The 5 Best Identity Theft Protection Services for Remote Workers

Identity (ID) theft ranks among the most significant threats to remote workers. You might not realize it, but you regularly access several files, accounts, and platforms that contain sensitive Personally Identifiable Information (PII). And crooks won’t hesitate to exploit anything they extract from you.

Invest in an ID theft protection system to improve your defenses against fraudulent transactions and hacking attacks. They have various features, from data monitoring to ID theft insurance. Let’s look into some widely known and trusted platforms among remote workers.

If you use Norton, you might have seen a few ads about LifeLock before. Robert Maynard Jr. and Todd Davis founded the company in 2005, and Norton acquired it in 2017, thanks to its massive success in the cybersecurity industry.

LifeLock offers three packages. The entry-level plan comes with standard credit and PII monitoring, while the full-suite option also tracks criminal records, investment accounts, and social media profiles under your name.

You might like LifeLock’s affordable, extensive features as a remote worker. Every plan is available with a family package upgrade that accommodates two adults and five kids.

You’ll find this plan helpful if your household uses the same devices. Run LifeLock on your shared gadgets and link all users’ data. That way, you’ll immediately know if cybercriminals try stealing your personal or work PII.

To better grasp LifeLock, sign up for a trial account. You can use whatever package you want free for the first 30 days, plus you can cancel subscriptions at any time.

Download: LifeLock for iOS | Android ($8.99 to $23.99 per month)

Hari Ravichandran founded Aura in 2017. It has only been on the market for a couple of years, but it is already recognized as one of the most trusted and reliable ID theft prevention systems.

As a remote worker, you’ll like Aura for its comprehensive packages. Apart from the standard PII and credit monitoring, the packages also come with $1 million worth of insurance, criminal record monitoring, online safe browsing tools, anti-malware protection, and stolen data restoration support. As a result, you can use it as your home office’s primary cybersecurity and data privacy solution.

Also, look into Aura’s robust family packages. If you upgrade to a family account, you can run ID theft monitoring on up to 50 different devices, plus each registered member gets up to $1 million worth of ID theft insurance.

Based on the listed features, we think parents working from home should consider Aura. It’s not unusual for kids to accidentally expose sensitive documents and files after using shared devices. And don’t underestimate ID thieves. Cybercriminals exploit different pieces of information, regardless of the identity’s age, gender, occupation, and race. So even your kids’ PII can get targeted.

You can best assess Aura yourself. Sign up for an account and use the app free for the first 14 days, after which you can cancel your subscription.

Download: Aura for iOS | Android ($15.00 per month)

Steven Bearak and Judy Leary founded IdentityForce in 2005. The company has consistently ranked among the top ID theft tools, but its client base expanded further after TransUnion took over in 2017.

IdentityForce comes with all the bells and whistles of online protection. Yes, options like Aura feature a robust platform, but IdentityForce goes the extra mile by adding various security tools to its accounts. The full-suite plan has everything, from password managers to anti-malware scanners.

Admittedly, IdentityForce also comes with a steep price tag. The best way to get a quick return on your investment is to use it as your primary data privacy and monitoring system for work. Stop paying for other cybersecurity tools if possible. For instance, you could cancel your antivirus and VPN subscriptions since a full-suite IdentityForce package already comes with these services.

If you’re still on the fence, start with a 30-day free trial. You’ll get two months free if you opt for annual billing.

Download: IdentityForce for iOS | Android ($17.99 to $23.99 per month)

If most of your income comes from freelancing gigs, you likely already know the difficulties of getting approved for banking products. Commercial banks don’t classify freelance and remote work as stable sources of income.

Unfortunately, loans are crucial for things real estate investments. For example, a U.S. Census report shows that 64.8% of American homeowners bought their properties through mortgage loans.

Does this mean freelancers should just rent for life? Of course, not. If you need to boost your credit score but don’t know where to start, consider getting IdentityIQ. It combines ID theft prevention and credit building.

Besides scanning for fraudulent transactions under your personal or banking information, it gives you an in-depth review of your credit standing. The full-suite option even comes with monthly 3-bureau credit reports.

Just note that IdentityIQ primarily focuses on credit building and financial fraud prevention, so you’ll likely need other cybersecurity tools for your home office. Plans range from $6.99 to $29.99 per month.

If your job requires you to execute high-value transactions or handle super-confidential documents daily, we suggest looking into IDShield. It offers standard PII and credit monitoring. The system scans online and offline records for signs of potential fraud, plus you can see the origin of the alerts.

What sets IDShield apart from its competitors is its ID restoration process. The company hires private investigators to assist ID theft victims, whereas other brands only have in-house customer service representatives.

Anyone can learn how to recover a stolen identity. However, even if you seek help from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and local authorities, they can’t do much if you have no evidence. And that’s where IDShield comes in to help. Private investigators can help you and your employer recover lost data and track perpetrators quicker. Hopefully, you could even stop crooks before they abuse your company’s information.

Download: IDShield for iOS | Android ($14.95 to $19.95 per month)

Protect Your Data While Working Remotely

This list includes the top ID theft prevention tools on the market. Use it as a starting point before moving on to lesser-known options, especially if they have minimal reviews online. Otherwise, you might end up wasting your money on a useless app.

Also, claim free trials whenever possible. You can even use all the ID theft prevention platforms we featured above for free to ensure that you reach an informed, objective decision. Finally, find the perfect cybersecurity system based on your home office setup.