Thank you to our friends at consumers advocate.org! We recently had conversations about ways to provide the our community added value.
We decided to share additional information so you can be proactive about protecting your Personal Identifiable Information (PII) and discuss online tools you can use. Please continue reading if this is you…
As you probably know, the Equifax breach affected over 143 million Americans and others worldwide. If you’re one of the unlucky bunch, you are probably looking for a way to protect yourself against identity theft. This may include obtaining annual credit reports, setting up fraud alerts, and considering placing a credit freeze. Another solution is setting up an identity theft protection service.
learn more about the best options out there
If you want to learn more about the best options out there, Reviews.com researched 18 different companies based on a number of criteria to ensure they are serving your interests first. Overall, they recommend a service that monitors any changes to your report from all three credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion), as well as monitors the use of your personally identifying information online. They also strongly suggest finding a service that does as much legwork to help you legally reclaim your identity.
While no service can actually prevent your identity from being stolen, the best identity theft protection will monitor both credit and personal info and advocate on your behalf to help restore your identity. These services can’t decrease your chances of becoming a victim, but they will alert you when something goes awry and help you clean up the mess. And the mess can be huge so this is a major plus.
While some companies will simply provide you with a checklist and a hotline number, the best services assume power of attorney to act on your behalf. This will save you many hours and the major hassle of calling federal agencies, filing affidavits, and in rare cases, hiring lawyers. And while this all sounds drastic – it can and does happen. If you have the means, an identity protection service can provide you that extra security to help you sleep easier at night.
Finding a service that’s right for you
Their final review identifies four top choices:
- IdentityForce – Most Affordable Family Protection
- LifeLock – Cheapest Credit Monitoring & Most Customizable Alerts
- ID Watchdog – Best For Identity Theft Victims
- Credit Sesame – Best If You Lose Your Wallet
Overall, make sure you’re doing your research for whatever service you choose.
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