10-second breakdown:
Founded in 2004 and using proprietary technology that searches billions of data points in order to detect and quickly alert users of changes in personal identity profiles, ID Watchdog provides each of their members with top-quality identity theft protection and resolution services on a comprehensive platform.
The good:
The price is incredibly affordable. Even the highest of the two plans is cheaper than the least expensive plan of many other identity theft products on the market. The service level is high-quality too. It’s a really great option for low-budget protection.
There is a really neat feature for doctors. Watchdog will monitor the National Provider Registry and alert you to anyone trying to place any unsubstantiated claims to your practice.
Identity restoration services are available to anyone with or without a previous account with this provider. There are several plans that allow for individuals who have had their identity stolen to work with ID Watchdog after the fact.
The bad:
Watchdog doesn’t offer to help you remove your name from unwanted mailing lists.
Premium reporting is only available with the premium plan, but it is only $5 more each month.
How it works:
It is estimated that an identity is stolen ever two seconds, a startling statistic to think about. In addition to identity protection, ID Watchdog aims to provide customers with much-needed peace of mind by allowing them to gain ‘Identity Awareness’ – an inner sense of what will help or detract from their identity’s security.
ID Watchdog allows you to easily discover and manage exactly who is using your personal information and how they’re using it, be it government agencies, retailers, financial institutions or otherwise. Well-designed to be convenient and user-friendly, by accessing your personal information dashboard, account holders with ID Watchdog can remain constantly aware thanks to a 24/7 identity profile report which dutifully monitors your status. ID Watchdog lets you choose to receive email or text message alerts if any signs of misuse or potential fraud are detected.
Taking customer satisfaction to the next level, ID Watchdog has gone above and beyond by providing a highly praised feature that few other companies offer. If you have fallen victim to identity theft prior to joining, for an additional fee they will help you to restore all of the damages. Furthermore, while most agencies offer resolution assistance within a set price range, typically $1 million, ID Watchdog offers a 100% Identity Theft Resolution Guarantee to each and every account holder, regardless of the costs expended.
Recognized by The Consumer Federation of America as one of the most valuable identity theft protection services available, ID Watchdog provides service that is hard to beat. If you find yourself experiencing any trouble, their call center offers real-time native language support in over 100 languages to ensure clear communication and thorough support. Their professional and friendly staff resolve every issue, both big and small.
Though they don’t offer a free-trial like many other agencies, they do offer a 30-day money back guarantee. You have two options to choose from with ID Watchdog, their ‘Plus’ plan and their ‘Platinum’ plan.
ID Watchdog’s first plan, ‘Plus’ is offered for $14.95 a month. It gives you basic identity monitoring which includes monthly scans of public record databases. The monthly scans are in-depth searches for new information focused on your Social Security Number. ID Watchdog also monitors the National Change of Address database, and the Non-Credit Loan database. But covering just the basics isn’t enough to keep you secure, the plan also provides advanced monitoring which does additional scans through the internet to make sure you’re covered.
Cyber monitoring scans track online sources and underground websites that buy, trade and sell personal information such as Social Security Numbers, credit card numbers and even passwords that become vulnerable during online activity.
Credit report monitoring notifies you immediately when any changes are made. Changes can include new accounts, delinquent accounts and various other credit-related issues. They also offer NPI monitoring, for healthcare professionals and monitor for activity that may hint towards potential fraud like opening new loans in banks you don’t do business with.
Unfortunately, the ‘Plus’ plan does not provide customers with credit scores, and the credit is limited to TransUnion, which is only one of the three credit bureaus.
If you’re looking for credit reports and score from all three credit bureaus, you’ll need to purchase their Premium plan for $19.95 a month. Offering all the aforementioned features provided in the Plus, the only real difference between the plans is the ability to get scores from all three credit bureaus.
No one’s perfect, ID Watchdog’s lacking a little bit when it comes to bank accounts. A lot of the competition will watch your checking and savings accounts for any hits of fraud and then notify you or even potentially freeze the account so the transaction fails. ID Watchdog doesn’t offer any kind of alert system for your accounts though. While ID Watchdog does have cyber monitoring, they don’t provide any antivirus software to protect you from malicious websites out to take your username and password.
ID Watchdog is a solid choice for identity protection with extensive data monitoring that allows you to catch any fraudulent activity right away and keep your identity secure. What they lack in bank monitoring they more than make up for with other with some of the best resolution services and guarantees to be found. If you’re looking for industry-leading customer service and a company that really does have your back if push comes to shove, look no further. ID Watchdog brings some great cards to the table when it comes to protecting your identity and is definitely worth a serious consideration.
For complete rankings of all identity theft protection services, go here.
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