In a Nutshell
pros
- Instant alerts for suspicious activity
- 24/7 monitoring
- Access your credit scores from all 3 credit bureaus
cons
- No 24/7 live chat support
- No pricing information on the website
A Brilliant Solution For:
- People who want someone else to keep tabs on their credit
- People who want to clean up their credit report
- People who already had their identities stolen
How Does it Work?
IdentityTheft.com works entirely on the cloud. You don’t actually download any software to your devices. Instead, you’ll enter your information into the database for the accounts you want monitored. After that, IdentityTheft.com will scan the various databases for any unusual mentions, activity, or permissions granted pertaining to your information. So if, for example, IdentityTheft.com notices that a credit card was applied for using your Social Security number, it’ll flag that activity.
When IdentityTheft.com flags an unusual activity, the system will automatically send you an alert. You can check the action to see if it is legitimate or not. Did you sign up for the credit card? Are you aware of the application in process? If it was you, then the alert can be dismissed. If it wasn’t you, though, then you need to take action right away, and IdentityTheft.com can help you. Follow the instructions on the website, or call one of the fraud protection agents on the website for immediate assistance. Getting the instant alerts helps you take immediate action and avoid serious consequences.
What Does This Service Watch out For?
IdentityTheft.com provides a wide range of services with its plans. You can receive monitoring for the following channels:
- Identity theft monitoring
- Dark web surveillance
- Three-bureau credit monitoring (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion )
- Social Security number monitoring
- Credit alerts, notifications whenever your score changes
- Public records monitoring
- Payday loan monitoring
- Financial account takeover monitoring
IdentityTheft.com also provides alerts, $1 million identity theft insurance, and 1-on-1 consultations with fraud protection agents. And there are also lists of important resources found on the website itself. You can get direct links to valuable identity theft protection services like check verification services, the federal trade commission, and several bank lines in case you need to report fraud.
IdentityTheft.com also provides links for useful resources like privacy protection services that will help you take your name off of pre-approved credit card or insurance broker mailing lists. You can also get a donotcall.gov link that’ll help minimize the number of telemarketing calls you receive. These aren’t invaluable, but they are certainly useful.
Recovery Services - What Can IdentityTheft.com Do If My Identity Is Stolen?
If someone does steal your identity, IdentityTheft.com has a few things it can do to help, including:
- $1 million in identity theft insurance
- A dedicated restoration team to help take decisive action
- 24/7 customer service
What we found to be particularly useful was the in-depth identity theft recovery checklist that IdentityTheft.com provides directly on the website. It's a detailed list of events that may occur, such as lost or stolen ATM card, transactions showing up on your monthly credit card statement that you didn't make, or getting denied approval for a credit card for no apparent reason. Under each of these items, IdentityTheft.com provides a list of actions you should take to safeguard yourself or the proper authorities to get in touch with in order to protect yourself. Actions might include freezing your account, contacting your credit card provider, or reviewing your credit report for mistakes.
How Easy Is It to Use?
Credit monitoring is a dry industry, but IdentityTheft.com has done a pretty good job of making the hands-on process as quick and painless as possible. You can be set up and ready to roll in 2 easy steps:
Step 1: Sign up
You'll need to create an account with IdentityTheft.com. It's just a few straightforward questions and won't take long to fill out. What's nice about this service is that when you sign up, you get a 7-day free trial membership. If you don't like what you see, then you can cancel and not pay anything.
Step 2: Get protection
That’s all you are required to do. Your accounts will now be monitored by IdentityTheft.com. However, there are several other steps you can take if you would like to be more proactive about your identity protection. For example, as soon as you sign up, you’ll have access to your credit score. What IdentityTheft.com does well is give you access to all 3 credit bureau scores. This is unusual for the industry, which generally only gives you 1, or at most 2. Since lenders don’t all use the same credit scoring system, it’s very helpful to have the various scores to get a full panoramic picture of your credit.
When you gain access to your credit score, you can also check out your credit history. This is a valuable step in improving your credit. Here’s where you can check what’s going on and where you need to improve in order to boost your score.
IdentityTheft.com also has another impressive feature. You can add various accounts that you want the system to monitor in addition to the standard monitoring lists. So, you can add things like your driver's license, credit cards, or other personal accounts. And IdentityTheft.com will monitor each of these for suspicious activity. It's a great feature because it means you can really have 360-degree protection against identity theft.
Pricing
One thing we didn't like about IdentityTheft.com is that there is no pricing information available on the website. You can sign up for a 7-day free trial, but you'll only learn how much the membership fees are after you've signed up and given them your Social Security number. That's not the way most people like to shop.
Help & Support
What we found particularly impressive about this service is the level of support available to customers. You can get live chat or phone support even for non-members, and you can also send IdentityTheft.com an email via the online contact form for general questions or concerns.
But what’s even more impressive is that you can also get 1-on-1 help from professional consultants who are available to answer any questions you might have in the event that an issue occurs.
Phone number:
1-800-972-7204
During the following hours:
Monday through Friday
8am to 8pm CT
Saturday
8am to 5pm CT
Sunday
Noon to 6pm CT
Live chat hours:
Monday - Friday
8am - 8pm CT
Saturday
8am - 5pm CT
Sunday
Noon - 6pm CT
Bottom Line
IdentityTheft.com is a comprehensive identity theft protection service. It offers monitoring services for every type of account, including drivers’ licenses, social accounts, and credit card numbers. IdentityTheft.com also scans the dark web for any shady activity associated with your account. There's a $1 million identity theft protection insurance in case anything happens, and IdentityTheft.com sends out instant alerts, so you can take immediate action if your identity is ever compromised, minimizing the damage. It would be nice if IdentityTheft.com published more information on the website, but the service itself is top-notch.
