IDShield 2024 Review

Identity theft is more common than many people realize, and it can happen to anyone regardless of how careful they are. A 2023 study from Javelin Research showed that losses caused by identity theft reached a total of $43 billion in 2022 alone. More than 1.1 million reports of identity theft were sent to the Federal Trade Commission’s IdentityTheft.gov website in 2022.

IDShield offers products to help you spot the early signs of identity theft and stop it. The company includes a plan that will monitor all three major credit bureaus and provide identity theft insurance to help you recover financially if you’re a victim of fraud.

IDShield plans include a wide variety of identity theft monitoring and protection benefits. You can pay for the monitoring of one of your credit reports (TransUnion) or all three. You can also choose a plan for an individual or a family plan that covers up to 10 children.

IDShield plans start at $14.95 per month for individuals; it’s $19.95 per month for monitoring of all three credit reports.For a family plan, you’d pay $29.95 per month or $34.95 per month depending on whether you want a report from one credit bureau report or all three.

The main protective benefits you can expect from your plan from IDShield include:

• Social Security number monitoring
• Dark web monitoring
• Identity theft alerts
• Public records monitoring
• Court records monitoring
• Payday loan monitoring
• Social media scanning
• Medical data reports
• Unlimited consultation
• Access to licensed private investigators
• Credit score tracking and reporting
• 24/7 emergency assistance
• Up to $1 million in identity theft protection coverage
• Lost wallet support
• Monitoring of at least one credit report (TransUnion), but potentially also Experian and Equifax

The biggest benefit of signing up for identity theft protection is the peace of mind you gain. However, there are some ways to make the most use of your plan, and these include:

• Rely on identity theft insurance if you’re a victim of fraud. IDShield plans come with up to $1 million in identity theft protection coverage that can help you if you face a covered financial loss due to lost wages, legal fees, unauthorized electronic fund transfers, funds stolen from 401K retirement accounts and more.
• Use lost wallet support if your wallet is lost or stolen. If someone steals your wallet, IDShield will help you determine if any fraud has occurred. If so, they will assist with helping you restore your identity.
• Monitor your credit reports and scores. IDShield will help you monitor your credit reports and your scores over time, as well as alert you if a new account in opened in your name.
• Let IDShield monitor your children’s identities for you. IDShield will also monitor for up to 10 children’s social security numbers and  other personal details. While this may seem unnecessary, it’s important to note that children and seniors are some of the most common victims of identity theft, and that children are unusually susceptible since fraudsters see them as an easy target and a way to get a clean slate for more theft.
• Find out if someone is trying to change your address. IDShield will notify you if it identifies that someone has changed your address on your behalf. Spotting this sign of fraud early on can help you prevent identity theft and financial losses.

Along with protection against some of the most common identity theft problems, IDShield comes with some additional perks worth noting. These include:

• Reputation management services, which can help you clean up your online information over time
• Cyberbullying protection, which can alert you if you or a child are a victim of online bullying
• Solicitation reduction, which can help you cut down on offers for credit cards, loans and other products you never requested
• A licensed investigator who’s available to restore your identity and reputation if needed

IDShield plans are mostly free of hidden conditions or fine print, but there is one important detail you should know. The company says that most pre-existing identity theft issues are not covered under the full restoration benefit. In other words, you should not expect after-the-fact restoration if you buy your plan following an identity theft event.

	IDSHIELD	LIFELOCK	IDENTITY GUARD
Plan Costs	$14.95 to $19.95 per month for individuals, paid monthly	$7.50* to $34.99 per month for individuals, paid monthly or annually	$5.39** to $29.99 per month for individuals, paid monthly or annually
Identity Theft Insurance	Up to $1 million	Up to $3 million	Up to $1 million
Credit Monitoring	At least 1 bureau monitoring comes with all plans	At least 1 bureau monitoring comes with all plans	Only with Total and Ultra plans

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*Lifelock’s standard plan price, $7.50 per month, is good for the first year, if the full amount of $89.99 is paid upfront. After the first year, the plan renews at $124.99 annually.

**Identity Guard’s value plan price of $5.39 per month is available for customers who pay the annual amount upfront; otherwise, the plan costs $8.99 per month.

As you can see, IDShield isn’t the least expensive identity theft monitoring service out there today. However, you may find it’s worth the extra cost for perks such as unhindered access to licensed private investigators should your identity be compromised.

In its most basic plans, IDShield only includes monitoring of one of your credit reports (TransUnion), but this is the case with most identity theft protection services on the market today. Identity Guard doesn’t include any credit monitoring in its least expensive (Value) plan.

For some of the most sweeping identity theft monitoring protection on the market today, plans from IDShield are worth considering. These plans contain some important protection features.

You should take the time to compare the offerings from the top identity theft protection companies. Some plans cost more than others, but you often get what you pay for in terms of coverage and benefits.

You may find that one company offers a plan covering exactly what you want for an amount you’re willing to pay, but you won’t know how providers stack up unless you check.