What is "whole" identity protection and why would I need it?
Whole identity protection provided by iDefend means protecting your whole identity, not just your credit and offers protection for your entire family including children, even if they have never applied for or established credit under their own name. It includes full identity monitoring - proactively watching out for all forms of identity theft, including credit fraud. Whole identity protection provides a comprehensive identity recovery service - in the event the unthinkable should happen, including trained professionals who handle it all for you from beginning to end.
Why should I check my credit?
Many identity thieves will try to take out loans or get other forms of credit in your name - leaving you on the hook for the amounts owed. Even though the information on credit reports are always outdated by 60-90 days by the time you see it, it's one of the important ways to watch out for signs of identity theft.
I already checked my credit report. Why would I need iDefend?
iDefend makes watching for credit fraud easy. You won't have to constantly login to an online account with the credit bureaus and look for what you think might be signs of potential fraud. iDefend simplifies your life by doing the work for you. When you receive your credit report a trained professional is standing by to help you interpret the information and look for signs of fraud. With iDefend, all you need to do is ask - help is just a phone call away.
How does iDefend get credit reports to me?
You receive free printed credit reports (sent to your home) from all 3 major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax and Trans Union). We'll schedule the number of free reports that you are entitled to by state law evenly throughout the year to maximize your view into your credit status, without your having to pay for expensive credit monitoring services.
If only a third of identity theft cases involve credit, how else can someone steal my identity?
With 67% of identity theft cases involving non-credit related fraud, it's vital that you monitor for true name identity fraud in places OTHER than your credit records. iDefend identity monitoring can discover identity theft in many other areas where crooks can be found - like medical benefits fraud, tax fraud, arrest warrants, bankruptcy, and more. Where credit alerts and reports will only show you transactions that have already occurred, identity monitoring can provide a warning even while the criminal is manipulating your information in preparation for committing fraud. It is this benefit that allows identity monitoring to possibly predict identity theft before it happens. iDefend monitors your whole identity for you.
My kids don't have any credit cards and have never applied for credit. Why would they need any protection?
Anyone with a social security number is a prime target for identity theft, regardless of their age. Children are ideal targets for identity thieves because their credit is least likely to be checked or monitored due to the misconception that only active consumers of credit have identities worth stealing. An identity thief can use your child's identity illegally for years so long as they do not trigger any activity that causes a red flag or investigation. iDefend offers full prevention, detection and recovery services for families with children up to age 25.
What's the differenct between iDefend identity monitoring and services that offer just credit monitoring?
Credit monitoring services only report what has ALREADY happened with your credit, 30-60 days AFTER it has already occurred. If your identity has already been stolen, credit monitoring alone may not inform you about the fraudulent use of identity more than a month after the damgage has been done. Identity monitoring with iDefend picks up in critical areas where credit monitoring stops. In fact, this type of monitoring can be the most powerful and fastest way to detect identity theft. iDefend proactively screens thousands of public records, national databases for true identity theft looking for the use of your social security and name to commit fraud.
I know my credit score. What's an Identity Risk Score and why is it important?
In the same way that a full body scan diasnostic test can help detect and screen for medical problems, iDefend provides you with an exclusive Identity Risk Score to rate your susceptibility and help predict identity theft before it occurs. Your Indentity Risk Score is a unique indicator of your chances of becoming a victim of identity theft.
Is there any way to get 100% protection against identity theft?
No, and any product or service that implies your identity can NEVER be stolen if you use their service is misleading you at best and providing you with a false sense of security. Just as home, auto, or fire insurance and installation of a security system at your home or business cannot GUARANTEE you will not suffer an accident or loss, or prevent the theft of your property; identity protection in and of itself ALSO cannot GUARANTEE your identity will never be stolen, slick TV and radio ads notwithstanding. iDefend is your best defense for "whole" identity protection that proactively covers as many "entrances" as well as "back doors" to your credit and identity as possible.
iDefend provides a real-world, comprehensive solution to absolutely minimize your risk of identity theft by monitoring your credit AND your identity to detect any unauthorized use of your credit or social security number. In the event your identity is stolen, iDefend services include a bonafide $10,000 expense reimbursement insurance policy that not only helps to cover any direct expenses related to restoring your identity, it includes coverage for lost wages, even if you are self-employed.
What exactly does the iDefend insurance policy cover?
In the event your identity is stolen, you may incur out-of-pocket costs associated with your identity recovery. However, because we provide a full team of identity recovery specialists who take care of virtually everything for you, your out-of-pocket costs are kept to a minimum, if any at all. If you do incur certain costs, iDefend makes sure your expenses are reimbursed (see the iDefend terms and conditions for full details).
- Up to $10,000 in reimbursement of expenses incurred as a result of recovering your identity.
- No deductible.
- No exclusion for pre-existing unknown identity theft events.
- Lost wage reimbursements.
- Includes other expenses such as court costs, affidavits, attorney's fees, etc.
- Covers all family members up to age 25 (iDefend family plan).
- Covers domestic partners and self-employed persons
What happens if my identity is stolen? What does iDefend to for me then?
iDefend ID recovery specialists are experts in providing you with what you need most: compassionate one-on-one, beginning-to-end guidance throughout the entire recovery process. No detail is too small. iDefend service includes FULL identity restoration, STARTING with the credit bureaus, PLUS all other forms of ID theft including:
- Medical benefits fraud
- Driver's licenses
- Social security benefits fraud
- Federal and State Tax fraud
- Passports
- Utilities
- 401k
- Bankruptcy
- and more
iDefend will continue to work with and for you until your identity has been restored to its PRE-theft status. It's completely hassle-free, making identity restoration as simple and painless as possible. By comparison, the average identity victim without iDefend coverage can spend up to $10,000 and 500 hours over two years in an attempt to restore their identity on their own, with no guarantee of results. With iDefend, you're covered from the moment you sign up for service, with no waiting period.
What personal assistance would iDefend provide me if my identity were stolen?
In the event your identity were compromised, IDefend provides you with a trained personal recovery advocate who will set up a personalized recovery plan and then handle everything for you through a limited power of attorney - research, paperwork, disputes, documentation of fraud resolution, and more.
- A Personal Recovery Advocate assigned to you manages your identity recovery - does it all for you.
- Your Advocate ensures you take advantage of all your legal rights.
- Your Advocate creates a customized recovery plan with all forms completed and tracked for you.
- A Limited Power of Attorney authorization allows your Advocate to work on your behalf.
Your Advocate will contact and file disputes on your behalf with creditors, credit bureaus, bill collectors, banks, mortgage companies, and agencies such as the DMV, SS Administration, U.S. Postal Service, etc. They also will perform the research, phone calls, letters, follow-up, and case documentation. Your Advocate will continue to work for you until your identity has been restored to its pre-theft status.
What if the ID thief is caught? Does iDefend do anything to prevent the thief from doing it to me (or others) again?
The recovery process includes coordination with law enforcement to help in the apprehension and prosecution of the identity thief. Your identity recovery specialist will go the extra mile to help track down the bad guys, and hopefully stop them from committing more acts of fraud against you or others. Whenever possible our paralegals will:
- Provide hard evidence to police, district attorneys, etc.
- Give law enforcement a trail to the thief as well as documentation for search and arrest warrants that they could not get otherwise.
- Use cell numbers, caller ID records, etc. to locate the thief. We'll even do background checks on them to find out as much as possible to help in locating and prosecuting them.
My identity has already been stolen. Can I still sign up for iDefend?
Yes! iDefend works for those who know or suspect that their identity has already been stolen. For a one-time recovery fee of just $500, a pre-existing identity theft case can be completely resolved and identity restored. After that, for the regular low monthly service fee, iDefend protects against any future identity theft events. For someone whose identity is already stolen, this option in iDefend can save the victim thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours in the recovery process.
Why does iDefend monitoring provide better protection?
Identity monitoring with iDefend includes ongoing, powerful searches that can help uncover the use of your identity for criminal activity and fraud by searching databases such as:
- The three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion)
- National data aggregators
- Department of Motor Vehicle records
- Public records databases
- Non-credit loan databases
- Large insurance companies to uncover medical fraud information
- Criminal databases
- and more.
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INVISUS Direct™
The world leader in Whole Identity Protection.
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