit report works in a similar fashion as a standard credit freeze in that it restricts access to your Equifax credit report, which can be an effective way to prevent unauthorized financial accounts from being opened in your name. If you need to allow lenders to access your credit report for any reason, such as to apply for a loan or a credit card, you can simply unlock your credit report for as long as you need it to be accessible. Additionally, ID Patrol includes WebDetect, an advanced scanning technology that scours criminal websites where personal information is bought and sold. If your personal information, such as your Social Security number or any of your credit or debit card numbers (you can supply Equifax with up to 10 account numbers to monitor), are found online then you will receive an email alert and specific suggestions and instructions from Equifax on what actions you should take next. ID Patrol also provides a toll free number for subscribers to speak to identity theft resolution specialists. These specialists can provide information and assistance in resolving any identity theft related incidents. Additionally, ID Patrol offers $1,000,000 in identity theft recovery insurance for those subscribers who are the unfortunate victims of identity theft.

We believe that ID Patrol is an excellent option for consumers who are looking for a variety of features and credit report access in an identity theft protection service.

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