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Identity Guard Total Protection Identity Theft Protection Review |
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| Most complete ID theft detection service; Free Internet Security Suite; 30 Day Free Trial; exclusive, limited time discount | |
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[Editor's Note: For a limited time, Identity Guard is offering an exclusive $3.00/mo discount to NextAdvisor.com visitors. There is no coupon code required to take advantage of this discount, so simply click on any Identity Guard link on NextAdvisor.com to take advantage of this limited time discount pricing.]
Identity Guard Total Protection is by far the most comprehensive identity theft detection service and really lives up to its Total Protection moniker. Total Protection has the most extensive fraud monitoring we've found and offers its whole service at a great price, just $17.99 per month after the 30-day free trial. The service has recently added several new features, most notably free Zone Alarm Internet Security Suite, an award-winning internet security solution including anti-virus, firewall, anti-phising and anti-spam software with hourly security updates. This normally costs $49.95 to buy but is free with your Total Protection enrollment and includes all virus definition updates and annual renewals as long as you maintain your membership. Of course if you don't want or need this security software you don't have to download it. In addition Identity Guard Total Protection now also gives you a 30-day free trial of their service. Identity theft detection services like Identity Guard help to detect that you have become a victim of identity theft by monitoring your credit file at all 3 credit bureaus (commonly called credit monitoring) as opposed to identity theft prevention services (such as LifeLock) that 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. Identity Guard goes far beyond other ID theft detection services 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 or other personal information. They've also recently added anti-keylogging software, lost wallet protection (they can cancel your credit card accounts and give you up to $2,000 advance if you need it) and a Personal ID Risk Assessment. With the addition of Zone Alarm Internet Security software, Total Protection now also protects your computer and all your internet activity from fraud. Like many credit monitoring services, Identity Guard Total Protection 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. If anything is found, they will alert you by e-mail immediately. They also make it very easy to place fraud alerts with the bureaus yourself if you want to take that extra preventative step. You get all those for free with your 30-day trial so even if you decide you don't like it, you get to keep at no cost all 3 credit reports and scores, a public records report and the Zone Alarm Internet Security Suite for free. Buying all these separately would cost you over $100. 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 9am-6pm 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. For those really serious about identity theft protection, Identity Guard Total Protection is the best way to go. |
Search our blog archives and frequently asked questions for more information about Identity Theft Protection Services
| Price: | Free 30 day trial; $14.99/mo (after exclusive, limited time discount) |
| Type: | Detection - 3-bureau credit monitoring, fraud monitoring, internet security |
| Credit Reports Delivered: | Credit reports and scores from all 3 bureaus |
| Fraud Monitoring: | Credit cards, Public records, social security, applications (cell phones, loans, etc), internet security |
| Mail List Removal: | No |
| ID Theft Insurance/ Guarantee: | $1,000,000 insurance |
NextAdvisor Identity Theft Protection Blog Headlines
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 [...]
TrustedID introduces Identity Threat Score
TrustedID, our favorite identity theft protection service, has just added a new feature to help determine your personal risk of identity theft. TrustedID will assess millions of records on hundreds of public and private databases and analyze that information for patterns that could indicate if you have been or are about to be a victim [...]
It's easier to steal a passport than a television
A British insurance firm recently conducted a survey of burglary victims, and found that many burglars are looking for personal documents. In 2008, 15% of British burglary victims were targeted specifically for sensitive information, and 74% of burglaries resulted in the theft of some personal or financial documents. LV, the firm that conducted the survey, [...]
PYIW: Protect Your Identity Week
I guess it's fitting that in a month of costumes and masks we spend some time thinking about identity theft. The week of October 17th is National Protect Your Identity Week. A program of the Better Business Bureau, PYIW seeks to raise awareness about the growing threat of identity theft. The site, protectyouridnow.org, site has [...]
Second PayChoice breach in one month
Earlier this month, PayChoice, a payroll processing firm, was breached by hackers. Last week, PayChoice was hacked yet again. The last hack was unusually complex, involving a data breach, phishing emails, malicious websites, and a Trojan horse. The latest attack hinged on a security vulnerability in PayChoice's online portal, OnlineEmployer.com. It appears as though hackers [...]
Identity theft victim spends weeks in jail
Some identity theft victims are never able to completely repair the damage to their credit. Some victims are declined mortgages or student loans. Some victims suffer monetary losses. Nearly all victims have to devote a great deal of time and effort to the restoration of their identities. But only a few victims suffer the worst [...]
FBI chief falls for phishing email
Last week, FBI chief Robert Mueller spoke about the dangers of cybercrime, and admitted that he had once been fooled by a phishing email. At first, Mueller believed the email to be a "perfectly legitimate" message from his bank, requesting that he verify some personal information. He followed a link to a spoofed website, where [...]
More phishing news?
Today, the FBI charged 53 defendants with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, the largest number ever charged in a cybercrime case. 33 have already been arrested and the remainder are being sought by law enforcement. Egyptian authorities charged 47 defendants linked to the same phishing operation. The arrests follow a multinational investigation [...]
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