IDENTITY GUARD® Review
Introduction
IDENTITY GUARD is an identity theft product created by Intersections Inc., which began in 1996 to provide identity risk management solutions to global corporations. Several years later, Intersections Inc. created IDENTITY GUARD to provide credit monitoring, credit reports and credit scores. However, as identity theft crimes increased both in daily transactions and online, Intersections Inc. enhanced IDENTITY GUARD so it could provide consumers with the same form of identity and privacy protection available to corporations. Today, the Chantilly, Virginia-based company is a global leader in consumer and corporate identity risk management services. Its products serve consumers, leading financial institutions and Fortune 100 companies.
Intersections Inc. works closely with law enforcement and the financial industry to identify identity theft trends and develop solutions to combat them. The company is a founding member of the Center for Applied Identity Management Research and has a solid partnership with the Identity Theft Assistance Center. Intersections Inc. is a recipient of “Best in Class” awards from Javelin Strategy & Research and PC World. The company is ranked among the 500 top technology innovators in the U.S. by 2010 Information Week 500. Intersections Inc., which has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, is a publicly traded company on NASDAQ Stock Market.
Product Features
Intersections Inc. uses three methods to deliver IDENTITY GUARD’s identity protection and breach remediation services: directly to consumers, through major financial institutions and through the Identity Theft Assistance Center.
IDENTITY GUARD Total Protection is promoted by the company as the “most comprehensive identity theft protection product on the market today.” As with the other IDENTITY GUARD plans, it monitors and protects your credit cards and online activity. However, the Total Protection plan also monitors and protects your mobile devices. In addition to everything offered in its other three plans, IDENTITY GUARD Total Protection includes monitoring of your bank accounts and public records; computer protection with free downloads of anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall software; ID Vault for protecting your online finances; Mobile Lockbox for safely securing and accessing your personal and financial information on mobile devices; and PrivacyProtect to encrypt your online connection and keystrokes. The plan also comes with $1 million loss reimbursement with no deductible.
Pricing
IDENTITY GUARD offers its plans on a monthly or annual payment basis, with savings afforded to those who choose the one-payment yearly option. The IDENTITY GUARD Total Protection is considered the best value at $17.99 a month or $179.95 for a year subscription. The plan includes two free weeks of iDcheckup, which determines whether your name, personal information or credit information has been exposed.