If taking care of your identity isn’t at the top of your property list, then It should be and start today. As technology progresses, so do criminals’ techniques to capture your information for ill intent. 

Now, more than ever, you need support and expertise to keep your information secure as more Americans worry about their online information since the start of COVID-19. There is now a growing list of tools for criminals to use to seize your personal information. Recovering from being a victim of identity theft can turn into a long and drawn out process. Set you and your family up for success by securing your identity safely. 

In this article, we’re comparing OneRep and Brandself as possible products to protect your identity. When trying to decide if you’re ready for an online platform, consider if you want to remove yourself from Google or any sites that publish your information.

Why Is Protection Important

Identity theft is a growing business that fraudsters can do from the comfort of their own home. In 2019 alone, U.S. residents were hit 13 million times and lost a total of $16.9 billion, Javelin Strategy & Research found. If they have your Social Security number or other personal identification, they can create fake accounts card, credit card accounts, mortgages and receive your tax refund. Some techniques to have you divulge information includes:

• Phishing or using Fake email accounts
• Smishing through fake text messages,
• Vishing using voicemails to trick you into providing personal information,

and more often than not, these methods are how thieves capture your information. So how do you know if somebody’s applying for a credit card in your name? Or how are you notified if someone uses your accounts to make online purchases or damage your reputation? 

If you’re like many Americans and uncomfortable with the fact that your information is available to strangers through a simple search or after they pay a small fee, it may be time to sign up for an online reputation service.

Delete Yourself From The Internet Sites

Fight back against criminals by investing and identity theft software for you and your family. By having the best monitoring And protection system, you can prevent and detect when someone is using your identity. Having a service will have a feature to help you recover your identity if it is stolen and perform credit monitoring. With account takeovers up over 72% from previous years, it helps to keep a watchful eye over your accounts.

Free Credit Monitoring Services

You set a few procedures in place to monitor your accounts for free such as:

• Monitor your credit cards and bank accounts on a daily or weekly basis
• Receive and review your free credit report from Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian through sites like annualcreidtreport.com. You can check your account twice a year if you live in Georgia, Maine, Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Jersey, 
• Consider freezing your credit when you’re not using it, 
• Setting up fraud alerts to inform you when your information is compromised.

These steps can take up time and require you to be vigilant throughout the year to prevent identity theft. Depending on your schedule, the DIY plan may work for you. 

Cleaning Up Your Digital Footprint

With all the work you need to do daily to track your identity, investing in a paid service can free up your time. By paying for a monthly or yearly fee, these companies will.

• Watch on your credit information 
• Keep tabs on any personal details a criminal may want.

At the time of this article, there is no federal law that provides individuals the right to exercise their privacy preference when it comes to internet sites. With data brokers not being regulated, it is “all very opaque and confusing” from Maureen Mahoney, a policy analyst at Consumer Reports perspective. Having the convenience and expertise of identity theft projection sites at your fingertips is necessary when managing your online profile.

Sites To Watch – OneRep vs. BrandYourself

As the identity theft industry is growing, so are the many options to keep your identity safe. Two sites – OneRep and BrandYourself – are increasing in popularity as this software makes it easy to see what is hurting your reputation online and the solutions to repairing it. Before signing up for a plan, please read the terms carefully on what the companies promise to deliver in their efforts to keep you and your data safe.

OneRep

Lockdown your data now by investing in an OneRep plan for you and your family. Their flexible plans include choices that cover up to 6 people. Considered top in their industry for the number of sites (107) that they remove your information from, OneRep is popular for its customer service. The company provides a daily and monthly report of where one stands with the personal website removal process. Customers feel much safer seeing the removal of their personal information from the web, which is needed in today’s world.

BrandYourself

For some, users felt that this platform is easy to navigate as the company works with 35 sites to remove your information. While they offer a free DIY product, many think that it takes a significant time commitment to navigate. Well priced for the market, users feel that the site helps them navigate the constant online search of their data. Have fun digging up some of your old posts; it may take a while to fix your Google results. Features included avoiding hacking, telemarketers, spam, and a customized action plan for how to appear your best in a Google search.

Final Thoughts

Privacy is all about control, and the first step in securing your identity is finding a theft protection product that will help you. Unless you have unlimited time to monitor multiple sites yourself, signing up for a monthly service or pay annually will provide a review of your credit reports and alert you of any fraudulent activity. No company is 100% foolproof. However, companies like RepOne monitor your information 24/7, allowing you to focus on essential life matters, cutting down on how many times you’re a victim.