Few emails are more terrifying than an alert that your Social Security number has been found on the dark web. Thankfully, there are ways to protect yourself from that kind of data breach.
LifeLock offers identity theft protection, dark web monitoring, and identity restoration services, and it can even remove your information from data broker sites.
Here’s what you need to know if you’re worried about your Social Security number ending up on the dark web:
tl;dr
- Identity theft can happen to anyone at any time
- LifeLock can help restore a stolen identity
- LifeLock provides 24/7 dark web monitoring to help keep your identity secured
Identity theft can happen to anyone at any time, so be prepared
Even the best-prepared and most cautious people can have their identity stolen. All it takes is one data breach of user information from a trusted source like a doctor’s office or bank – and some bad luck.
While that is a horrifying thought, it does mean that identity theft can happen to anyone at any time, and it isn’t your fault if your identity is stolen.
24/7 dark web monitoring
LifeLock tracks more than 120 types of personal information immediately when you enroll, and will continuously monitor the dark web to let you know when and if your information ends up posted on private forums, data broker websites, or on a public data leak. Being aware is the first step to making sure you're able to mitigate any damage.
LifeLock will help restore your identity
Should your identity be stolen despite LifeLock’s proactive monitoring and data broker removal services, LifeLock will help you restore your identity with a money-back guarantee.
When you file a claim for identity theft with LifeLock, a U.S.-based restoration expert is assigned to you and will work your case from beginning to end, offering help and advice every step of the way until your case is resolved.
All of LifeLock’s plans offer more than a million dollars in total identity theft insurance, up to $3 million for the Total plan. That will cover financial losses, legal costs, and personal expenses incurred due to identity theft. LifeLock has no limit on the number of claims per year and requires no out-of-pocket expenses for legal and expert support.
Pick your level of coverage
All of LifeLock’s plans come with identity theft protection. The question is how many banking or investment accounts you need to cover.
The LifeLock Core plan costs $12.49 monthly or $124.99 annually. If you go for the annual payment plan, that's $10.42 a month, saving you $24 a year. The Core plan covers up to two financial accounts.
The Advanced plan costs $19.99 monthly or $199.99 a year (only $16.67 a month), while the Total plan costs $34.99 monthly or $349.99 annually (only $29.17 a month). The Advanced plan covers up to five banking or investment accounts, while the Total plan covers an unlimited number of accounts.
The Advanced and Total plans also come with increased scam reimbursements and identity theft reimbursement premiums in addition to the AI-powered scam detection, data breach monitoring, identity protection, and recovery services included in the Core plan.
Ultimately, that’s not a lot of money considering the costs of falling victim to a scam without any detection or reimbursement services. Plus, when you consider how dangerous it is to have your personal details and identity stolen, $29.17 a month really isn’t a lot of money to spend on protecting your Social Security number.
