IDShield Review: Can it Protect You from Identity Theft?

What we really like about the dashboard is how easy it is to see what’s being monitored. As soon as you log on, you can see the bright green text alerting you of “no new alerts” (see above). If a new alert appears, this is what you would click to view the activity to your accounts. You can then simply dismiss or alert the identity investigators.

Make sure to check out the “Helpful Hints” section. This walks a new user through ways to actively help yourself. Tips range from reducing mail to making yourself aware of the signs of medical identity theft.

Recommended IDShield Plan

So how good is IDShield? 

The IDShield 3-Bureau Individual or Family plans are worth a try. The difference in price with the 1-Bureau plans is not so significant so our recommendation is to get more credit monitoring and $2 million recovery coverage.  

Overall, IDShield is worth its cost if what you want is to monitor your credit reports, be notified of potential privacy risks and keep track of your family’s personal data. Just keep in mind that the service will not prevent identity theft, nor will it remove your sensitive information efficiently from people search engines otherwise known data brokers. 

What is IDShield missing?

Well, a few things.

24/7 support

 It gives an uneasy feeling that their reps are only available for 12 hours a day. Better support, in the form of 24/7 online chat might be helpful. If a problem arises, you want to know that someone will be there to answer your questions.

Removing sensitive information from people-search sites to avoid identity theft

Although IDShield lists ‘data broker deletion’ as one of the services offered, there isn’t much information about it or how it works. After talking to a customer services rep, we were assured that they scan brokers checking for information. When alerted, IDShield then manually removes your information from that broker. This is a process, and unsure if it is super effective provided that data brokers tend to republish your personal information some time after it has been removed. 

This is why OneRep is a much better fit for the job because it specializes in automatic removal of personally identifiable information from people-search engines. This is how it works:

1. The tool routinely scans 196 sites, checking for exposed personal data. 
2. Once the sensitive data is found, a multi-step ‘opt out’ procedure on each data broker site is launched, no matter how complex the removal is. 
3. Finally, OneRep continually monitors the web and repeats automatic scans to keep removing sensitive data in case it reappears.

Easy cancellation

Upgrading is easy, just the click of a button. However, if you want to cancel your account with IDShield, you have to contact their customer services reps. Like we mentioned above, these reps, who are only available for 12 hours a day.

Frequently Asked Questions about IDShield

Is IDShield the same as Legalshield? 

LegalShield is the parent company that offers affordable online legal services. IDShield uses the same model as the LegalShield product: the tool offers both individual and family identity theft protection plans with a variety of features.

How much does IDShield cost? 

The prices range from 12.95 per m onth for IDShield 1-Bureau Individual Plan to $32.95 per month for the 3-Bureau Family Plan. The two medium priced plans are 3-Bureau Individual Plan at $17.95 per month and 1-Bureau Family Plan at $25.95 per month. 

What does IDShield cover? 

IDShield provides security and privacy monitoring, as well as identity theft consultation and restoration services.

Does IDShield have an app? 

IDShield has an app, and it seems fairly easy to maneuver. It allows quick access via phone to the member profile/dashboard. This would be helpful when an alert pops up that you want easily viewed without having to scroll around the site itself.

What information do I need to enroll in IDShield?

The key details to provide are your name, address, date of birth, Social Security number, contact details and a way of payment to activate your membership. When you’re setting up your account you’ll be asked to provide other info you want monitored like your credit card, bank account numbers, etc.

How safe is IDShield?

According to IDShield, they protect their members with multiple advanced security features including multi factor authentication, VPN, IP restrictions, encryption, intrusion detection and many more.

Which IDShield plan is best?

If you have a family, consider getting the IDShield 3-Bureau Family plan offering credit monitoring from TransUnion, Equifax and Experian plus an increased insurance coverage. 

How do I cancel IDShield?

 IDShield membership must be cancelled by sending them a written notice. 

What is IDShield’s refund policy?

If you cancel your plan during the 30-day trial, no charges will be applied. Check with IDShield Customer service at 888-494-8519 if you’re eligible for any refund when cancelling after the trial period.

Our Verdict

IDShield may become the identity theft protection service of your choice if

• You don’t have time to monitor your credit and check your credit accounts online or track changes to your credit score on your own. The service will do it for you.
• You want to get reimbursement of stolen funds if an identity theft occurs.
• Need an assistance of private investigators to help you resolve instances of identity theft.
• You’re active on social media and want to make sure you’re monitored against identity theft and your Facebook posts and Twitter comments are scanned for foul language, drug references or other information that could have an adverse effect on your reputation.

However, if you want to build up your protection, you’ll need to be more proactive and use a few more services that will help you stay private and avoid identity theft. One of these services is OneRep that automatically deletes your sensitive information from people search sites and monitors the web to make sure it doesn’t pop up again.