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Suze Orman's Identity Protector Review: Identity Theft Protection |
| Sign up for Suze Orman's Identity Protector | |
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| Strong protection and value with comprehensive identity and credit monitoring; Suze Orman stamp of approval | |
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Suze Orman has developed a large and very loyal following for her brand of financial advice. We're happy to see that Suze has recognized identity theft as a serious problem and has created her own identity theft protection service: Suze Orman's Identity Protector. We're also happy to report that Ms. Orman's service is an excellent one. In fact, she's partnered with an industry veteran, TrustedID, to create her Suze Orman's Identity Protector. The service is actually a version of TrustedID's IDEssentials product, and it's a strong offering.
Suze Orman's Identity Protector offers a tremendous value for identity theft protection and credit report monitoring starting at just $10.42 per month (with annual prepay), and is an even better value for families. The service has all the benefits of TrustedID's IDFreeze product and has been enhanced by the addition of 3-bureau credit monitoring, access to all three of your credit reports and scores, and a Facebook privacy app. The features are now second to none, and in our opinion it is one of the best overall values in identity theft protection. While three-bureau credit monitoring is not included in all identity theft protection services, we think it's a very valuable id theft protection tool and a last line of defense to detect financial account identity theft when other methods may have failed to prevent it. We also think monitoring all three bureaus is critical as many financial accounts only report to one of the bureaus. Identity Protector rivals Identity Guard Total Protection in protection features and comes at a cheaper price (just $10.42/mo.) if you don't mind paying the full annual cost upfront. The family plan costs $20/mo with annual prepay. While you can't beat the pricing given the breadth of protection, it would be nice if monthly payments were an option. We'd also like to see a free trial so people can try it out before making a commitment.
In addition to the credit data and Facebook privacy app, Suze Orman's Identity Protector has a strong core of identity theft protection features. The Internet black market monitoring service monitors your personal information such as Social Security number, credit cards and bank accounts for any suspicious activity. It begins working as soon as you sign up by taking the Social Security number you used in the sign-up process and monitoring its use immediately. Adding all your credit card and bank account numbers is quick and easy and you should do this right away. This service monitors the Internet's black market for the use of any of these account numbers and immediately alerts you if it finds any of your numbers are being bought or sold. Identity Protector also monitors the Internet and public records for any changes to or misuse of your name, address, or Social Security number. It even gives you medical record protection. The service will help you request your medical benefit history from all your providers so you can make sure no one else has been receiving benefits in your name. They then monitor your account for any suspicious usage on an ongoing basis. Another helpful feature is the Identity Threat Score, which provides a gauge of your individual risk level based on an analysis of the various records and databases that Identity Protector monitors. Your score will help Identity Protector's protection specialists determine the necessary steps to proactively protect your identity. Suze Orman's Identity Protector's $1,000,000 identity theft warranty starts the moment you sign up so you can be confident you'll have the peace of mind that comes with their warranty and restoration services should they ever be needed (more on that below). The service also helps you send letters to opt out of junk mail in general and credit card and other lending offers in particular. Not only do these clog your mailbox and kill trees, but they are also a prime target for identity thieves to steal, gain your personal information and open a credit card account in your name. As part of your account, you are offered a service called CreditLock, which makes your credit report at all 3 bureaus unavailable to everyone without permission. While this is a good option for those who rarely use their credit, or those who are stationed overseas, it does cost $44.95 to lock your credit reports with all three bureaus and $39.95 to unlock them - every time! We typically only recommend using this feature if you know you have been the victim of an identity theft. In that situation, it is extremely valuable. Finally, Identity Protector also includes free anti-spyware software with your membership. This is definitely a nice added feature. The software is developed and maintained by Sana Security, a highly reputable and well-reviewed identity theft prevention software company. For those that want to take the additional step of setting fraud alerts on their credit files, Suze Orman's Identity Protector has a simple interface that walks you through the process of setting your own fraud alerts online with Equifax, one of the three major credit bureaus. Once your fraud alerts are set, Equifax will notify the other two credit bureaus, Experian and TransUnion, on your behalf and fraud alerts will be set on your credit files at those two bureaus as well. After you set your fraud alerts the first time they will need to be renewed every 90 days. Trusted ID sends an email notification that reminds you to reset your fraud alerts before they lapse. However, in the past we have had a couple of issues with these notifications working properly so we would recommend you make a note on your calendar and not rely on the service alone for this. The downside to setting fraud alerts on your credit file is that it might delay a credit application process because your identity must be confirmed before an account is open (usually you will be called and must speak to a representative of the credit grantor), but for those that are very concerned about identity theft this is a small price to pay it will not hurt your credit or prevent you from getting credit. You will get access to your credit scores and reports from all three bureaus as soon as you sign up for Identity Protector, as well as your three-bureau credit report monitoring. Thus, the service is actually one of the better-priced credit monitoring services out there in addition to being a great value for identity theft protection. Since the service includes reports, scores and monitoring of all three bureaus, it's also one of the most complete. The only thing it lacks is ongoing updates to your credit scores and reports, as the ones you get at sign-up are the only ones included in the service. Of course, you'll be able to continue tracking any changes to your credit reports with the credit monitoring which is an ongoing part of the service, but you won't be sure how exactly how these changes affect your score. Suze Orman's Identity Protector has a pricing structure that makes it a particularly good value for large families. The family plan is a little less than twice as much as the individual plan, and you can add everyone in your household, so it makes sense if you have at least two people in your household. You should note that the family plan limits credit monitoring, credit reports and credit scores to two adults, but all the rest of the protection can be provided to everyone at your address. Identity Protector's service warranty covers you for up to $1,000,000 in costs to recover from identity theft. While this is a great benefit, direct monetary losses from identity theft are almost always much less, since you are not legally responsible for paying any fraudulent debt accumulated by a thief. The real cost of identity theft is the loss of ability to get credit for an extended period of time, the time and effort it takes to restore your good name, and many other adverse consequences that can even include mistaken incarceration. Thus, we think the most valuable part of the warranty is the identity theft restoration service that Identity Protector gives you as part of the warranty. In the extremely unlikely event that your identity is stolen while you're a member, Suze Orman's Identity Protector will pay for and perform all the tasks necessary to restore your identity, which can be extremely time-consuming, difficult and costly. We've found Identity Protector customer service representatives to be very helpful and easy to reach at any time of the day or week. The service has a nice online account dashboard so you can see all the different ways you're being protected and whether your account is missing any information. Overall, whether or not you're a fan of Suze Orman, you can feel very confident that you are getting strong protection and a good deal by signing up for Suze Orman's Identity Protector. It offers a great identity theft protection solution and a comprehensive yet cost-effective option for those serious about preventing identity theft. Sign up for Suze Orman's Identity Protector | Compare to Other Identity Theft Protection |
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Card Details:
| Price: | $10.42/mo w/ annual prepay |
| Fraud Monitoring: | Monitors 3-bureau credit report, credit cards, public records, Social Security number, bank accounts, medical records |
| ID Theft Insurance/ Guarantee: | $1,000,000 warranty |
| Reports Delivered: | All 3-bureau credit scores & reports upon signup |
| Computer Security: | Anti-spyware protection |
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