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Identity Force Service ReviewThis Identity Force service review is prepared to help individuals learn about Identity Force services in order to make informed and educated decisions when searching, comparing and selecting automated identity theft protection services. As mentioned before in many of our articles and service reviews, the automated aspect of identity protection to effectively prevent and detect identity theft in a timely manner and in as many areas of our personal lives is very important. A system which has been properly designed and tested to help its subscribers receive timely identity theft alerts in order to detect and resolve potential identity fraud cases is as important as the post-alert services provided by the identity theft services company to resolve fraud cases. The automated aspect of an identity theft protection service is by no means an end to a consumer’s own diligence to properly review and follow up with system alerts, however, automation is a service that consumers are willing to pay for in order to make their identity protection efforts more effective and efficient. About Identity Force Identity Force is an identity protection technology and services company which offers automated solutions as well as support services to help consumers prevent, detect and resolve identity fraud. As mentioned, the automated aspect of such services does not relieve consumers of their own responsibility for reviewing and managing fraud alerts or other system information pertaining to their identities. Identity Force Service Overview Identity Force offers a variety of automated and support services to its customers. The scope of this Identity Force review includes a high level overview of the services, system features and benefits, as well as the registration process. This Identity Force service review excludes a review of the quality of customer service operations, representatives, and fraud resolution specialists for responding to customer inquiries and resolving customer fraud cases or concerns. This Identity Force service review may be expanded to include quality assessments in the future. Registration Process The registration process is very simple. The Identity Force system requires a consumer’s name and email address in the first page in order to enter the second page and select a pass code, a security question and answer to identify the customer in the future for pass code reset purposes, as well as credit card information to kick start the subscription. The system then becomes immediately available to subscribers to enter and manage their information such as the date of birth to start monitoring their identities, although some personal information may take a while to be retrieved from various sources such as the credit reporting agencies. Once the registration process is completed and personal information is entered for automated monitoring, the system goes to work to protect subscriber identity. Upon login into a secure site, subscribers will have access to a variety of tabs and services including the Dashboard, My Services, Alerts & Reports, Downloads, Manage Account, Resource Center, and Support sections which provide specific identity theft alerts and status information as described below: Dashboard Section Includes Message and Alert Center and Identity Health Score and Report. Identity Health Score is a three digit number between 1 and 999 which describes the risk of being a victim of fraud and gives real–time and actionable insight into the security of a subscriber’s identity. Identity Health Score™ The Identity Score is a number that predicts the likelihood of consumers being identity theft victims. The Identity Force dashboard offers an identity theft risk score called Health Score which is a three digit number between 1 and 999. The score describes the risk of being either presently a victim of fraud or potentially a victim target in the future based on real–time information. The score is divided up into three ranges to indicated low, medium and high risk ranges as follows; 0-299, 300-649, and 650-100 to indicate a higher risk of identity fraud. The score is an important component of an identity theft protection strategy because it provides a person guidance with regards to the amount of due diligence a person must apply at a given time based on individual risks. For example, a person with high identity theft risk score might consider reviewing various account activities more frequently and diligently for some time until the heightened risk of identity theft is reduced. It is important to note that Identity Health Score is different from a credit score which is derived by consumer credit reporting agencies to indicate credit worthiness whereas the identity theft risk score or Identity Health Score is a risk rating score offered by Identity Force to guide its customers for taking meaningful and actionable identity theft protection steps. Identity Force employs statistical system (powered by ID Analytics) that looks for unusual relationships involving personal information and known fraud. A typical warning sign would be a credit card or cell phone application with a subscriber’s address and social security number, but someone else’s name. My Services Section This is probably the most important area of the system which allows subscribers to enter additional information for monitoring such as credit card numbers, bank accounts, email addresses, medical accounts, phone numbers, Social Security Number, address monitoring for sex offenders moving into the neighborhood, as well as placing initial fraud alerts and reminders, requesting free annual credit reports, downloading computer security software, and log information to retrieve lost wallet items. Public Records Monitoring In addition to a Junk Mail Opt-Out feature which helps reduce junk mail, pre-approved credit cards and insurance offers, spam and annoying telemarketing calls, the system continuously searches and monitors millions of criminal and court records to determine if an identity has been used by unauthorized individuals. It also performs an in-depth search of sex offender registries to determine if a sex offender fraudulently used your personal data as their registration information and alerts you if registered sex offenders are living in your neighborhood or move into your neighborhood. Social Security Number Monitoring The system alerts consumers if it detects the SSN is linked to suspicious activity such as being sold or traded on the black market to prevent anyone from claiming social security benefits, or applying for a job, insurance or apartment. Credit Card Monitoring High speed alerts warn consumers if a credit card is compromised to avoid potential disputes with credit card companies over fraudulent charges. Credit Monitoring The proactive and automated credit monitoring feature which is one of the most important features of this type of service notifies consumers well before the information would appear on their credit report. Consumers are notified within seconds when their identity is used to apply for a new credit card, wireless, retail, utility, check reorder, mortgage loan and auto loan applications. This service gives consumers the power to stop fraud attempts rather than having to react after the damage is already done when unauthorized changes are discovered in the credit report weeks or months after fraud has occurred. Lost Wallet Assistance Credit card and other information can be entered by subscribers into the secure online system so that the information is immediately available if a wallet or purse containing credit cards and other documents are ever lost. This feature allows consumers to respond quickly by contacting the organizations and prevent fraudulent transactions. This system feature facilitates one of the Identity KAOS principles in the Identity Diet program which requires a person to know what identity components they possess and where they are for a quick response. Alerts & Reports Sections This section is the second most important page of the Identity Force system which provides the Identity Health Score and any alerts which may need to be addressed in three (3) major categories of identity, credit, and public records. Resource Center and Support Sections Provide articles, contact information, important documents and sample letters for additional guidance. If subscribers become victims of identity fraud or if they have any questions regarding the system or any documents or information therein, they can contact Identity Force representatives for help: Fraud Resolution Specialists As part of the paid service, trained credit professionals are available to speak with customers to identify and correct fraudulent transactions in the credit reports. Identity Restoration Advocate If needed, expert Identity Restoration Advocates are also available to complete the paperwork, notify creditors and make calls to clear customers’ good name. Identity Force commits itself to do whatever it takes to restore the identity of its current subscribers. Downloads Section Computer Security Software A computer security software is also available for download as part of the Identity Force service to ensure consumer security while using the computer. For example, anti-phishing and anti-key logging software protect consumers when shopping, banking and sharing online. The computer security product Proactively prevents malware from stealing sensitive data such as username, password, credit card number, bank account details or other sensitive data that you type on your keyboard. It also protects every keystroke as you enter it, and detects dangerous fake sites to prevent phishing attacks. General Information Once the software is installed, you can access reports, change settings or view general information by clicking on the IDF protection shield on your windows tool tray or on the top right of your compatible browser. You account allows you to use the Identity Protection Suite on one computer. If necessary, you may download a copy of the application again by using the download button below. System Requirements Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7, at least 128MB RAM, a 233Mhz processor or higher. For Browsers, Internet Explorer 6+, Firefox 3+ are currently supported. Note: This software will not work with Apple Macintosh products. |
