Personal Finance
IdentityIQ Identity Theft Protection
Identity theft occurs when an individual uses someone’s personal information to commit fraud, usually to gain access to finances. Thieves can use malware or internet scams to get data directly from your electronic devices. They can also use information from an agency or company data breach, perhaps purchased on the dark web, to open credit cards or take out loans in your name.
IdentityIQ monitors personal information and credit activity to keep you informed of potential threats. The service also includes a $1 million reimbursement for stolen funds and, on some plans, identity and credit restoration services.
Read our full review to learn more about IdentityIQ’s features, pricing and customer experience.
Best for family protection
IdentityIQ includes some level of credit monitoring and identity theft insurance in all of its plans.
If you subscribe to the Secure Max plan, you can extend this benefit to children or young adults under 24 who live with you. They’ll benefit from identity monitoring and up to $25,000 in identity theft insurance — a policy that covers losses and expenses if someone steals their personal information.
IdentityIQ identity theft protection pros and cons
Pros
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Credit report monitoring included in all plans
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$1 million stolen funds reimbursement included in all plans
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Family protection included in the Secure Max plan
Cons
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Only two plans offer credit report monitoring for all three bureaus
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No social media account monitoring
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Offers antivirus and VPN add-ons
Pros explained
Credit report monitoring included in all plans
All IdentityIQ plans include daily credit monitoring services. You can easily check your credit score and credit report for suspicious activity and contact IdentityIQ’s customer service for additional support and to help you review inaccuracies. They can also help you with reporting identity theft to the proper authorities.
$1 million stolen funds reimbursement included in all plans
IdentityIQ offers up to $1 million in identity theft insurance with all its plans. The coverage applies to the primary IdentityIQ member, who can use it to cover stolen funds, lost wages or legal expenses.
Family protection included in the Secure Max plan
Children are vulnerable to identity theft because parents are less likely to monitor their Social Security numbers, which can have devastating consequences on their credit scores by the time they become adults. In many cases, children may not even be aware that their identities have been stolen.
The Secure Max plan offers identity theft protection, insurance coverage and Social Security number monitoring for children under the age of 24 who reside in your household.
Offers antivirus and VPN add-ons
For an added $2 to $3 per month, IdentityIQ offers an antivirus and virtual private network (VPN) add-on.
IdentityIQ uses Bitdefender antivirus for multi-layered data protection that prevents encryption by ransomware and protects your files with minimal impact on your device’s performance. It also includes a VPN for up to 10 devices, which provides security and anonymity when you connect to the web.
Cons explained
Only two plans offer credit report monitoring for all three bureaus
While all IdentityIQ’s plans include credit monitoring, only the two most expensive plans — Secure Pro and Secure Max — include enhanced credit monitoring with all three major credit bureaus. If you buy the Secure or Secure Plus plans, you will only receive information from Equifax.
The information that each credit bureau keeps on record varies slightly and you might miss suspicious activity in the other two reports if you’re only monitoring one credit bureau. Check out our best credit monitoring services for more options.
No social media account monitoring
Some identity theft protection services offer social media monitoring to detect fake profiles that assume your identity. For example, someone can set up a fake profile to scam other people or use your contacts to gain more personal information about you. IdentityIQ doesn’t offer this service in any of its plans.
IdentityIQ identity theft protection plans
In the following sections, you’ll find a description of what’s included in each of IdentityIQ’s four plans.
Secure
IdentityIQ’s Secure plan is the most affordable option but has the fewest features. Customers receive credit monitoring from Equifax and up to $1 million in identity theft insurance coverage.
In addition, the plan offers internet and dark web monitoring, change of address monitoring and credit application monitoring. IdentityIQ will also alert you if your Social Security number is used.
Other features include lost wallet assistance, identity restoration and Opt-out IQ to unsubscribe from junk email and spam call lists.
Secure Plus
The Secure Plus plan offers all the features of the Secure plan plus an annual credit report that includes credit scores and account information pulled from all three major credit bureaus.
Secure Pro
Secure Pro includes everything that’s part of the Secure Plus plan, and adds credit reports and scores from all three credit bureaus twice a year. You will also receive alerts about any criminal activity committed under your name.
For example, you may receive alerts if:
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There are changes to your authorized card users or collections balances.
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You exceed your bank or retail card limits.
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New charge-offs or foreclosures are added to your account.
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Collections or trade lines are paid or closed.
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There is more than a 10-point change in your TransUnion credit score.
Secure Max
IdentityIQ’s Secure Max plan includes all the features of the Secure Pro plan plus credit reports from all three bureaus every month.
Another key benefit of Secure Max is family protection. IdentityIQ’s family protection includes up to $25,000 in identity theft insurance for your children if they are under 24 and live with you.
Other features include a credit score simulator and fraud restoration with Limited Power of Attorney (LPOA) to help you recover from any fraudulent activity related to your personal data.
IdentityIQ identity theft protection pricing
The chart below outlines the pricing for all of IdentityIQ’s Identity Theft Protection plans.
Plan Name |
Monthly Plan Pricing |
Annual Plan Pricing |
IdentityIQ Secure |
$7 per month |
$71 per year ($6 per month) |
IdentityIQ Secure Plus |
$10 per month |
$102 per year ($9 per month) |
IdentityIQ Secure Pro |
$20 per month |
$204 per year ($17 per month) |
IdentityIQ Secure Max |
$30 per month |
$306 per year ($26 per month) |
While the company doesn’t have a free trial period, it does offer promotional pricing through its online ads. A popular sale price is $1 for a seven-day trial of any of its plans.
IdentityIQ financial stability
Founded in 2009, IdentityIQ has received many awards for its products, including:
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Inc. 5000 America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies
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American Business Awards Bronze Stevie Winner 2022
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Cyber Security Excellence Awards 2022
Financial stability metrics for IdentityIQ are unavailable, but American International Group (AIG) insurance — the company that underwrites IdentityIQ’s identity theft insurance coverage — has an A (excellent) rating from A.M. Best.
IdentityIQ accessibility
Learn more about how to access IdentityIQ’s identity theft protection services below.
Availability
IdentityIQ is based in the U.S. and tailors its services to U.S. citizens. For example, your IdentityIQ credit report is taken from credit bureaus that track accounts within the U.S. Also, its identity and fraud restoration services are based on U.S. processes for identification and credit.
Contact information
Reaching IdentityIQ’s customer service is fairly simple. You can call IdentityIQ at 1-877-875-4347 Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. or Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST.
IdentityIQ lacks some of the more convenient contact options, such as email or live chat, so you can only seek help by calling customer service.
User experience
The IdentityIQ website is organized and easy for users to navigate. Alerts are displayed prominently when you use your IdentityIQ login and password to access your account. The site also has timely educational articles on topics like preventing tax fraud, avoiding scams when buying tickets and keeping your bank and credit card numbers safe.
Unfortunately, the company doesn’t have an IdentityIQ app. You can still access your account with a mobile browser but an app would be more convenient.
IdentityIQ customer satisfaction
Most IdentityIQ online reviews are positive and satisfied customers cite kind customer service representatives who offer knowledgeable solutions. However, one of the most common IdentityIQ complaints relates to the difficult and stressful cancellation process experienced by some customers.
Although IdentityIQ representatives assure customers that there is a way to cancel their subscription online, the company’s website states otherwise. According to the IdentityIQ contact page, you must call a customer service number to cancel your subscription. Online customer reviews also report experiencing lengthy discussions with representatives who try to convince them to keep the service.
IdentityIQ identity theft protection FAQ
Is IdentityIQ legitimate?
IdentityIQ is a legitimate company that offers credit monitoring and identity theft protection. The company also partners with other reputable companies, such as AIG and Bitdefender.
How does IdentityIQ Identity Theft Protection work?
IdentityIQ is a subscription-based identity theft protection service. After you sign up and choose your preferred plan, IdentityIQ will monitor your credit and personal information behind the scenes. If the company detects suspicious activity, it will alert you and offer any necessary help.
IdentityIQ also features privacy tools such as antivirus protection and identity theft insurance to help cover losses and associated expenses.
How do I enroll in IdentityIQ identity theft protection services?
You can sign up for IdentityIQ by visiting the company’s website, choosing the plan you want and filling out basic personal information through the company’s secure online form. Once the account is set up, you can view your IdentityIQ credit scores and report. You can’t sign up with IdentityIQ over the phone.
How do I cancel my IdentityIQ plan?
To cancel an IdentityIQ plan, customers must call the customer service number at 1-877-875-4347.
How we evaluated IdentityIQ identity theft protection
We evaluated IdentityIQ by looking at the company’s services, tools, plans, pricing and customer experience.
We also read customer reviews to see what customers like and dislike most about the company and its products.
Lastly, we explored the IdentityIQ website to evaluate the ease of use for customers and their overall experience.
Summary of Money’s IdentityIQ review
IdentityIQ provides four identity theft protection plans, each of which includes credit monitoring, $1 million stolen funds insurance and personal information monitoring. Additionally, you have the option to add antivirus and VPN protection to any of the plans.
For customers looking for more comprehensive coverage, the Secure Pro or Secure Max plan offers additional monitoring tools. The Secure Max plan, in particular, is a good choice for families as it provides identity monitoring for eligible children and up to $25,000 in identity theft insurance.
With IdentityIQ’s services, customers can feel secure when using their banking, credit and personal information online. However, if you’re unsure and would like to compare IdentityIQ to other identity theft providers before committing, we recommend checking out our top picks for identity theft protection services.
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This article originally appeared on Money.com and may contain affiliate links for which Money receives compensation. Opinions expressed in this article are the author’s alone, not those of a third-party entity, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed. Offers may be subject to change without notice. For more information, read Money’s full disclaimer.
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