Identity Guard Review – Get All the Facts! (Complaints, Pros & Reviews)

Intro: Identity Guard Review

With identity theft in the United States on the rise, companies like Identity Guard are cropping up to combat fraud. But with so many choices on the market, consumers want to know who to trust. Is Identity Guard legit? Is Identity Guard worth it?

We waded through several Identity Guard reviews to learn what the service is doing well, in addition to looking at Identity Guard complaints.

There’s a lot of information, but our review of Identity Guard will help you decide if this service is right for you.

The most recent data from Bureau of Justice Statistics indicates that approximately 7% of people over 16 years old have been victims of identity theft. According to one IdentityGuard review, the company is effective in watching to make sure no one steals your personal information.

Identity Guard has a three-part approach to protecting identity: monitor, protect, and recover.

Identity Guard Review: Monitor

Identity Guard monitors three areas of personal and financial information:

Credit monitoring
Identity monitoring
Public record monitoring

While credit monitoring is standard in the industry, some Identity Guard packages go beyond the basics and monitor your bank account information, and even medical insurance cards. Identity Guard reviews agree this is a favorable point of difference.

The public record monitoring alerts customers to possible social security fraud, as well as personal information being sold on the Internet’s black market. Customers can receive alerts via email, text, or phone call.

One IdentityGuard review touted the alerts as valuable and able to “catch the fraud before it gets too far.”

Identity Guard Review: Protect

Because so much identity fraud is perpetrated online, Identity Guard provides free software to protect your personal computer.

Anti-virus
Password protection
Keystroke encryption

According to one Identity Guard review, competing identity fraud protection companies do “little or nothing to protect their users’ computers from attacks.” The software is called SafeConnex and is provided for free not only to Identity Guard users, but to anyone who wants to keep their computer protected. Identity Guard reviews say this point of difference is propelling Identity Guard to the forefront of the industry.

Identity Guard Review: Recover

Identity theft protection companies can’t guarantee your information will never be compromised. Identity Guard offers three ways to help their clients in the event their information is compromised:

Personal recovery assistance, which helps customers cancel their credit cards and advises what to do next. Their experts walk you through the steps necessary to recover your identity and resolve issues with lenders.
Identity theft insurance up to $1 million covers expenses that result from the identity fraud.
Lost wallet protection is a unique service that helps victims in the event their credit cards are lost or stolen. Identity Guard will help you access up to $2,000 from one of your accounts.

Most Identity Guard reviews agree the lost wallet protection makes their offering especially beneficial, and is another strong point of difference between Identity Guard and the competition.

According to one review of Identity Guard, you must read the fine print when it comes to the theft insurance. Identity Guard insurance will be secondary to any other insurance that will cover this type of loss, including homeowner’s or renter’s insurance.

The Identity Guard review goes on to say there are limits to the insurance and documentation required, but that all the policies are available and transparent to customers who read all the disclosures.

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Identity Guard Review: Identity Guard Plans

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Most Identity Guard reviews only discuss three plans offered by the company. In fact, Identity Guard has five plans: Identity Guard for Kids, Identity Guard Essentials, Identity Guard Gold, Identity Guard Total Protection, and Identity Guard Platinum. They range from $9.99-$24.99 per month. They currently offer a 30-day trial for $5.00.

The Identity Guard plan for kids points out that information can be stolen online, at doctor’s offices, at school, or even by sports teams. To protect kids’ identities, Identity Guard watches for their Social Security numbers, criminal records, DMV records, and utilities records for any sign of activity. If Identity Guard detects activity, they will send an alert.

One review of Identity Guard from Next Advisor says that the plans offer “the most comprehensive protection we’ve found.” However, only one Identity Guard review that we found mentions that credit monitoring is not available with the Essentials plan, whereas credit monitoring is standard in packages with other companies.

Identity Guard reviews claim that the choice between identity theft protection companies ultimately comes down to the details that will suit each individual consumer, such as what you want covered versus what you want to pay.

Identity Guard Review: Identity Protection Comparison

When compared to LifeLock, Identity Guard’s main competition, Identity Guard reviews seem more favorable. However, according to A Secure Life, both companies come in behind Identity Force.

When comparing Identity Guard with Lifelock, both offer several similar options, including protection for kids. According to more than one Identity Guard review, the points of difference come down to a few items:

Identity Guard offers ID verification and account takeover alerts, whereas LifeLock does not.
Identity Guard offers victim assistance, but LifeLock does not.
LifeLock offers 24/7 phone support, but Identity Guard does not.
LifeLock offers a $1 million service guarantee, whereas Identity Guard offers $1 million in insurance.

More than one Identity Guard review points out that it’s necessary to consider your individual needs when deciding between companies, because each one has beneficial features.

Identity Guard Review: Firm’s Website

The Identity Guard website is packed with information for consumers. Not only do they sell their services, but they also educate consumers about the risks of identity theft. Several Identity Guard reviews mention how much information is available to potential customers.

There is a comprehensive FAQ section that answers questions about their services, and a Resource Center with information on how to keep yourself from becoming a victim of identity theft. They also have a mobile app so you can easily check your account on the go.

One place where the Identity Guard website is not automatically clear is on the plan comparison page. It only lists the three main plans, which is what most Identity Guard reviews touch on, but if you look deeper into the website, you can find details on all five plans.

Identity Guard Review: Firm’s Customer Service

Identity Guard customer support is available by phone or email; however, they are not available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. According to one Identity Guard review, phone lines are still open more hours than their competition.

Many Identity Guard complaints are about their support and the fact that basic questions will not be answered by email. Billing questions, address changes, and activation or cancelation of services must all be handled on the phone.

Identity Guard Reviews: Complaints

Identity Guard complaints to the BBB center primarily on billing and collection issues, and secondarily around problems with their product or service. Only 32 Identity Guard complaints were logged over the last three years.

Identity Guard has an A+ rating by the BBB. Consumers who put an Identity Guard review on the BBB website seemed to have their issues resolved.

Other Reviews

Many Identity Guard reviews share key points in common, but vary on the details.

Pros:

Victim assistance in accessing $2000 from their accounts under the lost wallet protection
SafeConnex software for computer protection
$1 million identity theft insurance
Mobile app
Monthly or quarterly credit reports

Cons:

Fraud alerts are not set with the credit bureaus
Billing issues
Issues with logging into accounts
No family plan

The Identity Guard Reviews agree that most complaints could be resolved by customers reading the fine print. With so much information on the Identity Guard website and customer service representatives available by phone, questions regarding the specifics on the service can be quickly answered.

Image source: Big Stock

Identity Guard Reviews—Customers

Reviews of Identity Guard by professionals tend to focus on a comprehensive look at the service, while reviews by customers focus on the functionality of the app. Many customers agree that they love the service, but hate the app.

According to customer Identity Guard reviews on the Google Play Store, the app:

Has login issues
Does not display all their customer information
Seems unready, more like a Beta version

Due to increased use of mobile devices, Identity Guard reviews agree it would benefit the company to increase the app’s functionality and ease of use. The Google Play Store has a rating of 4.0 stars, and iOS gives the app 2.5.

Identity Guard complaints aside, customers on Trust Pilot give Identity Guard 6.9 out of 10.0 for the service itself. They credit Identity Guard with providing them with peace of mind and overall value.

Is Identity Guard for Me? Is the Firm Legit?

With so much information available, the question then becomes, is Identity Guard legit? Is Identity Guard worth it? The answer is, it depends.

Identity Guard reviews are in agreement when it comes to basic services and price. The decision come down to the details provided in the individual plans, versus the individual plans of the competition.

Overall, Identity Guard is best suited for people who:

Are concerned about computer protection
Need a plan for their children
Don’t need to rely solely on a mobile app
Feel more comfortable with the $1 million insurance provided by the plan
Need the lost wallet protection

Any time you do business with a new company, it’s important to know your options and understand the details. Weigh the options in each of the plans against your personal protection needs.

Additional features in the Identity Guard Platinum plan, such as public records monitoring and monthly credit score updates, might be worth the additional cost to you. Or you may simply need the peace of mind that comes with the Essentials package.

More than one Identity Guard review claims that they offer the most comprehensive protection on the market today. The A+ rating from the BBB and overall consumer satisfaction make Identity Guard a leading force in the identity theft protection industry.

In light of all the available information, our Identity Guard review is favorable.

Whether or not you choose Identity Guard, the information provided on their website about how to protect yourself from identity theft and fraud is valuable, and just might save you from becoming the next statistic.

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