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ID Watchdog Identity Theft Protection Review |
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| Most straightforward recovery guarantee we have seen; Dedicated toll free number 800-233-1845 | |
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[Editor's Note: ID Watchdog has set up an exclusive toll free number where NextAdvisor.com visitors can speak to an ID Watchdog representative 24 hours a day, seven days a week to ask questions and ensure that they are receiving the best possible deal on the ID Watchdog service. If you are interested in ordering ID Watchdog, we recommend that you call the number: 800-233-1845.]
ID Watchdog takes a unique approach to detection based identity theft protection. Instead of monitoring credit reports, ID Watchdog monitors a very long list of public records databases including the Social Security Administration, drivers or pilots licenses, auto, boat or plane registrations, criminal records, Homeland Security watch lists, address or name changes, bankruptcy, liens and other judgments or filings. Each month, ID Watchdog's patent pending technology scours each of these public databases for misuse of your personal information. What makes ID Watchdog unique is that, in theory, their monitoring should catch not only traditional financial identity theft attempts but also things such as employment fraud where a criminal uses your social security number to secure employment. There are many types of identity theft that don't show up on your credit report immediately, or at all, but are likely to be identified by ID Watchdog's monitoring system. Once you sign up for the service and provide them with all of your personal information they will begin the monitoring process. ID Watchdog provides a monthly report which includes a detailed breakdown of all the checks they have run against your identity. If the system finds any potential identity theft then you are alerted and a recovery counselor from ID Watchdog handles all aspects of recovering your identity. ID Watchdog has the most straightforward and extensive recovery guarantee that we have ever seen. There are no limits on how much time or money they will spend to recover your identity if is stolen while you are a member of their service. Their guarantee covers essentially every foreseeable form of identity theft including financial, medical, benefits, employment, criminal, tax or utilities fraud. The only items that the ID watchdog guarantee won't cover are actual reimbursement for financial losses or loss of income related to an identity theft. ID Watchdog claims a 100% success rate in recovering stolen identities and says that most recoveries take 3 to 6 months, although some can take up to two years. ID Watchdog does have a few downsides from our perspective. At $19.95 per month, the service is nearly two times as expensive as many other services we have reviewed. Also, while the monitoring is extensive, ID Watchdog doesn't provide any credit report data which is not only useful for detecting identity theft but also helps inform consumers about their overall financial health. We highly recommend ID Watchdog due to the unique approach to detecting identity theft and the 100% recovery guarantee. However, you may want to consider another service if you prefer a more preventative approach to identity theft protection or would like access to credit report data. |
Search our blog archives and frequently asked questions for more information about Identity Theft Protection Services
| Price: | Free 30 day trial; $19.95/mo |
| Type: | Detection - monitors public records databases for misuse of personal information |
| Credit Reports Delivered: | No |
| Fraud Monitoring: | Social security, driver's license, vehicle registration, criminal/court records, utilities and more |
| Mail List Removal: | No |
| ID Theft Insurance/ Guarantee: | 100% guarantee; no deductibles or limits |
NextAdvisor Identity Theft Protection Blog Headlines
Popular Facebook games include scams
Many of the most popular applications on Facebook, including FarmVille, CafeWorld, and Mafia Wars, are created by a company called Zynga. Zynga's CEO, Marc Pincus, recently acknowledged that these games contain "scammy" offers, in which users are offered various deals in exchange for in-game currency. These offers, unsurprisingly, tend to be deceptive schemes designed to [...]
Money mules facilitate identity theft and fraud
Robert Siciliano is a NextAdvisor.com Expert Guest Blogger
Mules are relatively unaware people who get hooked into a "small business" or employment that is a function of a criminal enterprise. The mules often respond to "help wanted" ads from online job placement sites. Shipping scams are a common tactic criminals use in which they employ mules [...]
Used ATM contains thousands of credit card numbers
Robert Siciliano is a NextAdvisor.com Expert Guest Blogger
After the DefCon ATM debacle, in which hackers hacked hackers by setting up a fake ATM in front of the facility's security office, I needed to find out how stupidly easy it is to buy and install an ATM. So my search began.
I found plenty of new and [...]
Beware of job search scams
Identity thieves tend to be quite good at identifying and capitalizing on new trends and opportunities. So it isn't particularly surprising that as unemployment rises, scams designed to take advantage of vulnerable job seekers have become increasingly common. Job seekers are an easy target since they are more willing to share personal information as part [...]
Living in a less nervous world
Does the world seem a little less anxious than it did six months ago? A study released this week indicates a "15% improvement in the levels of anxiety that people feel." People seem to be feeling especially comfortable about "Internet security, personal safety and national security." Unisis, the global IT security giant which conducted [...]
U.S. Justice Department indicts international ATM hacking ring
Yesterday, the U.S. Justice Department indicted eight men who allegedly hacked into a computer system at RBS WorldPay Inc., cloned prepaid ATM cards, and used them to withdraw $9 million from 2,100 ATMs in 280 cities around the world, in less than 12 hours. The prepaid ATM cards that they cloned were payroll debit cards [...]
Don't throw confidential documents out a window
New Yorkers were very excited about the Yankee's World Series win last week. So excited, in fact, that when they couldn't find any confetti during the victory parade on Friday, they began tossing miscellaneous paperwork out the window. That miscellaneous paperwork included a wealth of confidential information.
Pay stubs, balance sheets, and client account information were [...]
A bad week for Facebook, MySpace
I thought I was using hyperbole on Tuesday when I used the headline "Another day, another Facebook attack." Or maybe I should have just saved it for today. While Tuesday's news concerned a phishing attack, today's attack is far more insidious. According to the Facebook application developer that discovered the Facebook security vulnerability, it could [...]
Don't open that email from the FDIC?
Because it isn't really from the FDIC. There has been a recent rash of phishing emails that appear to be sent by the FDIC. The emails say, "You have received this message because you are a holder of a FDIC-insured bank account. Recently FDIC has officially named the bank you have opened your account with [...]
ZoneAlarm offers 50% off: Virus and identity theft protection in one
ZoneAlarm is offering a deal that almost seems to good to be true. ZoneAlarm is taking 50% off of the regular price of its Internet Security Suite which comes with one-year of Identity Guard's Good Start identity theft protection. At $24.95 a year for a three-PC license, it's by far the cheapest Internet security software [...]
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