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ID Patrol Review: Identity Theft Protection |
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| Excellent mixture of credit report data and identity theft protection tools; free 30-day trial | |
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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 tool 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 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. |
Search our blog archives and frequently asked questions for more information about Identity Theft Protection Services
| Price: | Free 30-day trial; $14.95/mo |
| Fraud Monitoring: | 3-bureau credit report, optional Equifax credit freeze, credit cards, Social Security numbers |
| ID Theft Insurance/ Guarantee: | $1,000,000 insurance |
| Reports Delivered: | One 3-bureau credit report and unlimited Equifax credit reports |
| Computer Security: | None |
NextAdvisor Identity Theft Protection Blog Headlines
How to get a new Social Security Card
The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question:
Q: How do I get another social security card?
A: If you have lost your social security card and need another one, you can get a free replacement. The social security office limits the number of replacement cards they will issue [...]
419 scams double, over $9 billion in profits
Robert Siciliano is a NextAdvisor.com Expert Guest Blogger
A recent study by Dutch investigation firm Ultrascan shows we are half as smart (or twice as dumb) as we were in 2008, as advanced fee scams, a.k.a. 419 scams, doubled in losses to over $9 billion. 419 Advance Fee Fraud Statistics 2009 (PDF)
It is believed that while [...]
Criminal hackers buying and selling hacked accounts
Robert Siciliano is a NextAdvisor.com Expert Guest Blogger.
Malicious software, designed to gather usernames and passwords, has been a boon to the criminal hacking community. Spyware, as it?s commonly known, records almost everything a user does on their PC. The most damaging spyware records all electronic communications via a web browser. That?s where the most damage [...]
Baby boomers guilty of oversharing on Facebook
A new study from Experian concludes that adults over the age of 45 share too much information online. The credit score reporting company completed a study of 1,052 men and women, analyzing their behavior on social networks. The study found that "14 percent of adults – and 20 percent of those age 60 and over [...]
What protection is available once your identity has been stolen?
The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question:
Q: I would like to get information on what protection is available for a person who identity is already stolen and is being attempted to be used. I was wondering about instant alerts any time my name or credit is trying to [...]
The New York Times ponders the plight of the Internet user
In this day and age, even the Fashion & Style section of The New York Times is worried about Internet security issues. This weekend, the Times recounted the experiences of Allan Goldstein, a 60 year old college professor who uses the Internet, but does so a bit nervously. He worries that NYU's online system will [...]
Connecticut sues Health Net for data breach
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has filed a lawsuit against Health Net for HIPPA violations in the wake of a data breach. Last May, Health Net discovered that a portable disk drive containing confidential health information, Social Security numbers, and bank account numbers of nearly half a million past and present enrollees had disappeared. The [...]
Chinese hackers target Google and Google users
Yesterday, Google released information about a "highly sophisticated and targeted attack on [Google's] corporate infrastructure originating from China that resulted in the theft of intellectual property from Google." The attack also targeted at least twenty other large companies, and the hackers seem to have been specifically interested in accessing the Gmail accounts of Chinese human [...]
Data Breach Alert: Facebook application developer RockYou failed to protect data
RockYou is a company that develops applications for Facebook, MySpace, and a number of other popular social networking websites. It's the second biggest application developer for Facebook after Zynga, which recently made headlines for its "scammy" offers. Last month, RockYou fell victim to an SQL injection attack, in which a hacker or hackers successfully accessed [...]
International hacker pleads guilty
In August, Albert Gonzalez was indicted for his role as ringleader of a massive hacking operation targeting Heartland Payment Systems, 7-11, and supermarket chain Hannaford Brothers. The hack resulted in the theft of data for more than 130 million credit and debit cards. Authorities have called it the largest identity fraud scam in U.S. history.
Gonzalez [...]
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