With the rapid growth of online activity, identity and credit theft have become a growing problem for consumers. In fact, as of 2024 (Q1), 123 million dollars have been lost as a result of identity fraud.
Thankfully, there are services available that are designed to help ward off identity theft and credit fraud, including Identity Protect.
What Is Identity Protect?
Identity Protect is an online identity and credit protection monitoring program that helps consumers protect their identities. If fraudulent or inaccurate items are found on credit reports, Identity Protect makes it easy to flag and dispute these items.
Identity Protect Overview
| What does Identity Protect offer? | Identity theft/credit monitoring & protection |
| Key Features | -Daily credit & internet monitoring -Dispute centre & error corrections -Educational library |
| Cost | $34.95/month (7-day trial for $1) |
What Does Identity Protect Offer?
Identity Protect offers a comprehensive suite of features to help protect you against identity theft and credit fraud:
Daily Credit And Internet Monitoring
Identity Protect is powered by TransUnion, one of the major credit bureaus in Canada. TransUnion will monitor your credit report around the clock and will alert you if and when any changes have been made.
Identity Protect will also monitor the internet and notify you when your personal and financial information appears on the Dark Web, a hidden part of the internet that’s not visible to regular search engines and requires special browsers to access.
Dispute Center And Error Corrections
With Identity Protect, you’ll have the ability to review your profile for any unauthorized activities. If any errors or suspicious activity is discovered, you can flag it immediately. That way, you can stop fraud in its tracks.
Identity Protect will guide you through the process of disputing these inaccuracies and suggest the next steps to rectify the situation and restore your identity.
Educational Library
Identity Protect’s online library of educational resources will help familiarize you with the signs of potential fraud and ways to protect yourself from being victimized in the first place.
How To Sign Up For Identity Protect
- To start the sign-up process with Identity Protect, simply enter your full name, email address, and telephone number.
- Then, you’ll need to provide personal information about yourself, including where you live.
- Next, Identity Protect will verify the information you provided to ensure that it’s you, after which you’ll be provided with login credentials for you to access your account.
Cost Of Identity Protect
Identity Protect costs $34.95 per month, plus tax. However, you can try the service for only $1 for 7 days.
Once the $1 trial period ends, you’ll be billed monthly. If at any time you want to cancel your membership, you can call Identity Protect at 1 -77-751-5899 to deactivate your account.
Reasons Identity Protect Is A Good Idea
There are several reasons why you may want to enrol in an identity protection program like Identity Protect:
Your Data Has Been Breached
Over recent years, there have been many data breaches, leaving many Canadians uneasy about the security of their personal information and vulnerability to identity theft. Some of the more recent examples include the data hacks on Capital One and Desjardins, which affected millions of Canadians. With Identity Protect on your side, you can be notified as soon as your information appears on the Dark Web.
You Lost Your ID
Your personal identification contains important information that allows fraudsters to steal your identity, sell your information, and target you with scams. Identity Protect can help you avoid these issues if you’ve lost your ID by scanning the Dark Web and recent data breaches, then flag you if your identity has been stolen and used for nefarious purposes.
You’re The Victim Of A Scam
Fraudsters are very sophisticated with their scams these days, which is why you need to be more prepared and diligent than ever. But even the best of us can get scammed, whether through email scams, text scams, telephone scams, or other ploys. If you’ve been scammed out of your information, Identity Protect will alert you as soon as your ID is used without your authorization.
Final Thoughts
It can take hundreds of hours and dollars to fix an identity theft issues. For a few dollars a month, Identity Protect can save you the hassle and money of trying to fix the damage caused by having your identity stolen. Plus, you’ll have the peace of mind of knowing that your identity is constantly being monitored.
