LifeLock Review - What Can It Do for Your Privacy?
Updated · Oct 18, 2022
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- Easy-to-use portal
- Robust detection and recovery
- Personal expense compensation
- Reimbursement of stolen funds
- Works with Equifax
- Top-tier plan is pricey
The internet has made our lives easier and more connected.
Because of the convenience of shopping, banking, learning, and working online, we run the risk of leaving ourselves vulnerable to online criminals looking to steal our information.
Because of events like the 2017 Equifax data breach, where the personal information of over 140 million people was compromised, the need for identity theft protection services has never been more apparent.
Identity theft services can monitor online threats and alert you of any possible suspicious activity in your financial accounts, social security, and credit.
LifeLock is one of the top identity theft protection services, and it can help you monitor identity theft threats, provide alerts, and extreme cases help restore your identity. Check out this LifeLock review to see what makes it an industry leader in the digital era.
What Is LifeLock?
LifeLock is an identity theft protection service packed with powerful features that provide comprehensive cybersecurity. LifeLock protection services monitor potential identity theft threats and use advanced ID theft and device security tools to shield your personal information from data breaches.
Features
LifeLock has top-of-the-range ID theft protection features to help protect your personal data from potential threats and give you peace of mind.
Real-Time Threat Protection
LifeLock offers multi-level, state-of-the-art security that helps protect you against existing and emerging malware threats to your devices.
It also helps protect your personal and sensitive financial information like bank account and credit card details, passwords, PINs, and other data.
Family Protection
LifeLock has all-in-one family protection plans called Norton 360 with LifeLock for Family that help to protect the whole family’s identities, devices, and online privacy.
You can purchase the plan through one easy-to-manage subscription covering two adults and up to five children and includes all the features in the regular paid plans tailored for family protection.
ID Recovery
If you become a victim of identity theft, then LifeLock will enlist Identity Restoration Specialists’ services.
They will help handle the case at every step of the recovery process—from notifying creditors and banks to freezing accounts and replacing stolen identification—and LifeLock pays for the whole thing.
ID recovery can be pretty costly, so LifeLock will also pay for the lawyer fees.
Insurance
Every LifeLock price plan has a Million Dollar Protection Package for members.
It reimburses customers for stolen funds and covers personal expenses from $25,000 up to $1 million. Identity theft can often require substantial legal assistance. If necessary, LifeLock will pay the lawyer fees and ID recovery experts in the event of ID theft, and you need help restoring your identity.
Privacy Monitor
This feature lets you find out which people search websites and data aggregators have your personally identifiable information listed and how you can manually remove it.
Removing your information from these databases can help you somewhat regain your privacy and make it harder for identity thieves to get a hold of it.
Secure VPN
As part of the Norton family of protection software, LifeLock also offers a handy secure VPN for staying safe online. The no-log VPN allows you to browse anonymously and securely without having to worry about malware and phishing.
You can use bank-grade encryption to ensure your more sensitive information like passwords and bank account details are more secure and private.
Alerts
The LifeLock alert suite has many alerts to help you keep abreast of data breaches and potential fraud via text, phone, or email.
These alerts include Identity and SSN Activity, alerts on crimes committed in your name, 401(K) and Investment Account Alerts, Credit, Checking, and Savings Account Activity Alerts, information about you is detected on the Dark Web and Bank Account Takeover Alerts.
If threats turn out to be real, then LifeLock does offer remediation, but some of the alerts aren’t available in the Standard plan. Unfortunately, not all events will trigger a warning, and specific activities will only generate an alert 30 days later.
LifeLock Downsides
- LifeLock still relies on Equifax for credit monitoring, even after the massive 2017 personal data breach.
- The top-tier plan is pricier than most of its competitors, plus the price increases on all the plans after the first year.
- In 2015, LifeLock was ordered to pay $100 million by the FTC for failing to protect consumer data and deceptive advertising.
- Some LifeLock features aren’t supported on macOS devices.
Plans & Pricing
LifeLock offers three price plans you can choose from:
It includes ID theft protection benefits like Stolen Funds Reimbursement of up to $25,000, Personal Expense Compensation of up to $25,000, and coverage for lawyers and recovery experts for up to $1 million. Other benefits include Stolen Wallet Protection, Credit and Dark Web Monitoring (although for only one credit bureau).
It includes everything in the Standard and Select plans and adds Identity Lock, which allows you to lock your TransUnion credit file, Phone Takeover Monitoring, and alerts on crimes committed in your name. Stolen Funds Reimbursement and Personal Expense Compensation goes up to $100,000. You get some additional features like Fictitious Identity Monitoring, Annual Credit Reports, and Credit Scores (from only one credit bureau), and Device Security goes up to 10 devices.
This plan includes all the trimmings in the previous three plans. It adds even more benefits, such as Credit Monitoring and Annual Credit Reports, and Credit Scores for all three credit bureaus, Security and VPN Protection unlimited family PCs, Macs, and mobile devices. Stolen Funds Reimbursement and Personal Expense Compensation goes up to $1 million, plus you get monthly credit score tracking for one bureau and Sex Offender Registry Reports.
You can use a LifeLock coupon on lifelock.org to get up to 25% off on your first-year membership.
Support
LifeLock provides reliable support by giving customers access to 24/7 live member support agents. The LifeLock Member Portal offers self-service options to find answers to general questions and common support issues.
Along with that, the website includes many educational materials for customers to access at any time.
You can also contact LifeLock by phone at 1-800 4543 3562. Phone contact is available 24/7. But we at Web Tribunal have a feeling you won’t need to contact customer support because most customers tend to use the self-service option.
After all, the service is so easy to use.
If you ever become a victim of identity theft, LifeLock has a helpful Restoration Department to help guide you through the entire process.
Ease of Use
Ease of use is one of the many highlights of LifeLock reviews. Many customers have said the simplicity of the service is what made them choose it.
With LifeLock, setup and registration are a breeze. It only takes a few simple steps, and keeping up with your protection alerts and notifications is hassle-free
In fact, there isn’t much for the user to do once you’re signed up. LifeLock does all the hard work for you, which means you won’t have to freeze your credit in the event of an identity breach, given that it will be monitored and protected continuously.
You will receive alerts via email, text message, or app notifications.
Speaking of the LifeLock app, it makes it super easy to keep up with your credit activity. You can even check your credit score on the app, although you can’t view complete credit reports.
LifeLock Customer Reviews
We scoured the internet for identity protection reviews of LifeLock to better understand how customers feel about it.
LifeLock has had some scandals in the past—in 2010, the FTC fined them $12 million for deceptive advertising, then found them in contempt of that same incident in 2015, fining them a further $100 million.
Despite all these recent controversies, LifeLock has a surprisingly good reputation online with its customers.
According to its website, LifeLock has a 4.6/5 rating based on over 10,000 reviews. The consensus in the LifeLock reviews we found is that its vastly superior features and functionality compared to LifeLock competitors paired with the brand recognition that comes with Norton make this one of the best identity protection options for 2022.
Some LifeLock complaints have highlighted that it still relies on Equifax for LifeLock credit monitoring, and it’s slightly more expensive than some of its competitors.
Is LifeLock Worth It?
LifeLock offers extensive identity theft protection and superior ID theft restoration services.
Standout features include real-time threat protection tools like credit monitoring, Dark Web surveillance, and a privacy monitor that lets you find out which people search websites have your data.
You can look forward to restoring services, including stolen wallet protection, 24/7 live member customer support, and the famous Million Dollar Protection Package. The company’s association with the award-winning Norton antivirus software means it also has handy digital data security and privacy tools plus a VPN for browsing safely online.
All this, considering the price point that LifeLock is at, makes it worth every cent.
Alternatives of LifeLock
LifeLock might be one of the leading identity theft protection services, but it is by no means the only one. We took the liberty of highlighting some LifeLock competitors to provide you with some options.
LifeLock vs IdentityForce
Although IdentityForce and LifeLock both offer robust tools to help protect your data, LifeLock is slightly more expensive. Despite that, LifeLock squeaks out ahead thanks to its more comprehensive set of features and tools.
IdentityForce monitors a whole range of personal, medical, and financial information along with protecting your credit record and investment accounts. However, additional tools like anti-phishing and anti-keylogging software, Privacy Monitor, antivirus software, and a secure VPN make it a more comprehensive option.
Identity Guard vs LifeLock
At first glance, these two ID theft protection services are nearly indistinguishable, but there are some notable differences in each service’s pricing, approach, and functionality. LifeLock is the more recognizable name, although Identity Guard is more reasonably priced. LifeLock provides 24/7 phone assistance while Identity Guard is only available during working hours.
LifeLock doesn’t have the same number of identity theft features like stolen wallet protection. In fact, if you use Identity Guard, not only are you entitled to $1 million in the event of identity fraud, and you lose money. LifeLock will appoint an exclusive case manager to overlook the case, and you will get $25,000 in case of financial loss and an additional $25,000 for personal expenses.
Looking at LifeLock’s Ultimate Plus plan features, you get real-time threat protection for unlimited devices, protection for your entire family. Also, you get access to an Identity Alert System that alerts you if your name, address, date of birth, or SSN are used in applications for credit or services.
Identity Guard, on the other hand, IBM Watson-powered AI to scan and scrub potential threats continually.
McAfee Identity Theft Protection vs LifeLock
Two giant antivirus companies back both these services, and as such, their reputation is, and brand recognition is well sought-after. When comparing prices, McAfee Identity Theft Protection comes out on top. Its price plans start at $7.99/per month ($0.99 for the first month), while LifeLock plans start at $8.99.
Both services have regular ID theft protection benefits like stolen funds reimbursement, lost wallet assistance, and identity theft insurance in terms of features. Each has some unique features like Phone Takeover Monitoring and a built-in VPN for LifeLock. McAfee Identity Theft Protection, on the other hand, boasts ever-present Cyber Monitoring and Social Security Number Tracing.
Final Verdict
Upon reviewing the pros and cons of LifeLock, LifeLock is a pretty good platform, and it’s easy to see why it is one of the highest-rated identity theft protection services in the industry.
Despite the evident LifeLock problems in the past, LifeLock still has incredibly efficient features and tools, a detailed mobile app, and reasonable pricing compared to other identity theft protection services. In a world where the threat of identity theft and fraud is ever-present, LifeLock puts constant vigilance and safety right at your fingertips.
We hope this LifeLock review highlighted why its handy features and tools, and timely alerts make it an excellent service.
LifeLock has three price plans, and all of them are charged at a discounted price in the first year —LifeLock Standard costs $7.50/month, LifeLock Advantage is $14.99/month, whereas LifeLock Ultimate Plus goes up to $19.99/month.
LifeLock monitors for threats to your identity, provides timely alerts via text, email or mobile app, and, in the event of a data breach, helps you restore your identity and compensate you for any stolen funds.
You can cancel LifeLock on the main dashboard or by contacting Member Service and Support for cancellation at 844-488-4540.
LifeLock offers real-time threat protection, comprehensive monitoring, and a robust Identity Alert System that combines to provide efficient identity protection. Additionally, LifeLock comes complete with Norton’s award-winning antivirus software and a secure VPN, so you get more value for money.
LifeLock’s identity protection service is as extensive as they come, and even though no company can provide 100% protection, LifeLock comes pretty close. In addition to robust monitoring and intelligent alerts, LifeLock’s real strength lies in its restoration and remediation.
The Million Dollar Protection Package puts the full strength of the Restoration Department at your disposal and, in the event of identity theft, offers up to up to $1 million for stolen funds reimbursement and cover for personal expenses as well as lawyer and restoration expert fees.
If you’re concerned about your safety online and want a service that can offer identity theft threat monitoring, protection for you and your family, then you should definitely get LifeLock. For the price of a subscription, you also get access to Norton’s award-winning antivirus software and a secure VPN.
Branko is a round-the-clock tech geek and loving it. His ideal vacation destination is the Akihabara District (or really any place he can take his computer). If there’s a server out there, count on him to find out what it’s made of… and tell you all about it.
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