IdentityForce review

Real-time protection against a myriad of identity fraud attacks

IdentityForce Review Hero
(Image: © IdentityForce)

TechRadar Verdict

IdentityForce is a robust identity theft protection app that covers a wide range of areas, including credit monitoring, bank fraud, malware and ad blocking, as well as $1 million in insurance protection against lost wages and fraudulent purchases. However, the monthly cost of the higher tier plan can be expensive.

Pros

  • +

    Deep feature set

  • +

    Excellent dashboard

  • +

    30-day free trial offer

  • +

    Insurance protection with both paid plans

Cons

  • -

    Minimal sale discount

  • -

    Expensive for upper tier plan

  • -

    Android and iOS apps are low rated

  • -

    Need to call for info on family plans

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Our series on identity theft protection apps will evaluate the features, pricing options, competition, and also the overall value of using each app. However, these are not full hands-on reviews since evaluating identity theft protection apps is almost impossible. It would require several months of testing, purposefully hacking accounts to see if the protection app works, handing over personally identifiable information, performing multiple credit checks, and risking exposure of the reviewer’s personally identifiable information.

The Internet is sometimes a dangerous place to be. There is a darker side to social media than the trolls waiting to embarrass and torment you at every turn, and the websites that leave cookies on your computer to monitor your online activity. Your credit card numbers, home address, and date of birth are being stolen by criminal groups, who then sell them to the highest bidder. It’s truly rampant, from stealing your 401K login to seizing control of your social media accounts- hackers are actively on the search looking for methods to undermine your financial interests.

According to experts, this illegal activity on the Dark Web—as it is now known—accounts for around 5% of total Internet traffic worldwide, which is quite mind boggling Some apps offer at least some support; for instance, they can safeguard you when you enter your credit card information on an e-commerce website and alert you that the connection is insecure. Others provide protection by enabling you to check your credit and assess how much of your personal information is available online.

Finding a comprehensive solution for multiple protection needs is a better strategy than trying to piecemeal protection together. IdentityForce is one of the most comprehensive identity theft protection programs, and it offers a long list of functions that now includes a  VPN, which is a cornerstone to staying safe online. The program is not only attempting to protect your credit card or social security number; it is also designed to shield you from leaks rather than just analyze them. It offers several potent tools for assessing the features and price options, such as the availability of an identity theft protection specialist via phone or chat at any time. The only small complaint is that the premium plans are considerably more expensive than the cheaper, more basic theft protection apps.


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Pricing

The price of IdentityForce's UltraSecure plan has increased quite a bit since our last review (Image credit: IdentityForce)

IdentityForce: Plans and pricing

IdentityForce provides a selection of service plans. Additionally, discounts are provided to individuals who pay annually, which is advantageous because the highest tier plan gets pricey. We also appreciate the 30-day trial offer.

The UltraSecure Plan is the lowest tier. It costs $17.95 a month (on sale from $17.99 per month; we're not sure if 4 cents a month makes a significant difference to anyone), or $179.50 per year, which comes out to a discounted rate of $14.96 per month for those who wish to commit yearly. This plan comes with a large number of services, including monitoring for identity theft on the dark web, social media, and up to $1 million of identity theft insurance.

At the top is the UltraSecure & Credit plan, the top tier plan. The price increases to $23.95 per month, with a comparable pitiful four cents per month reduction being offered for the sale. It can also be paid yearly for $239.50, which equals a greater savings of $19.96 per month. It includes all the features of the lowest tier as well as a few extras. These include tri-bureau comprehensive credit monitoring, credit reports, credit scores, a credit score tracker, and a credit score simulator.

ChildWatch is an additional option for safeguarding against the growing problem of child identity theft. Although it is a separate fee, curiously the precise cost is not disclosed. This additional service also highlights the fact that policies are only available to adults, and while a family plan exists, and likely the better deal, a phone call is required to get pricing on this plan.

Interface

You can use IdentityForce from your browser or via its mobile app (Image credit: IdentityForce)

Mobile App

Alerts, protection and credit monitoring are all easy to find in IdentityForce's mobileapp (Image credit: IdentityForce)

IdentityForce: Interface and mobile app

The website is where it all begins when it comes to theft prevention and selecting the best software because you can see which features are offered and gauge the company's professionalism. A few identity theft protection organizations have websites that are confusing to navigate and poorly designed, giving them a suspicious first impression. IdentityForce makes everything extremely apparent, with a full list.

You may easily fill in a driver's license number, passport information, personal details, and other data because the app itself presents all of the information in an easy to digest format. With a row of icons and sizable areas for dealing with all the aspects of identity theft protection, including credit checks, bank information, auto loans, retirement plans, and much more, IdentityForce's dashboard clearly sets out the options.

There are apps for both iOS and Android. The Android app has a middling rating of 2.5 out of 5 stars, and numerous users have complained that it is unreliable and frequently crashes or has login troubles. With a rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars, the iOS version of the app is a little better, but users still report issues with their credit scores not updating, "Server error messages," and account lockouts as a result of login difficulties.

Features

IdentityForce offers all of the features you'd expect from one of the best identity theft protection services (Image credit: IdentityForce)

IdentityForce: Features

IdentityForce has several capabilities, and it has recently added a VPN tool to the mix. In fact, as you sort through the many identity protection choices, that comes as one initial surprise. It can warn "Users to a wide array of threats including rogue apps, spyware, and unsecured Wi-Fi connections." It is a feature of the mobile app's Mobile Defense Suite. Unfortunately, this also means that a PC cannot be protected by the VPN; it can only be utilized on mobile devices. We were also unable to identify other crucial details about the VPN, including its location, whether it has a "No logs" policy, or whether it has a built-in "Kill switch," so we would recommend for anything other than casual use to go with a more well-known dedicated VPN.

Moving on, one of the coolest features is a means to keep track of "Payday loan" hacks. This security issue includes someone borrowing money using your identity. If you are promptly informed, you can begin discussing the issue with your bank or credit card provider right away. Also, a sex offender who may have used your personal information to get around local laws requiring them to register their identity and location is also monitored via IdentityForce.

$1 million in theft protection is included in each of IdentityForce's premium plans. Other features include lost wallet assistance, Dark Web data analysis, a mobile password manager, and social media identity monitoring.

IdentityForce: The competition

Norton Lifelock is IdentityForce's major rival worth mentioning. Similar tools for monitoring for bank account or credit card intrusions, doing credit check surveillance, and blocking malware and phishing scams are present in both solutions. 

Both Norton LifeLock and the IdentityForce plans include $1 million of identity theft protection insurance, which means if your bank accounts or credit card is compromised you can trust that the company will recover out-of-pocket expenses and lost wages. However, LifeLock starts at a lower price of $9.99/month, and also provides pricing for various family plans with combinations of two adults, and up to 5 children right on the website, and not requiring a phone call.

IdentityForce: Final verdict

Beyond the usual malware blockers, identity theft insurance, and credit check monitoring functions, IdentityForce offers several more benefits. The $1 million in included insurance is the most striking feature offered in both premium plans, and the VPN service on your smartphone is an additional perk. However, the service's shortcomings include the buggy and unsatisfactory apps, the absence of family plan pricing on the site, and the extra fees for child protection. We do think it's advantageous that the app consolidates all of the identity-protection capabilities into a single dashboard as opposed to dividing them up among a variety of installable and upkeep-required apps.

We've also highlighted the best identity theft protection services

John Brandon
Contributor

John Brandon has covered gadgets and cars for the past 12 years having published over 12,000 articles and tested nearly 8,000 products. He's nothing if not prolific. Before starting his writing career, he led an Information Design practice at a large consumer electronics retailer in the US. His hobbies include deep sea exploration, complaining about the weather, and engineering a vast multiverse conspiracy.

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