UPDATED: January 02, 2023

Identity theft is a serious problem that can have devastating consequences for victims. It can lead to financial loss, ruined credit, and even legal problems.

To help protect yourself, you’d want to make sure that you're using the best identity monitoring tools and services available. You’ve probably heard about TrueIdentity, which promises to help protect your identity and personal information. But does it live up to its claims?

At the end of this article, you'll know the key features of TransUnion's TrueIdentity and whether it's the right identity theft protection service for you.

We conducted in-depth research about TrueIdentity to give you helpful insights. We looked at the official TransUnion site and read dozens of reviews from independent sites like TrustPilot and BBB.

Don't miss out on key details and get disappointed when TrueIdentity doesn't meet your expectations. Keep reading until the very end to know the top consideration for choosing (or not choosing) TrueIdentity.

Key takeaways

  • TrueIdentity is a free credit monitoring and identity theft protection service affiliated with TransUnion, one of the world's largest credit reporting agencies.
  • TrueIdentity is a comprehensive platform that offers identity verification, fraud detection, and recovery services, among others, all in one place. This can help spot any fraudulent activity on your account.
  • With TrueIdentity's 1-touch credit lock, you can instantly lock and unlock your credit file with the touch of a button.
  • When there are changes in your report, you'll receive an alert so you can check it for accuracy. This is a good way to spot identity theft early on, so you can resolve the issue quickly.
  • TrueIdentity isn't available in all countries.
  • Overall, TrueIdentity by TransUnion is a reliable and accurate online identity verification service and worth considering. It may not be the best fit for everyone, but it's a solid choice for those who are looking for a free all-in-one solution to identity theft protection.

What is TrueIdentity?

TrueIdentity by TransUnion is a service that helps you protect your identity and personal information. 

With TrueIdentity, you can monitor your credit report, set up fraud alerts, and receive real-time alerts if someone tries to use your personal information.

What are the features of TrueIdentity?

When looking for an ID theft protection product, you need to scrutinize what it offers. Here are the key features that TrueIdentity has:

One-touch credit lock

With this feature, you can lock your credit file with a single tap or click of your mouse. 

This will prevent anyone from accessing your file without your permission, making it much more difficult for identity thieves to commit fraud. What we like about it is that you’ll be able to unlock your file just as easily if you need to apply for new credit.

Instant alerts

The alerts feature can help you spot potential fraud early and take steps to protect your credit. 

With this feature, you'll receive a notification any time there's a change to your credit report. This can include any new account opening under your name, changes to your existing accounts, or inquiries from potential lenders.

TransUnion credit reports

A credit report is a record of your credit history that includes information about your borrowing and repayment activities. 

Lenders use your credit report to help them determine whether you're a good candidate for a loan. Additionally, landlords, employers, and insurers use the information in your credit report to make decisions about you.

Luckily, with this TrueIdentity feature, you can have unlimited and 24/7 access to your credit report. You can check your credit score and make sure that you're getting the best possible terms on loans and other opportunities. 

You can also view your credit history, including your payment history, credit utilization, and more.

Identity verification

This feature uses a combination of public records and data from credit bureaus to confirm a consumer's identity. It's a valuable tool for businesses of all sizes, as it helps to protect against fraud and ensure that customers are who they say they are.

Bank account transactions monitoring

TrueIdentity offers a feature that helps you keep track of your bank accounts and identify any suspicious activity quickly and easily. 

With this feature, you can view all of your account activity in one place, including payments, transfers, withdrawals, and deposits, so you can easily spot any patterns or irregularities.

Mobile app

The TrueIdentity mobile app (integrated within the TransUnion app) is a must-have for anyone who wants to stay on top of their credit score and monitor their identity. 

The app provides a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to check your credit score, monitor your credit report for changes, and set up alerts if anything looks suspicious.

The app is available for both iOS and Android devices.

Identity theft insurance

We believe that this is one of the most important considerations when choosing an identity theft protection service. Keep in mind that no identity theft protection service is perfect. 

Having insurance, however, will help make sure that the damages you suffer from identity theft can be minimized. 

Fortunately, TrueIdentity offers an insurance policy of up to $25,000 that can help cover the legal fees if your personal information is compromised and used to commit fraud.

TrueIdentity cost

TrueIdentity is free-of-charge, and you can access it at any time. To use the service, however, you'll need to meet a few requirements. 

  • You must be at least 18 years old
  • You'll need to create an account and provide some personal information, such as your name, address, email address, and Social Security number.

Once you've met these requirements, you can start using TrueIdentity to protect your identity and monitor your credit score!

TrueIdentity user experience

From our research, TrueIdentity has generally positive customer reviews, and based on our own experience, this is something that we also agree with. It has been a huge help for us in improving our credit scores and avoiding identity theft. 

It has a lot of helpful features and is extremely easy to use. TrueIdentity’s mobile app is also user-friendly as it allows us to monitor our credit score with ease.

It also notifies us quickly of transactions or movements in our accounts that look suspicious. We’ve even been able to block an attempt to access our information because of the timely notification of an unauthorized inquiry.

Plus, TrueIdentity gives us a free monthly credit report in our email, which is a big help when it comes to monitoring our accounts. 

Like anything else, however, TrueIdentity also has its downsides. Perhaps most significant of all is its customer service. 

We had a lot of trouble getting in touch with their customer service. When we had problems in our account, like any customer, our first instinct was to call customer service immediately, but this often led to either no responses or very vague answers.

Overall, however, we still like TrueIdentity for its ease-of-use and ability to protect our identity from would-be identity thieves.

Are there alternatives to TrueIdentity?

While TrueIdentity is one option for identity protection, there are a variety of other companies that offer similar services with additional features for a paid subscription:

Zander

Zander is a web-based service that specializes in identity recovery. It also offers monitoring solutions to prevent identity theft before it happens.

It has two plans to choose from: the Essential Plan ($6.75) and the Elite Cyber Bundle ($9.99).

The Elite Cyber Bundle includes features like:

  • VPN Protection
  • Antivirus
  • Experian credit lock
  • Bank account takeover alerts

Both plans come with:

  • Dark web monitoring
  • Identity & SSN monitoring
  • Fictitious identity monitoring
  • Address change verification
  • Stolen funds reimbursement up to $1 million
  • Personal expense compensation up to $1 million

IdentityIQ

IdentityIQ offers a comprehensive suite of identity prevention, detection, and recovery, including:

It offers a variety of features, including:

  • Dark web monitoring
  • Identity & SSN monitoring
  • Fictitious identity monitoring
  • Address change verification
  • Credit card and banking transaction alerts
  • Stolen wallet protection

IdentityIQ offers a variety of identity protection plans, starting with the Secure Plan, which costs $6.99. Its higher-priced plan, which is the Secure Plus ($9.99), includes digital security, such as VPN protection, password manager, and antivirus features.

However, if you're looking for an even more comprehensive credit monitoring, you'll have to upgrade to Secure Pro ($19.99) to get triple-bureau protection (from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion).

Finally, IdentityIQ Secure Max ($29.99) is the most comprehensive of all plans, which includes all of the features of the other plans, plus additional stolen funds reimbursement and personal expense compensation, including lawyer and expert coverage, for your children up to $25,000.

Identity Guard

Identity Guard is a trusted identity theft protection provider of consumers and businesses. It offers dark web monitoring and stolen funds reimbursement up to $1 million. It also offers a variety of plans, starting at $7.50 for its Value plan.

If you're looking for more comprehensive identity protection, however, you'll need to upgrade to the Total plan ($16.67), which includes all of the features of the Value plan, plus credit monitoring from three bureaus.

Lastly, the Ultra Plan ($25.00) is Identity Guard's most comprehensive offering, which includes all of the features of the Value and Total plans, plus social media monitoring, credit card and banking transaction alerts, and 401K & investment account alerts.

LifeLock

LifeLock is another well-known provider of identity theft protection services that offers the best user interface.

It offers a variety of features, including:

  • VPN protection
  • Password manager
  • Dark web monitoring
  • Data breach notifications
  • Identity & SSN monitoring
  • Address change verification

LifeLock also offers different plans to choose from. The most basic plan costs $8.99, with the LifeLock Standard plan. For $17.99, you can upgrade to the LifeLock Advantage plan, which includes:

Both plans come with:

  • Fictitious identity monitoring
  • Payday loan alert
  • TransUnion credit lock
  • Credit card and banking transaction alerts

And for $23.99, you can get the LifeLock Ultimate Plus plan, which includes credit monitoring from all three bureaus, social media monitoring, bank account takeover alerts, and 401K & investment account alerts.

Furthermore, the stolen funds' reimbursement and personal expense compensation vary depending on the plan you choose. For Standard, it's up to $25,000; for Advantage, it's up to $100,000; and for Ultimate Plus, it's up to $1 million.

IDX Identity

IDX Identity is one of the most comprehensive and affordable identity theft protection services available. It offers a variety of features, including:

It offers a variety of features, including:

  • Dark web monitoring
  • Identity & SSN monitoring
  • Passport & ID monitoring
  • Personal information monitoring
  • Data breach notifications
  • Identity theft insurance coverage up to $1 million

IDX Identity's most basic plan costs $9.95, while its higher-priced plan, the IDX Privacy ($12.95), offers more robust features, such as VPN protection, password detective, and social media monitoring.

The highest-priced plan, the IDX Complete ($32.90), includes all of the features of the basic plan and IDX Privacy, plus three-bureau credit monitoring and TransUnion credit lock.

Conclusion

No one can prevent identity theft from happening 100% of the time, but by using an identity theft protection service, you can reduce your chances of becoming a victim.

If you're looking for a comprehensive solution that'll keep an eye on your credit score and activity, we believe TrueIdentity is a great option. We like that it offers a wide range of features to help you keep your identity safe, provides you with round-the-clock monitoring of your personal information, and offers access to expert assistance in the event that your data is compromised.

Remember: It can be hard to keep track of all your personal information, so you have to keep them updated and protected – the more vigilance you practice, the safer you'll be!