Product Overview of Experian IdentityWorks
Experian IdentityWorks is a comprehensive identity theft protection service offered by Experian, a leading credit bureau. This service is designed to provide robust protection for individuals and families against various forms of identity theft and fraud.
Key Features
Credit and Identity Monitoring
Experian IdentityWorks offers extensive monitoring of your credit reports from all three major credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. This includes daily alerts for any changes or suspicious activities in your credit reports, helping you stay informed about potential fraudulent activities.
Dark Web Surveillance
The service includes dark web surveillance, which monitors the dark web for any unauthorized use or trading of your personal information. This feature ensures that any irregular activities involving your data are promptly detected and alerted to you.
Social Media Monitoring
IdentityWorks also monitors your social media accounts for posts that could put your identity or reputation at risk. This feature sends alerts if any suspicious or potentially harmful activity is detected on your social media profiles.
Credit Lock and Freeze
Experian IdentityWorks provides the Experian CreditLock feature, which allows you to lock and unlock your Experian credit file easily. This prevents unauthorized access to your credit file and sends real-time alerts if anyone attempts to apply for credit in your name. It is important to note that CreditLock is a separate service from a Security Freeze.
Fraud Resolution and Insurance
In the event of identity theft, IdentityWorks offers dedicated fraud resolution support. Trained specialists can help you through the recovery process, including freezing your credit files, contacting creditors to dispute charges, and closing compromised accounts. Additionally, the service includes up to $1 million in identity theft insurance to cover losses and expenses incurred due to identity theft.
Monthly Privacy Scans
The service conducts monthly privacy scans to identify and help remove your personal information from covered people-finder databases, reducing your exposure to potential identity theft and unwanted contact.
Family Protection
IdentityWorks offers plans that can cover up to two adults and 20 children, making it a comprehensive solution for family identity protection. This includes features such as child ID scans and monitoring to protect minors from identity theft.
Additional Alerts and Monitoring
The service provides a range of alerts, including:
- SSN and personal identifying information (PII) theft alerts
- Credit card and bank account alerts for suspicious transactions
- Court record and arrest record alerts
- USPS change of address alerts
- Sex offender registry alerts if a sex offender moves into your vicinity.
Functionality and Ease of Use
Experian IdentityWorks is designed to be user-friendly, with a straightforward signup process and a customizable dashboard. Users can access key data points such as their FICO score, credit usage, and total debt. The service also allows users to customize alerts and choose their preferred notification methods.
Security and Privacy
IdentityWorks uses secure sockets layer (SSL) technology to maintain encrypted communication between the user’s browser and its servers. The service also features multi-factor authentication, requiring both a password and the last four digits of the user’s Social Security number for login. An automatic logout feature is implemented to secure user accounts after a period of inactivity.
In summary, Experian IdentityWorks is a robust identity theft protection service that offers a wide array of features to safeguard your personal information, monitor your credit, and provide comprehensive support in case of identity theft. Its user-friendly interface, extensive monitoring capabilities, and dedicated fraud resolution services make it a valuable tool for protecting your identity.