Is It Worth the Cost?
by SEAN PYLES - Oct. 3, 2018 (published on nerdwallet)
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LifeLock’s identity theft monitoring, alert and recovery services aim to detect problems and help you bounce back, but it — and other similar services — cannot prevent identity theft.
Freezing your credit files with the three major credit bureaus is the best way to prevent someone from using your personal information to open accounts. Freezing your credit at each bureau is free.
However, LifeLock might be worth the cost if:
⦁ You don’t want to bother with monitoring your credit on your own
⦁ You rather not freeze your credit
⦁ You want help resolving an instance of identity theft or have other security worries
You can perform many of LifeLock’s identity theft protection services on your own, for free:
⦁ Frequently checking your credit accounts online, reading statements and setting activity alerts on financial accounts will help you quickly spot suspicious activity
⦁ You can track changes to your credit score and monitor your credit report for free online on sites like NerdWallet
⦁ If you’re a victim of identity theft, you can get a free, customized path to recovery at ⦁ IdentityTheft.gov
Here’s what you should know about LifeLock’s services, and its pros and cons.
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What LifeLock does
LifeLock offers three main services: monitoring your credit files for signs of identity theft, alerting you to potential problems and helping you recover.
LifeLock also scans for uses of your Social Security number and other personally identifying information online. Alerts range from basic (credit applications in your name) to more esoteric (if someone uses your name when arrested or placed on a sex offender registry).
Here’s a breakdown of LifeLock’s three levels of service:
Cost |
$9.99 monthly, $109.89 annually |
$19.99 monthly, $219.89 annually |
$29.99 monthly, $329.89 annually |
Credit Monitoring |
|
|
|
Alerts |
|
All Standard alerts, plus others, including:
|
All Advantage alerts, plus others, including:
|
Recovery |
|
|
|
LifeLock’s pros
LifeLock provides wide-ranging monitoring and alerts, making it useful if you don’t have the time or desire to monitor your own credit and accounts for suspicious activity.
It’s especially helpful if your information is vulnerable, such as:
⦁ You lost your Social Security card or know your information was exposed by the Equifax hack, for example.
⦁ Some of LifeLock’s services, such as dark web monitoring, would be hard to replicate on your own.
LifeLock’s cons
Cost is a concern. Only the most expensive tier of service is worthwhile, because it offers monitoring at all three major credit bureaus. Monitoring only one bureau is like locking your front door but leaving other entrances open.
The lack of a family coverage option also makes LifeLock more expensive than some other identity-protection services. You can add children to your plan for $5.99 each per month, but your spouse must purchase a separate package. Covering a family of four would cost more than $70 per month.
In addition, LifeLock paid $100 million in 2015 to settle with the Federal Trade Commission, which said it had failed to comply with a 2010 court order to improve security of customer data and stop deceptive advertising. The company said at the time that it had updated its policies and withdrawn the ads in question, and that customer data had never been stolen.
Do you need identity theft protection services?
Are you or have you been a victim of identity theft?
Yes - Click Here |
No - Click Here |
About the author
Sean Pyles is a personal finance writer at NerdWallet. His work has appeared in The New York Times, USA Today and more.