IDShield vs IdentityForce: Protecting Your Identity in an Era of Rampant Cybercrime

Identity theft has surged to record levels in recent years, and 2024 is shaping up to be the worst yet. According to the latest data from the FTC, there were over 5.7 million reported cases of identity theft and fraud in 2024, a staggering 87% increase from 2022. Victims lost a combined $6.1 billion, with the average person losing $1,100.

As a cybersecurity expert who has specialized in identity protection for over a decade, I‘ve seen firsthand the devastating financial and emotional toll that identity crimes can take. Criminals are constantly finding new ways to steal personal data, from hacking and phishing schemes to large-scale data breaches of major corporations.

In this treacherous digital landscape, investing in identity theft protection services like IDShield and IdentityForce is one of the smartest moves you can make. But with dozens of options on the market, how do you determine which one will keep your identity the most secure?

In this in-depth comparison, I‘ll use my expertise to break down the key features, pricing, user experience, and security of two of the top contenders: IDShield and IdentityForce. By the end, you‘ll have all the facts you need to make an informed decision on how to best guard your most valuable asset in 2024 and beyond – your identity.

IDShield vs IdentityForce: Features Compared

While IDShield and IdentityForce both provide comprehensive monitoring of your personally identifiable information (PII) across financial accounts, credit reports, the dark web, court records, and more, there are some notable differences in the features and value-added services each one offers.

Here‘s a side-by-side breakdown:

Feature	IDShield	IdentityForce
Credit Monitoring	1-bureau	3-bureau
Credit Reports & Scores	Quarterly	Quarterly
Bank Account Monitoring	Yes	Yes
Social Security Number Monitoring	Yes	Yes
Dark Web Surveillance	Yes	Yes
Change of Address Monitoring	Yes	Yes
Court Records Monitoring	Yes	Yes
Payday Loan Monitoring	Yes	No
Social Media Monitoring	Yes	Yes
Medical ID Fraud Protection	No	Yes
Home Title Monitoring	No	No
401k & Investment Account Monitoring	No	Yes
Deceased Family Fraud Remediation	No	Yes
Lost Wallet Assistance	Yes	Yes
Identity Theft Insurance	$3 million	$1 million
Stolen Funds Reimbursement	$1 million	$1 million
VPN & Password Manager	Yes	No
Anti-Phishing & Keylogging Software	Yes	Yes
Mobile App	iOS & Android	iOS & Android

As you can see, both services cover all the identity monitoring essentials, and will alert you in near real-time of any suspicious activity. But there are a few key areas where IdentityForce has an edge:

3-Bureau Credit Monitoring

IdentityForce monitors your credit file with all three major credit bureaus – Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. This maximizes your odds of quickly detecting any fraudulent accounts or credit inquiries, as not all creditors report to all three bureaus. IDShield‘s lower-priced individual plan only monitors one bureau.

Medical Identity Monitoring

A thief can rack up huge medical bills in your name or even contaminate your treatment records, which can be life-threatening. An estimated 43% of medical identity theft victims lose trust in their healthcare provider as a result. IdentityForce‘s medical identity monitoring can catch this at the first signs.

401(k) & Investment Account Monitoring

Your credit accounts are not the only finances at risk. Cybercriminals can gain control of your retirement and brokerage accounts to steal your savings and make illegal trades. IdentityForce keeps tabs on your investment accounts for any red flags.

Deceased Relative Identity Theft Protection

It‘s a terrible crime, but scammers do exploit the death of a loved one by impersonating them to open credit cards, apply for loans, or file fake tax returns. The last thing you want to deal with while grieving is a financial mess. IdentityForce‘s fraud remediation for deceased relatives spares you that added anguish.

That‘s not to say IDShield doesn‘t offer great value for its price point. It actually beats out IdentityForce in a few aspects:

VPN & Password Manager

Bundled with IDShield is a VPN service to hide your IP address and encrypt your internet connection, along with a password manager for generating and securely storing complex passwords. These are essential digital security tools that will cost you $100+ per year separately. Having them integrated with your identity protection is very convenient.

$3 Million Insurance Coverage

If you do become an identity theft victim, IDShield provides up to $3 million to cover the costs of reclaiming your identity, like legal fees, stolen funds, lost wages, and travel expenses. IdentityForce‘s $1 million policy is still substantial, but IDShield gives you triple the peace of mind.

Payday Loan Monitoring

Payday loans are one of the sketchiest financial products out there, which makes them ripe for fraud. IDShield is one of the few identity theft protection services I‘ve seen that specifically tracks your identity against payday loan applications.

Pricing

IDShield offers two straightforward plans:

• Individual Plan: $14.95/month for 1-bureau credit monitoring, VPN, and all other identity protections
• Family Plan: $29.95/month for coverage for you, a spouse/partner, and up to 10 dependent children

IdentityForce‘s pricing is a bit higher, but you get what you pay for with its additional features:

• UltraSecure Plan: $17.95/month or $179.50/year for all identity monitoring and protections except credit features
• UltraSecure+Credit: $23.95/month or $239.50/year for everything in UltraSecure plus 3-bureau credit monitoring, reports, and scores

IdentityForce does provide more bang for your buck overall, especially with its annual discount. It also offers a generous 30-day free trial on both plans, so you can thoroughly test it out risk-free.

User Experience & Support

To get the most out of any identity theft service, it needs to be user-friendly. Both IDShield and IdentityForce make it simple to access and manage your identity protection from any device:

IDShield‘s Dashboard

IdentityForce‘s Dashboard

With intuitive online dashboards and mobile apps, you can review your alerts, credit scores, account activity, and more at a glance from anywhere. I will give a slight edge to IdentityForce‘s interface for being a bit more polished and modern-looking. It also provides helpful video tutorials and a searchable knowledge base.

For customer support, IDShield offers 24/7 phone and live chat access, with Spanish-speaking agents available. IdentityForce‘s phone and email support has extended hours on weekdays and weekends, but no 24/7 availability. The ability to get a hold of someone at any hour for identity emergencies gives IDShield the advantage here.

Security & Privacy

Entrusting a company with enough of your personal information to monitor your identity requires confidence in their security technology and privacy practices. Here‘s how IDShield and IdentityForce compare:

Two-Factor Authentication: Both IDShield and IdentityForce provide two-factor authentication at login for an extra layer of account protection.

Encryption: IdentityForce uses 256-bit AES encryption, the industry gold standard, to secure your data both in transit and at rest on their servers. IDShield also states it uses "standard, strong encryption" throughout its systems.

Privacy: IDShield has a strict privacy policy that promises your personal information will never be sold or shared with any third party without your express consent. IdentityForce, which is owned by credit bureau TransUnion, does share some data within the TransUnion corporate family and with select partners. Both comply with all federal and state privacy regulations.

Insurance: In the unlikely event either company‘s networks are breached, they each carry $5 million in professional liability insurance to protect and compensate affected customers.

While neither IDShield nor IdentityForce discloses too many specifics of their technology stack for obvious reasons, I‘m confident that both employ sophisticated cybersecurity and follow data privacy best practices. IDShield does have a slight philosophical advantage by keeping all data in-house.

Limitations & Considerations

It‘s important to understand that while identity theft protection services are a hugely valuable tool, they aren‘t a magic forcefield for your identity. Here are a few key things to keep in mind:

• They don‘t actually prevent your personal data from being stolen, hacked, or exposed in a breach. What they do is alert you much faster than you‘d likely notice on your own, and help you take action to minimize the damage.

• Not all types of identity theft are detectable by monitoring your credit and online accounts. For example, if a criminal uses your SSN to file for unemployment benefits or a falsified tax return, this could go unnoticed.

• Children are prime targets for identity theft because it can go undetected well into adulthood. Most services don‘t monitor minors‘ identities as thoroughly as adults.

To fully protect your identity, it‘s best to combine a service like IDShield or IdentityForce with smart digital security practices like using a VPN on public Wi-Fi, never reusing passwords, keeping software up-to-date, storing sensitive documents securely, and knowing how to spot phishing scams.

"Think of identity theft protection like a home security system," says cybersecurity analyst Michael Osakwe. "It won‘t stop a thief from trying to break into your house, but it will sound the alarm and summon the police a lot quicker than relying on the neighbors to notice."

The Bottom Line

In an age where cybercrime is at an all-time high, shielding your identity with a service like IDShield or IdentityForce is one of the smartest investments you can make. With either one, you‘re getting proactive, comprehensive monitoring of your most sensitive personal data, along with full-service restoration and insurance coverage if you do become a victim.

While both are excellent, all-around identity theft protection services, IdentityForce has more advanced and unique features, like 401(k) and medical identity monitoring, deceased family member fraud remediation, and anti-phishing software. For its more robust offering, user-friendly experience, and 30-day trial period to test it out, IdentityForce is my top pick for most people.

However, IDShield provides unbeatable value for large families with its 10-children coverage, and its bundled VPN and 24/7 customer support are great perks. If your top priorities are price and convenience, you can‘t go wrong with IDShield.

Be proactive, not a statistic
Regardless of which identity protection service you choose, taking action and layering multiple safeguards is the name of the game. Don‘t wait until you‘re one of the millions victimized by identity fraud to start monitoring the digital life you‘ve built. Because by then, it may be too late.