Identity Guard Family Plans Review

Identity Guard is an identity protection service that is renowned for its integration of artificial intelligence from Watson for better user security. Founded 20 years ago, they are one of the best on the market as proven by their quality of service and affordable prices.

Identity Guard offers plans for both individual and family use. These plans include support from a case manager that will be assigned to you should you need one.

Identity Theft

Nowadays, it is very common for people to upload some of their personal information online. The most common websites where these are uploaded include social media sites, online shops, and subscription services. Because of this, it can be easy for other people to get your information and to use it without your consent. This is called identity theft.  

The information that can be stolen online include your name, your address, your Social Security Number, and your credit information. These information can be accessed by others through:

• Data breaches– This is the most common way of having your information stolen. Whenever you upload information to an organization’s database, it can be accessed by others whenever a data breach happens. This why it is important to only enter your information on reliable websites.
• Unsecure browsing– By accessing unsecure websites and not using any protection while online you may have your sensitive information stolen. Your information can then be sold on the dark web where others can buy it to gain access to your identity. This part of the internet cannot be easily visited and requires the use of a TOR browser along with special software to hide your identity which makes it hard to track by authorities.
• Malicious software– By visiting unsecure websites, you may accidentally download malicious software which looks for sensitive information in your computer which will then be sent to the identity thief.

Identity theft cannot be completely avoided. However, you can lessen the chance of becoming a victim by having constant notifications whenever your identity is used online.

Identity Guard Family Plan

Identity Guard offers a family plan that has three variations depending on the number of users involved.

The first plan allows two adults in a single household to be under one plan. This is also called the Couple Plan.

The second plan allows one adult along with one minor. This is also called the Parent and Children Plan.

The third plan allows two adults in one household along with minor children to be included in the plan. This is called the Family Plan.

The plans gives membership to one Primary Member along with Added Members. The former is the person who will be charged with the monthly/annual bill while the latter will not be charged directly.

To add the Added members to your plan, simply send the unique activation link sent to your email. This shall be forwarded to the email of the Added members.  Only the Added Members can activate their special links.

Child Monitoring

Aside from your identity, you can also add protection for your children’s identity. Identity Guard has an available kID Sure Child Monitoring. This gives the following features:

• Public Record Monitoring
• Child’s ID Footprint Report
• Prompt Monitoring Alerts
• Social Security Number Monitoring
• Registered Bank Accounts Monitoring
• Unlimited Toll-Free Customer Service
• Recovery Assistance

Pricing

The pricing for Identity Guard is divided into three options:

Value Plan priced at $12.50 per month if billed annually or $14.99 if billed monthly. It includes the following features: Dark Web Monitoring, Risk Management Report, Safe Browsing Tools, and Anti Phishing Mobile Application.

The Total Plan is priced at $25.00 per month if billed annually or $29.99 if billed monthly. It adds the following features: Monthly Credit Score, Address Monitoring, 3-Bureau Credit Monitoring, and Tax Refund Alerts.

The Premier Plan is priced at $29.17 per month if billed annually or $34.99 if billed monthly. It adds the following features: Credit Score, Credit Report, and Social Insight Report.

Highlight Features

While you can never fully prevent yourself from having your identity stolen, Identity Guard helps you in being immediately notified whenever there is suspicious activity being associated with your information.

1. IBM Watson Artificial Intelligence– Because there are a billion pieces of data online and scanning each one of them manually to look for your information will take a long time, Identity Guard uses an artificial intelligence made by IBM Watson to do this. It can process data at very fast speeds to notify you immediately whenever suspicious activities are done under your identity.
   
   
2. Dark Web Monitoring– The dark web is a place on the internet, as explained earlier, that not everyone can visit easily. Therefore, parts of it serves as a marketplace for illegal products and one of them is your personal identity. Identity Guard can scan through this part of the internet to guard your identity better.
   
   
3. Credit Score Reports– You can get monthly reports about your credit score based on TransUnion data.
   
   
4. Bank Account Reports– You can get reports whenever information from your bank accounts are changed. Examples of information include the name, address, e-mail addresses, and more. This can be for checking, savings, and other types of accounts. You will also be sent a notification whenever these types of accounts are opened under your identity. This can be for local, regional, and national banks across the US.
   
   
5. 3-Bureau Credit Changes– You will be sent reports whenever changes to your credit profile are done.