Best Identity Theft Restoration Services

The problem with identity theft is you never know when it’s going to strike. But it does. About once every six seconds, according to the FTC. So having spending alerts and a credit lock in your back pocket is great. But if a thief sneaks off with your SSN, you’re going to want an identity monitoring service that’s willing to step up to the plate. We found that Aura goes above and beyond here with an unexpected range of cash payouts to cover every inch of your typical fraud disaster.

You can set financial thresholds so Aura doesn’t spam you with alerts.

We’ve reported extensively on Aura’s full battery of features in our complete Aura review. Enough to say that Aura is no lightweight. A premium Aura package is stacked with protections, including a free VPN and malware blocker, two pieces of tech you don’t want to leave the house without these days. That explains why, when you’re comparing top-of-the-line ID monitoring services, Aura packages tend to be a little pricier than average.

But that slightly higher price tag pays itself off if you ever fall victim to ID fraud. Aura’s $1 million in restoration services covers both expenses caused by the identity theft and recovery of lost cash. That dual coverage helps make you whole after a potentially devastating loss.

In our book, the degree of attention Aura pays to the fine points of identity theft recovery — from a consumer perspective — says a lot about Aura’s all-around service.

During our testing of LifeLock, we discovered first-hand how the service shields us from cyber criminals. But for the purposes of this guide, we’re interested in how they’ll protect you should your identity be stolen. The good news is that coverage is as robust as the protective services.

LifeLock is one of the few services in the industry to offer up to $3 million in comprehensive identity theft insurance coverage. This includes up to $1 million in stolen fund reimbursement, up to $1 million in personal expense compensation, and up to $1 million to cover the costs of lawyers and other experts you might need to recruit in resolving your identity theft incident.

Reviewing the LifeLock dashboard for monitoring updates.

LifeLock’s plans can get confusing because they offer so many of them. Their website doesn’t make it easy to compare them either. Some plans are featured on their budget-friendly page, while others appear in the all-in-one protection section. To make your decision easier, head over to our LifeLock pricing page where we break down all of their plans side-by-side.

When we tested Identity Guard we quickly learned not to judge a book by its cover. The app doesn’t have the same modern look as other identity theft protection services, but underneath the hood it packs a lot of power. Identity Guard’s preventative services are powered by artificial intelligence, which means it can analyze billions of data points while continuing to learn about any up-and-coming threats.

But we’re here to talk about the restoration services, and Identity Guard’s tools can make recovering your identity easier, too. You’re insured up to $1 million in identity theft coverage, and Identity Guard can freeze your credit if someone is applying for loans in your name. That said, the standout feature is Identity Guard’s White Glove Fraud Resolution service.

Identity Guard makes it easy to freeze your credit to stop thieves from opening accounts in your name.

This premium service is only available on Identity Guard’s Ultra plan, but it’s worth the investment. Identity Guard assigns you a dedicated fraud resolution specialist who creates a personalized mitigation and remediation plan. This expert works to stop thieves from causing further damage while also helping recover any financial losses and repair reputational harm.

IdentityForce is a family-owned company that’s been around for over 40 years. The company doesn’t just have a stellar reputation for monitoring for fraud and identity theft, it is also renowned for its customer service. Especially when an incident occurs, and you need all hands on deck.

IdentityForce has a ton of resources to protect you from identity theft.

We appreciate IdentityForce’s $1 million identity theft insurance that covers out-of-pocket expenses and stolen funds reimbursements, but it’s the restoration team that’s the star of the show. IdentityForce’s experts will take everything off your hands by filing legal claims and calling credit card bureaus on your behalf. Any company that’s willing to sit on hold to credit companies on our behalf is a legend in our books.

IdentityForce’s two plans are easy to compare, with the main difference between them being credit card monitoring. But thankfully, the resolution team is available for all plans.

It’s worth mentioning upfront that ID Watchdog is owned by the major credit bureau Equifax. So as you would expect, its credit monitoring features are exceptional. ID Watchdog is also great at scanning the dark web and social media. But how good is it at reclaiming your identity?

Thankfully, it’s very good. Regardless of your ID Watchdog plan, you’re assigned a resolution specialist who will help you every step of the way until everything is resolved. ID Watchdog also insures you up to $1 million in reimbursement. If you subscribe to the premium plan, ID Watchdog will even reimburse up to $1 million in stolen funds from your 401K. When we spoke to the consultant, they said it would also include coverage for employee stock options, health savings, and retirement accounts sponsored by our employers.

That’s comprehensive coverage. However, one consideration is that Equifax experienced a significant data breach in 2017 that exposed personal information for approximately 147 million people.1 While Equifax has since implemented stronger security measures, this history is worth considering as you evaluate whether to trust them with your most sensitive personal data.

We were impressed by how much value Zander’s plans offer at their price point. However, once we examined the features closely, we understood the trade-offs. Don’t get us wrong. Zander does an excellent job monitoring for things like Social Security Numbers and Change of Address. But it doesn’t keep an eye on your credit rating, bank accounts, or credit cards.

Zander will alert you when it finds compromised data.

However, should your identity be stolen, Zander offers 24/7 access to their team of certified recovery specialists that will work with you to resolve any issue. They’re also going to provide up to $1 million in coverage for expenses and to replace any stolen funds. All that peace of mind for an extremely reasonable price tag? We’re on board.

While Zanders won’t monitor your credit, it can help you lock and unlock your Experian credit file. This will stop banks from doing credit checks and thieves opening new accounts in your name.