If you’ve researched identity (ID) theft protection tools before, you’d know that IdentityForce ranks among the most widely trusted platforms.
Thousands of cybersecurity websites and tech experts recommend it. Even news websites like CNET, Forbes, and US News include Identity Force products in their recommendations.
However, as a digital native, you probably feel skeptical. After all, data privacy security is a serious task, and you can’t just trust ID theft products based on popularity alone.
Don’t worry—we share the same sentiment. Instead of blindly trusting IdentityForce, we went the extra mile to research its official website, compare legit user testimonials, and even try the platform ourselves.
We want to help you reach an informed decision on whether to sign up for an account or not.
Please read without skipping. We’ll share why you shouldn’t sign up for IdentityForce until you’ve checked out its competitors. Otherwise, you’ll end up overpaying for ID theft protection.
Let’s dive into our IdentityForce review!
Key takeaways
- IdentityForce boasts comprehensive packages loaded with extensive services and robust features. You’ll get everything, from 3-bureau credit score tracking to ID theft restoration and insurance.
- IdentityForce operates under TransUnion, which serves as one of the three main credit bureaus in the U.S. You can rest assured that the company is reputable.
- IdentityForce family plans are only available upon request. You’ll have to ask a live agent to get a cost estimate and apply for it.
- IdentityForce is a credible, reputable company that suits clients who want a robust ID theft prevention tool and don’t mind paying a hefty price tag.
- Very few ID theft tools offer similarly extensive systems. However, you’ll find that most of them also charge significantly less.
What is IdentityForce?
Although IdentityForce has been in business for decades, it has also operated under different parent companies. Its market performance instigated several company acquisitions.
Judy Leary and Steven Bearak founded IdentityForce in 2005. It started as an ID theft protection service primarily focused on data monitoring.
The company performed well for more than a decade. It even attracted the attention of EZShield, one of the leaders in the ID theft prevention industry.
In 2018, EZShield purchased IdentityForce. After the acquisition, it assigned IdentityForce to another subsidiary focused on data privacy and security, Sontiq.
However, TransUnion offered to buy Sontiq in 2021. As a result, the company also acquired the products under this EZShield subsidiary, including IdentityForce.
IdentityForce key features
In all likelihood, IdentityForce caught your attention because TransUnion owns it. As one of the main U.S. credit bureaus, it boasts a widely trusted and recognized credit monitoring system.
Admittedly, TransUnion is doing a good job managing IdentityForce. Based on the reviews we read, it goes above and beyond to ensure that IdentityForce upholds the quality monitoring standards.
Moreover, TransUnion bolstered the brand’s services, including:
1. SSN Monitoring
IdentityForce scans online and offline records for unusual activities involving your SSN. The system will send you all unauthorized names, addresses, aliases, and bank accounts attached to it.
That way, you can quickly file an ID theft report with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The local authorities will also assist you if you provide them with the name or address of the perpetrator misusing your SSN.
Every ID theft prevention tool offers SSN monitoring. What makes IdentityForce unique, however, is that it uses TransUnion’s sophisticated scanning technologies.
In theory, it should perform broader, more extensive system scans.
2. Dark Web Monitoring
The dark web is a hotbed of cybercrimes. Crooks abuse it to perform illicit activities like distributing and selling stolen personal data.
You can’t access the dark web through regular browsers. However, you can sign up for dark web monitoring tools that automatically scan dark web links for unauthorized usage of your personal information.
Note that you won’t have to manage the scanning tool yourself. Just input the personal data that you want IdentityForce to scan, then it will send real-time warnings if it finds anything unusual.
3. Credit monitoring
IdentityForce regularly monitors your credit 3-bureau credit reports. It will warn you if it notices key changes, such as credit card transactions, loan applications, and new credit lines.
You can also review the reports yourself. IdentityForce will give you four 3-bureau credit reports per annum, so you can dispute and contest any transaction.
Generally, most ID theft prevention tools have credit monitoring. However, we like that IdentityForce regularly scans your reports and sends alerts in real-time.
Also, it provides four 3-bureau credit reports. Most ID protection brands only send one or two per year, which doesn’t make sense because credit bureaus already give out annual credit reports for free.
4. Credit information tracker
Reports show that Americans check their credit scores four to five times annually. And in most cases, they only do so to get new credit cards or apply for loans.
We encourage more frequent credit checks. Lenders and commercial banks use your credit score to gauge your creditworthiness.
If you have a low credit score, you likely won’t get approved for most banking products (i.e., credit cards and mortgage loans). You’d do well to track your credit score more closely.
Fortunately, IdentityForce comes with a credit score tracker. It gives you an extensive, in-depth view of your credit score throughout the past years.
Look for irregularities. If you see sudden drops that you don’t recognize, someone might have misused your credit information during that time frame.
5. Payday loan monitoring
Payday loans don’t use your credit information (i.e., score, loan history), so they don’t appear in most credit monitoring tools. Crooks only need your SSN and employment information to open an account.
Fortunately, IdentityForce goes the extra mile with payday loan monitoring. It tracks various lenders, including downloadable apps and credit unions, to see if anyone has recently used your personal information for fast cash loans.
We honestly find this feature helpful. There are thousands of lenders in the country, and very few monitoring tools can scan payday loans.
6. ID theft insurance
On average, ID theft victims lose about $1,000 to $2,000 per attack. However, those who fail to mitigate damages could end up experiencing cyberattacks for several months or even years.
In these cases, the victim could continuously lose money. We’ve heard horror stories of people spending hundreds of thousands on data recovery, attorney fees, court proceedings, and legal consultations, among other PII recovery tasks.
Fortunately, IdentityForce plans come with $1 million worth of insurance. You can file claims on losses stemming from covered ID theft and fraud attacks.
Pro Tip: When comparing ID theft insurance plans, focus on the company tenure instead of policy limits.
Any insurer can promise millions’ worth of coverage. However, only a long-standing, financially secure company can approve claims and actually push through during trying times.
7. Certified protection experts
Certified Protection Experts is the patented ID theft restoration program of IdentityForce. It pairs victims with a dedicated specialist who will supposedly guide them throughout the recovery process, from filing FTC reports to taking legal action.
We find this feature helpful since most victims don’t know how to handle cyberattacks. Sure, you can file an ID theft report with the FTC, but the restoration process might feel too overwhelming for many.
Also, based on the reviews we read, IdentityForce has stellar customer service. The company offers multiple ways for customers to contact its support team, plus they respond 24/7 and will never leave you hanging.
8. 401k and investment monitoring
IdentityForce scans your investments (i.e., 401k, retirement funds, stocks) for unusual transactions.
Admittedly, it’s not the best feature of IdentityForce. You can monitor your accounts yourself; you don’t need to pay an extra $100 per annum for 401k and investment monitoring.
Only treat it as a bonus to ID theft protection. Either way, you probably check your long-term investments and portfolios very seldomly if you’re like most people, so this feature still has uses.
9. Credit score calculator
The IdentityForce app features a unique credit score calculator. As its name suggests, it shows how different actions (i.e., opening new credit cards, applying for loans, delaying monthly amortization payments) will affect your credit.
We find this feature helpful if you need an accurate credit score estimate. For instance, if you’re planning to get a loan, you can use it to check what your credit will look like before and after the application.
Of course, you can always just make a soft inquiry. However, the calculator on IdentityForce gives you accurate results in real time—you won’t need to call the bureaus yourself.
10. Social media monitoring
With social media monitoring, Identity Force tracks the posts on all your linked accounts. It generally looks for activities involving cyberbullying, discrimination, and violence, although you can adjust these factors.
As you might notice, it doesn’t protect your identity. It updates you on all the social media platforms you use, which is a pointless feature since you can log in to your accounts yourself.
We think social media monitoring only makes sense if you have a family plan. Link your kids’ social media profiles so that you can stop improper activities without invading their privacy too much.
IdentityForce plans and pricing
IdentityForce doesn’t offer much diversity when it comes to its packages. You can only choose between two individual plans, which are pretty similar, and one family plan.
However, you’ll notice that the price gaps are steep. You’ll end up overpaying if you don’t carefully choose your preferred package, especially if you opt for annual billing.
But don’t worry! To ensure that you get your money’s worth, we made a detailed side-by-side comparison of the available options.
 | Individual Plan $17.99 / Month | Individual Plan $23.99 / Month |
Identity & SSN Monitoring | ||
Credit Monitoring | ||
Credit Reports | ||
Credit Scores | ||
Address Change Verification | ||
Bank Account Takeover | ||
Credit Card & Banking Transaction Alerts | ||
Credit Scores Simulator & Tracker | ||
401K & Investment Account Activity Alerts | ||
Social Media Monitoring | ||
Member Support | ||
Identity Theft Insurance | ||
Child SSN Monitoring |
UltraSecure
Cost: $17.99 per month
UltraSecure is the entry-level package of IdentityForce. It comes with ID theft prevention, SSN monitoring, ID theft restoration, and limited child SSN monitoring.
At a glance, you might think that plan seems nice. Most of its competitors offer the exact ID theft prevention services, after all.
However, note that it also costs almost double. For $17.99 a month, other ID theft prevention companies can offer you more extensive services and robust features.
Meanwhile, UltraSecure doesn’t even have credit monitoring. At a basic level, it only provides standard personal information monitoring, which is useful but inexpensive.
Unfortunately, we don’t think UltraSecure is worth your money.
UltraSecure+Credit
Cost: $23.99
As you might’ve guessed, UltraSecure+Credit includes all the features of the entry-level plan plus credit monitoring. It serves as the full-suite package of IdentityForce.
Apart from ID theft monitoring, it also monitors your 3-bureau credit score, provides four credit reports per annum, and monitors the dark web for stolen information.
Also, UltraSecure+Credit features all the bells and whistles. You’ll get the credit score calculator, social media monitoring tool, credit tracker, and payday loan monitoring tool.
UltraSecure+Credit definitely provides more value than UltraSecure. However, whether it’s worth your money will depend on your data privacy needs.
ChildWatch
Cost: Call for estimates
The UltraSecure Family plan comes with all the features of UltraSecure+Credit. However, you can extend the protection to your kids and partner; don’t worry—your kids get just as much protection.
Also, IdentityForce recently added ChildWatch to its family plan. It consists of extensive features and services focused on monitoring the personal information of minors.
Stop child ID theft right from the get-go. Remember: the worst victims of fraud first had their info stolen when they were kids.
As for the pricing, you’ll have to get a cost estimate yourself. But don’t worry—you can speak to a live agent at +1 (866) 246-4466 about your family’s data privacy needs.
Warning: Please don’t blindly sign up for IdentityForce. Yes, it has a widely trusted brand and robust platform, but its competitors offer similar services at much lower monthly rates.
You’ll notice right from the get-go that IdentityForce plans aren’t cheap. The entry-level UltraSecure plan already costs as much as the full-suite individual packages of competitors like Aura and LifeLock.
And to make matters worse, it doesn’t even offer credit checks yet. You need UltraSecure + Credit if you want extra credit monitoring; otherwise, you’ll only get standard ID monitoring.
IdentityForce is a great ID theft tool. However, we don’t think you consumers need to pay that much for it, especially if you won’t benefit from all the listed features.
IdentityForce user experience
Before you invest in IdentityForce, we want to give you some insights into its plans’ user experience. What is it like to have IdentityForce?
1. Web Interface
We like the overall web interface of IdentityForce. It consists of simple designs, navigational pages, and straightforward action buttons.
You can access the following sections:
| Dashboard |
| The dashboard contains all the essentials of your IdentityForce plan. If you have any ongoing fraud alerts, ID theft warnings, social media alerts, or unusual credit account activities, you’ll find them here. |
| Identity Vault |
| Store all your login credentials, card details, and other sensitive information in your encrypted identity vault. IdentityForce references this section for ID theft scanning and monitoring. |
| Credit |
| Here, you’ll find everything about your plan’s credit monitoring feature. You can calculate your credit score, review credit reports, place fraud alerts, and even freeze your credit. |
| Transactions |
| You can link the debit and credit cards you want to monitor in this section. Make sure to adjust your alert preferences so that you stay on top of whatever happens to all your bank accounts. |
| Resources |
| You’ll see several helpful articles discussing ID theft protection and credit monitoring. Consider this section as a bonus to your plan. |
| Support |
| IdentityForce has an entire page dedicated to customer support. You’ll find the necessary contact details if you need to file an insurance claim, make an ID theft report, or ask anything about your plan. |
You’ll find all of these sections on the right side of your IdentityForce web app.
2. Platform Functionality
You can do everything from your IdentityForce account. As you navigate the different sections we mentioned above, you’ll find several functions and features—most of which you can activate through toggle buttons.
So far, the only thing you can’t do within the app is a credit freeze. Yes, there’s a “Freeze my Credit” button in the Credit Monitoring section, but it only connects you to credit bureaus.
With that said, we still think the app is straightforward and streamlined. Both young professionals and older adults should have no problem navigating the app’s features.
3. Mobile App Interface
The IdentityForce mobile app also has a streamlined, functional interface. It has the same layout as its web counterpart, plus most services are also activated using buttons.
We commend IdentityForce for working on its mobile app. Other ID theft brands solely focus on developing their web platforms, thus ending up with subpar smartphone applications.
On the contrary, the IdentityForce app is packed with features. In fact, it performs just about everything that its web counterpart does.
Best IdentityForce alternatives
After going through the platform’s features, pricing, strengths, and limitations, you likely have a firm grasp of whether IdentityForce suits you.
If it does, then sign up for a 30-day free trial of your preferred plan. If it doesn’t, however, look into the following alternatives:
When looking for IdentityForce alternatives, Aura is one of the first options to consider. It costs around 20% to 50% less but comes with similar features.
For instance, its $12 entry-level plan has ID theft and credit monitoring. On the contrary, you’ll have to spend $5 more for an entry-level IdentityForce plan, which doesn’t even monitor your credit score or financial transactions yet.
You don’t have to spend hundreds for reliable ID theft prevention. Identity Guard offers individual plans starting at $8.99 a month, which is nearly half what IdentityForce charges.
The entry-level plan comes complete with ID theft and credit monitoring. However, if you upgrade to a full-suite, you’ll get a premium system that also tracks your home title, address, and police reports, among other online and offline records.
Again, IdentityForce has a streamlined customer support system. It has several lines for insurance claims, ID theft restoration, existing client inquiries, and new plan applications.
However, IDShielf takes its ID theft restoration up a notch. Not only does it use a sophisticated monitoring system, but it also hires licensed private investigators to help clients.
With their help, you might even be able to trace the perpetrators. Individual and family plans, respectively, start at $14.95 and $29.95 a month.
Should you get IdentityForce ID theft protection?
IdentityForce definitely ranks among the most robust, sophisticated ID theft protection and credit monitoring tools on the market. You’d be hard-pressed to find another brand that offers the same services.
However, are the premium plans worth your money? Although IdentityForce carries advanced monitoring and protection features, we don’t think they wholly justify the steep prices.
Other brands sell full-suite packages for less. You might miss out on some features, but you can still get them individually from third parties (i.e., VPNs, password managers, parental control apps).
But don’t get us wrong—you shouldn’t overlook IdentityForce altogether. If you want a comprehensive, all-in-one data privacy protection system and don’t mind paying a bit more, you might like UltraSecure and UltraSecure + Credit.
Just manage your expectations. And regardless of your initial decision, we encourage exploring alternatives to avoid overpaying for ID theft protection.
Aidan has been writing about personal finance for over 6 years. Prior to this, he worked as a Corporate Finance Analyst where he specialized in Due Diligence, Company Valuations and more. He is a CFA charterholder.
