ID Watchdog Identity Theft Protection Review

Identity theft is a pervasive threat that has become ever more present in our current digital age. One way to protect yourself from it is with an identity theft protection service. ID Watchdog offers identity theft protection solutions that also provide comprehensive credit monitoring services.

Read on to learn about ID Watchdog’s pros and cons, customer experience, plan options and pricing.

Best identity theft protection for employee benefits packages

One of the top perks of ID Watchdog is its generous employee benefits packages, which make it one of the best identity theft protection plans employers can choose. If you’re an employer, you can purchase subscriptions for your employees as a job perk while also enjoying those perks yourself. For example, you can use the platform to verify the identity of job applicants through the company’s I-9 HQ features.

ID Watchdog identity theft protection pros and cons

Pros explained

$1 million in identity theft insurance

With an ID Watchdog membership, you receive $1 million in ID Watchdog identity theft insurance coverage. These funds can be used to reimburse out-of-pocket expenses incurred in the process of recovering your identity.

Active alert system

ID Watchdog’s credit monitoring services immediately alert you when any changes occur, such as when you open a new credit card or take out a loan. You’ll also receive notifications if hackers attempt to open new accounts with your information. Moreover, ID Watchdog can inform you when your information is involved in a data breach or found on the dark web.

24/7 customer support

You can reach ID Watchdog representatives throughout the day, as the company offers 24-hour customer support. You may contact support with questions or problems relating to your subscription, monitoring and credit report. This also means that if identity fraud occurs, you can file a claim 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

Cons explained

Limited ways to contact support

ID Watchdog doesn’t offer online or live chat assistance. You must contact its customer support team through email or a phone call.

More expensive than many competitors

ID Watchdog’s prices aren’t the highest, but its services still cost more than those of many popular competitors. For example, Identity Guard offers monthly rates of $8.99 for an individual plan, while ID Watchdog’s monthly rates start at $14.95 for a plan with similar features.

ID Watchdog identity theft plans

ID Watchdog offers two plans for protecting yourself against bad actors who are out for your personal information. The Select plan costs less but provides fewer features, while the Premium plan provides comprehensive coverage.

Here’s a breakdown of the two packages and what each one offers.

ID Watchdog Select

ID Watchdog Select is the company’s basic plan. When enrolling, you can choose between an individual plan or a family plan. The latter lets customers include themselves, another adult and up to four children. The Select plan includes access and monitoring services of your Equifax report and monitoring of:

• Subprime loans: Loans outside the traditional banking system are harder to detect. This includes payday and personal loans.

• Dark web activity: The dark web is a hidden part of the internet commonly used by thieves and internet traffickers. Hackers often use the dark web to buy and sell personal information.

• High-risk transactions: The Select membership monitors large withdrawals from your bank accounts and wire transfers associated with your name, Social Security number or bank accounts.

• Data breaches: Data breaches occur when hackers steal personal information. Your membership notifies you if your information was part of a data breach.

• Sex offenders: You’ll be notified if registered sex offenders move to your area.

Select program customers can access their updated Equifax credit reports and VantageScore credit scores on a monthly basis. They also get up to $1 million in identity theft coverage and access to 24-hour customer support.

If you suspect there are problems with your Equifax report, this plan allows you to lock it, as well.

ID Watchdog Premium

The Premium plan includes everything the Select plan offers and more. In addition to the features and benefits in the Select plan, you’ll also receive:

• Monitoring services from all three major credit reporting bureaus: The Premium plan monitors Equifax, Transunion and Experian credit reports.

• Daily updated credit scores and reports: You can view your credit reports and scores daily from all three bureaus instead of accessing them monthly.

• Social network alerts: This plan monitors social networks, alerting you of potential cyberbullying or account takeovers.

• Access to a personal VPN: A VPN lets you search the internet privately, blocking other third-parties from seeing what you are doing.

• Access to a password manager tool: Password managers help you create strong passwords that thieves can’t easily crack. You can also use this tool to safely store your passwords.

• Up to $1 million in stolen funds reimbursements: In addition to $1 million in identity theft insurance, this plan provides $1 million in coverage for funds stolen from employer-sponsored funds and health savings accounts.

ID Watchdog’s Premium plan lets you lock your Equifax and Transunion credit reports if you suspect or detect fraud. It also lets you connect your financial accounts to your ID Watchdog account to monitor your balances. This connection helps you watch your accounts more closely to detect fraud faster.

Both the Select and Premium plans are available as individual coverage or as a family plan. ID Watchdog family coverage is ideal if you also want to protect your children’s identities. After all, learning how to protect yourself from identity theft is important, but protecting your children is also crucial.

ID Watchdog identity theft pricing

Learning how to check for identity theft is crucial in today’s world. Identity theft monitoring services offer a simple solution, but you should consider ID Watchdog’s costs before selecting a plan. Plan costs are lower if you pay for them annually instead of monthly.

You can purchase an individual Select plan for $14.95 per month or $150 annually. Family Select plans cost $23.95 monthly or $240 annually.

The Premium plan costs $21.95 monthly or $220 annually for an individual plan. Family Premium plans cost $34.95 monthly or $350 annually.

ID Watchdog identity theft financial stability

Equifax, a publicly traded company that operates in numerous countries around the globe, purchased ID Watchdog in 2017. Its headquarters are located in Atlanta, Georgia, while ID Watchdog operates out of Denver.

In 2022, Equifax had an annual revenue of $5.122 billion — 4% higher than the previous year. Moody’s issued Equifax a Baa2 rating and gave it a Stable outlook in April 2023.

ID Watchdog identity theft accessibility

ID Watchdog provides easy access to your credit information. It also alleviates your responsibilities in solving identity theft issues. You can use the ID Watchdog portal online or the ID Watchdog app on your phone to access your information.

Availability

ID Watchdog sells individual and family memberships and is available in all 50 states. You might also receive access to ID Watchdog’s credit monitoring services through your employer, or purchase a plan yourself. When enrolling, you must set up an account using your email address.

Contact information

You can reach ID Watchdog in several ways:

• Phone: ID Watchdog representatives are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. To reach a representative, call (800) 970-5182.

• Email: To reach a representative electronically, email ID Watchdog at idwatchdogcustomerservice@equifax.com.

User experience

You can log in to your ID Watchdog account on desktop or through its mobile app, which is available on the Google Play Store and the App Store. The ID Watchdog app gives you instant access to your credit information and lets you lock your credit report.

By allowing notifications, you’ll instantly know if the service detects any suspicious activity. You can also use the app to contact support through email or phone. Support is always available, allowing you to report and resolve identity theft issues quickly.

ID Watchdog identity theft customer satisfaction

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) doesn’t have any complaints for ID Watchdog on record. NMoreover, it issued the company, which is a BBB accredited business as of November 10, an A+ rating.

Apple users give the ID Watchdog app 2 out of 5 stars on the App Store. Users on Google Play give the app 3.3 out of 5 stars.

How we evaluated ID Watchdog identity theft

Money considered these factors when reviewing ID Watchdog’s identity theft protection:

• Plan options
• Pricing
• Financial stability
• Accessibility
• Customer satisfaction
• Summary of Money’s ID Watchdog identity theft review

ID Watchdog’s identity theft protection provides comprehensive credit and identity monitoring services for individuals and families. Its plans are slightly more expensive than those of its competitors, but its services are comparable. Through an ID Watchdog membership, you can protect yourself and your family against the most common threats people face today regarding their credit and identity.

ID Watchdog is owned by Equifax, which also makes it a good choice if you’re an employer in need of workforce verification products. By using Equifax’s I-9 verification services, you can offer ID Watchdog services to employees as part of a benefits package.