Becoming a victim of identity theft is a life-changing experience that can have horrible long-term and permanent effects. When your identity is stolen, all your financial information, personal data, public records, social security numbers, and computer data can and will be stolen along with it. Loans and credit cards can be taken out in your name without you knowing, and your credit and finances can be permanently destroyed.
Identity theft has been a reoccurring problem for many years and has affected countless victims. Unfortunately, today identity theft is becoming a bigger and bigger problem, a problem that has been growing out of control recently because of the internet. Identity thieves and hackers are becoming more technologically sophisticated and it’s not just individuals that are being targeted anymore, but now they’re also targeting big businesses and databases, allowing them to capture and steal millions of consumer’s personal and financial information instantly.
It’s important that you monitor all your credit reports and financial statements, such as savings and checking account statements regularly and watch for anything suspicious or fraudulent. Although, it’s impossible for individuals to monitor all their reports and statements 24/7 a day, which would be too time-consuming and impractical, and is why good identity theft prevention and credit protection services are appealing.
The key word is “good” identity theft protection services, they’re are quite a few companies out there offering these services, but only a hand full that actually provide what they say they provide. We have recognized just how beneficial identity theft protection services can be for protecting and monitoring personal, financial, and computer data. When I was shopping around myself to purchase and sign-up for a service, I also realized just how difficult it actually is find a good identity theft protection service, which provided all the necessary protection, tools, and software, and actually perform the services they claimed to provide.
There were so many different services to choose from, and for myself it was important to choose a good service, since that service would be responsible for effectively monitoring and protecting my personal information, financial accounts, credit score and credit reports, and computer data, and then alerting me instantly of any suspicious or fraudulent activity. Since this was such an important decision, I didn’t rush in or impulsively purchase just any service, instead I wanted to take some time to do a little research.
A little research turned into a lot of research, and I started discovering that many of these services didn’t do anything more than really monitor your credit report once or twice a year, but still charge you a nice monthly fee. I was even more surprised to find out that a couple big and well-known companies that offered identity theft protection services, didn’t actually perform the services they claimed to do, and have been or are currently under investigation by the government (I’ll explain this in more detail below).
When finally determining which companies where legitimate and which were not, I decided to write a review and list the top three identity theft protection services available to consumers based off research I conducted, and make it easier for you to choose a good and dependable service. I’ll explain why I picked or did not pick certain services, and explain how and why I chose the top three services that I picked. The best identity theft protection service available is LifeLock Ultimate Plus.
Choosing the Best Identity Theft Protection Service
One of the best investments you can ever make, personally and financially, is by protecting yourself and your family against identity theft. After many hours of research and due diligence, we analyzed and reviewed over 20 of the most used and well known identity theft protection and prevention services, and have determined the overall top three services.
After doing quite a bit of research, reading consumer reports, and other reviews, we discovered that many services available used deceptive marketing practices. These companies offered and advertised identity theft protection and prevention services, but didn’t actually protect or service consumers from what they claimed their services would actually do. These companies obvious didn’t make our top three list. Other companies that did not make our “top 3 list,” simply did not meet or offer all the criteria and requirements needed (The criteria we used is listed below).
Be Careful of Identity Theft Protection Services with “Deceptive Marketing” Practices
Unless you take the time to really dig deep and do extensive research, it’s very difficult to know which companies and identity theft services actually do what they claim to do. I discovered that many big and well-known companies that offer identity theft protection services are currently under fire by the government for false and deceptive marketing practices.
We discovered big and well-known companies such as Capital One and Affinion, that offered identity theft services and either had negative reviews or had been fined or penalized for deceptive marketing of identity theft protection services, or are currently under investigation by the federal government.
How We Pick these Services, Determining the Good from the Bad
We determined that these where the best identity theft protection services based on a number of different factors and criteria. Most companies fell short and didn’t meet all the criteria, although we were amazed that our top three picks not only met all the required criteria, but actually exceeded it.
Below I’ll specify the factors and required criteria we used for picking the best top three identity theft protection services.
First, they needed credibility and trust worthiness, including:
- Positive consumer reviews, testimonials, and experiences
- A good rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB)
- A long “identity theft protection services” business history
- Actually provide the services they claim to provide
Then, identity theft protection service companies had to meet the following criteria:
- Monitor credit reports and credit score regularly, and alert you of suspicious activity
- Monitor you financial information regularly, including credit cards, banking accounts, investment accounts, personal loans, business loans, and other financial accounts.
- Monitor your personal information regularly
- Provide you with security software for computer
- Tools to keep your personal information private
- Have a 24/7 alert system
- Have a Identity Restoration and Support system
- Data Breach Notifications
- Fictitious Identity Monitoring
Best Choice Overall: LifeLock Ultimate Plus
 | LifeLock Ultimate Plus |
LifeLock Ultimate Plus is the most expensive plan we have reviewed, at a cost of $29.99 per month (get 10% off and 30 days free using this special promo link, making it only $26.99 per month!) . It is also the best identity theft protection service we’ve found, offering the most comprehensive protection.
A couple of the important features besides the basic identity theft monitoring is you’ll receive is regular monitoring of your personal information and financial accounts and activity alerts, including investment activity alerts. You’ll also receive monthly updates on your credit score and credit reports from the three major credit bureaus, they’ll unsubscribe you from all junk mail lists, alert you of things like driver’s license number and address changes.
LifeLock stands by their service with a $1 million service guarantee, meaning if you ever do become a victim of identity theft during the time you’re LifeLock member, they’ll spend up to $1 million to get you expert legal services and hire you a lawyer to help you recover. LifeLock is currently offering 10% off and a 30 days free.
Additional LifeLock Ultimate Plus Details:
Financial and Investment Accounts Activity Alerts: SMS and Email
Data Breach and Identity Protection Alerts: Phone, Email, SMS
Credit Reports and Credit Scores: TransUnion, Equifax, Experian
Member Service Guarantee: Up to $1 Million in Restoration Costs
Runner Up: Identity Guard Platinum
 | Identity Guard Platinum |
Identity Guard Platinum is another outstanding identity theft protection and prevention service. They offer credit reports and scores from the top three credit bureaus, a credit score analyzer, anti-malware suite, and anti-key logging software.
Identity Guard Platinum is $24.99 a month, but through our special links are readers are able to get it for $22.99 a month and use it for 30-days FREE!
Additional Identity Guard Platinum Details:
Data Breach and Identity Protection Alerts: SMS and Email
Credit Reports and Credit Scores: TransUnion, Equifax, Experian
Guaranteed Insurance: $1,000,000
Next Up: IdentityForce UltraSecure + Credit
 | IdentityForce UltraSecure+Credit |
IdentityForce UltraSecure + Credit is one of the most comprehensive and affordable identity theft protection and prevention services for families with their Child Watch add-on. It’s normally on $17.95 per month, but our readers can get it for $14.95 per month, plus a 14-day FREE trial!
Additional IdentityForce UltraSecure + Credit Details:
Data Breach and Identity Protection Alerts: SMS and Email
Credit Reports and Credit Scores: TransUnion, Equifax, Experian
Guaranteed Insurance: $1,000,000
I used LifeLock for a while – worth paying the money for. Provides for 100% secure workplace
Easy to follow, easy to read…heck I had formed to
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