ID Watchdog 2024 Review

More victims than ever are finding themselves covering the costs of fraud. A 2019 report from Javelin Research revealed that certain types of fraud are on the rise, including new account fraud and account takeover fraud. Mobile phone account takeover, in particular, has become a big problem over the last few years, increasing from 380,000 instances in 2017 to 679,000 instances in 2018.

While you can watch your accounts like a hawk to look for signs of fraud, some consumers turn to identity theft companies that will do the tedious monitoring work for you. With a plan from ID Watchdog, for example, you can pay a monthly rate in exchange for credit report monitoring, dark web monitoring, public records monitoring, data alert monitoring and more.
ID Watchdog also offers special plans and features for families with children they want to protect, and all of their plans come with identity theft insurance included.

If you’re in the market for identity theft protection and you are considering ID Watchdog, you should find out more about the inclusions of their plans, how much they cost and how they stack up to other providers. This comprehensive review will cover the primary product features.

ID Watchdog keeps things simple by offering two plans that can be purchased for individuals or families—an ID Watchdog Plus plan and an ID Watchdog Platinum plan. Both come with the following basic protections:

• Dark web monitoring
• High-risk transaction monitoring
• Subprime loan monitoring
• Public records monitoring
• USPS change of address monitoring
• Social account monitoring
• Customizable alerts
• Sex offender registry monitoring
• 24/7 customer service
• A mobile app
• Credit freeze assistance

The differences between the Plus and the Platinum plan mostly have to do with credit and credit monitoring. The ID Watchdog Plus plan only includes monitoring of your Equifax credit report, whereas the ID Watchdog Platinum plan includes monitoring of the three major credit bureaus. Meanwhile, the Plus version only offers assistance with locking your Equifax credit report, whereas the Platinum version lets you lock your Equifax and TransUnion credit reports. Both family plans also offer help when it comes to locking your children’s Equifax credit report, which can help make sure nobody is opening new accounts in their names.

Another ID Watchdog Plus feature worth noting is the fact that, in addition to receiving up to $1 million in identity theft insurance, you also get $500,000 in insurance for stolen funds from your 401(k) or a Health Savings Account (HSA). This feature can be beneficial if you have a large 401(k) account or other investments you need to protect.

When you begin comparing prices among identity theft protection services, you’ll quickly notice that ID Watchdog costs less than some of their competitors, barring promotions. Also be aware that you can receive a discount if you pay your full year of premiums up front.

Signing up for identity theft insurance can not only provide you with peace of mind, it can also save you time and stress. With this service overseeing your accounts and monitoring your credit, you won’t have to spend your precious energy tracking the information on your credit reports or wondering if suspicious activity is going on.

Once you sign up for ID Watchdog, you can use this service to your advantage in the following ways:

• Set up customizable alerts: ID Watchdog lets you set up alerts that can notify you if suspicious activity posts to one of your credit reports, or if a new account is opened in your name. They can also notify you if your information is found on the dark web, a data breach takes place or someone tries to change your address with the United States Postal Service (USPS).
• Lock your credit reports: ID Watchdog also lets you lock one or two of your credit reports depending on which plan you choose. Note, however, that you can take steps to lock all three of your credit reports for free on your own at any time whether you have this coverage or not. ID Watchdog only provides assistance with the process.
• Monitor your credit scores: The ID Watchdog Platinum plan lets you track your Equifax credit score in real-time, which is crucial if you hope to improve your credit score or simply monitor your score for changes over time.

ID Watchdog offers a few perks many other identity theft monitoring services fail to offer. These include:

• Solicitation Reduction: This service can help you get placed on a Do Not Call Registry and reduce the number of unsolicited offers and junk mail you receive
• National Provider ID Alerts: If you’re a healthcare worker, this service will let you know if your National Provided ID (NPI) has been changed or compromised in any way.
• Last Wallet Assistance: If you lose your wallet, ID Watchdog will help you cancel your lost credit cards and identification. They’ll also look for these items to show up on the dark web.
• Public Record Monitoring: This service scours public records for new addresses or names associated with your identity, which could be an early sign of fraud.

While you can cancel a monthly plan with ID Watchdog at any time, they don’t provide refunds for partial months. Also be aware that you can only add up to four children to a family plan.

	ID Watchdog	Identity Guard	LifeLock
Costs	$14.95 to $19.95 per month for individuals	$7.50 to $25 per month for individuals	$9.99 to $29.99 per month for individuals
Identity Theft Insurance	Up to $1 million plus up to $500,000 in reimbursement for stolen funds from a 401(k) or HSA	Up to $1 million	$25,000 to $1 million
Credit Monitoring	At least 1 bureau monitoring comes with all plans	Only with Total and Ultra plans	At least 1 bureau monitoring comes with all plans

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There are a few ways ID Watchdog really stands out from its competitors, including the fact their plans come with monitoring of at least one credit bureau, which isn’t the case with every provider. ID Watchdog Platinum plans also come with up to $50,000 in insurance for stolen HSA or 401(k) funds, which is another feature you may not expect.

In addition, ID Watchdog is more geared to families, and this shows in the fact that they provide assistance in locking your child’s Equifax credit report.

When it comes to pricing, you’ll probably notice that ID Watchdog’s individual plans come with a higher starting price than some of their competitors, including both LifeLock and Identity Guard. However, the top-tier ID Watchdog Platinum plan is less expensive than other provider’s most comprehensive identity theft monitoring services.

With that in mind, you should make sure you check the terms of conditions of the identity theft plan you’re considering if you have a big family and you want protection for your kids. ID Watchdog lets you include up to four dependents in your plan, but identity theft protection from other providers (including Experian) let you add up to 10 kids to your plan. Each provider sets its own limits for the number of dependents you can add to your plan, so make sure you know this ahead of time.

If you want a third party overseeing your accounts to make sure there is no evidence of suspicious activity, purchasing a plan from ID Watchdog can make sense. You can buy coverage for around the price of a fast food meal every month, yet you could easily save yourself hours of time and thousands of dollars if you are able to stop identity fraud in its tracks.

Just make sure you compare other identity theft providers before you pull the trigger on this option. The best identity theft protection companies can help you notice the signs of fraud early on, but they don’t all offer the same features and benefits. Like any other product, you should shop around for identity theft protection to find the right fit for your budget and your lifestyle.