In the digital age, where everything is connected, our lives are inextricably intertwined with the digital world; although being connected to the digital world has a lot of perks, it also has some drawbacks. For starters, the rate of cyber threats, identity theft, and property-related crimes has reached alarming proportions. So, how to protect yourself from fraud and identity theft? This is when a robust protective shield is needed.
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Home Title Lock and LifeLock by Norton are two titans in the realm of personal and property protection. Both these services stand as formidable bastions against the threats of privacy breaches, identity thefts, and unauthorized use of property titles.
In this article, we aim to provide a comprehensive comparison between the two leading shields in the security industry. Our guide explores the features, benefits, unique strengths, and drawbacks of both. By the end of this article, you will feel empowered enough to choose between the two to safeguard your digital identity and protect your valuable assets. Join us on this journey to fortify your defenses and secure your peace of mind in this digital age.
Key Takeaways
- Home Title Lock and LifeLock are two major services in the cybersecurity industry – each with its perks and features.
- LifeLock specializes in identity theft, while Home Title Lock specializes in home title protection.
- We suggest you review more identity protection services here.
- LifeLock emerges as the superior choice, primarily owing to its comprehensive multi-factor protection features and robust insurance plan.
What is Home Title Lock?
Home Title Lock is a standalone company that offers property title monitoring and protection services. Over thirty years ago, the founder of Home Title Lock created one of the largest databases in the U.S. of digital property records. Today, the team has expanded, and so has the database. Their proprietary systems have access to many digital systems to help protect your property value and ownership from both foreign and domestic threats.
Explanation Of Home Title Lock and Its Core Services
Home Title Lock has services tailored to protect homeowners from property title fraud and any unauthorized changes to property titles. Home Title Lock’s services revolve around monitoring and safeguarding property titles. These services include property title monitoring, fraud prevention and mitigation, resolution support, and more.
Home Title Fraud and The Risks Associated With It
Home title fraud, also known as deed fraud or property title fraud, is a type of identity theft and financial fraud in which a fraudster assumes ownership of a property by making changes to the property’s title or deed. This type of fraud can have serious legal and financial consequences for homeowners.
Typically, a fraudster or a malicious organization of fraudsters gains access to your personal information, usually through data breaches, stolen documents, or other means. Then, they use this gained information to initiate unauthorized changes to the property title. These changes may include transferring ownership, claiming themselves as owners, or placing liens on the property.
The fraudster usually forges documents that appear legitimate, such as deeds or titles, to make it seem as if they have a legal holding over your property. Then, this person submits the forged documents to the local county recorder’s office or the relevant government agency responsible for property records. Once submitted and recorded, these documents can appear as official deeds.
While all this is happening, a homeowner is typically unaware of what’s been going on. As a consequence, you may face severe financial losses. The fraudster will not only get your property in their name but may also attempt to take out loans using the property as collateral or even sell the property. Home title fraud can also ruin your home equity in the property, leading to even further financial losses. This will lead to legal disputes and significant stress for the rightful owner.
Apart from apparent losses, you will also damage your credit score and financial reputation if fraudulent mortgages or loans are taken out using the property. Also, home title fraud typically involves the theft of the personal and financial information of the homeowner. So, the homeowner may also be at risk of identity theft.
Features
Home Title Lock offers many features depending on the plan you choose for your property needs, such as the ones mentioned below.
Home Title Monitoring
The most crucial feature of Home Title Lock is home title monitoring. This service safeguards homeowners from property title fraud by providing continuous monitoring of property title records and alerting homeowners to any unauthorized or suspicious changes to their property titles.
The service allows tracking of property title records via checking county and government records for any changes that might have been made recently to the ownership deed, addition of new names to the title, or any liens placed on the property.
This is a proactive measure to prevent any property title fraud before it occurs. By detecting home title activities in real time, homeowners can take immediate action to prevent any fraudulent changes to their property titles.
Pricing Plans
Home Title Lock offers subscription-based pricing plans for its services related to people who are looking to safeguard their property via monitoring and other services. The service provides multiple pricing options.
The individual plan covers the property title of a single property owned by an individual. It includes three plans: Essential Protection, Premium Protection, and Ultra Protection.
Essential Protection: This plan comes at $19.95 per month. It covers around-the-clock home title monitoring, urgent alerts of any changes to your property title, and access to the U.S.-based team of restoration experts in case something goes wrong.
Premium Protection: This plan comes at the price of $199 for one year, and you save $40 from the monthly plan. This plan includes 24/7 home title monitoring, urgent alerts to changes to your property title, and access to restoration experts.
Ultra Protection: This 4-year plan costs $796, gives you access to all the features in the other plans, and saves you plenty of money.
Dark Web Monitoring
Home Title Lock does not offer dark web monitoring. Dark web monitoring is done in case there’s an identity theft to scan clues of one’s identity over the dark web. However, since in the case of property title fraud, the dark web is not involved, no scanning process is needed.
Alerts
Home Title Lock offers real-time alerts related to your property title on the dashboard. You can access more details about these alerts by clicking on the “My Alerts” section. The service returns alerts related to property sales, loans, and any other transactions that might be made. However, customers claim minor and expected alerts are more common than potential deed fraud alerts. Nevertheless, users have options to mark alerts as read or delete them. If you opt out of taking any action, the alerts will remain on your dashboard.
In addition to other minor alerts, users also receive alerts regarding payment options. Home Title Lock saves your credit card information so you can add the same card number again upon a new subscription plan if you want to add another property.
Credit Report Access
Traditional identity theft protection services offer free credit reports and credit score tracking; by contrast, Home Title Lock focuses on safeguarding your home title. Once you sign up for Home Title Lock, you receive a comprehensive title report as a part of your sign-up process. Then, you receive a notification of the title report via the email you provided upon signing up. Don’t worry if you don’t immediately receive the email; you’ll get it within 24 hours.
The title report provides you with a list of items related to your property that generate alerts. So, just to be clear, this report isn’t a standard property report but rather a list of relevant items associated with your home title that might be at risk or might be prone to change under suspicious circumstances.
Public Record Monitoring
Home Title Lock monitors your property for any changes or alterations related to your property. Tracking any mortgage-related activity, such as new mortgage applications or liens placed on your property, can signal potential fraudulent actions. So, public record monitoring is essential to keep an eye on these home title records.
Social Media Monitoring
Social media monitoring is associated with identity theft rather than property theft, so Home Title Lock does not offer social media monitoring.
Address Monitoring
Home Title Lock does not offer mailing address monitoring. However, if you’ve kept the property under monitoring as part of your subscription plan, it will automatically be under monitoring overall.
Insurance and Restoration Plans
Home Title Lock does not offer insurance in case your property falls into the hands of fraudsters. Neither do they assist with the cost associated with correcting the information on your home title in case of title or deed fraud.
However, even though there is no insurance, they offer access to restoration experts. Subscribers have access to a home title restoration expert based in the United States. This expert can assist in recovering control of the home title in the event of suspicious alerts. On the off-chance that your property gets compromised, the company urges you to contact them as soon as you receive an alert. The quicker you respond, the quicker the restoration services can start.
However, Home Title Lock can only provide you guidance and advice since they have no legal standing regarding your home title. So, you’ll be the one to take action as the legal property owner. Similarly, Home Title Lock can not assist you if the changes in your property deed or title were made by a family member. Hence, there’s no guarantee of resolution by the company. Therefore, you will need to hire a legal professional and manage the additional costs that may come along with that.
Auto-renewal and Cancellation Options
When you subscribe to the service, the auto-renewal option will be turned on by default. So, your service will remain active for one year and will automatically renew once that year ends. The company gives you an alert before the year ends to remind you that your subscription will be automatically renewed.
If you want to keep using the service, you can keep the renewal option on. However, if you want to cancel the subscription for the next year, you can follow the cancellation policy provided by the company. If they haven’t provided you with details about the cancellation policy, you can contact the customer care service for more information.
Setup and Installation
Home Title Lock does not have a mobile app; however, you can access everything through the easy-to-use dashboard. Home Title Lock offers a straightforward sign-up process that allows users to get started quickly. During the sign-up process, you may need to provide a lot of personal information, including your email address, phone number, and the address of the property you want to monitor.
You can select your preferred subscription plan during this process and select a payment method you want to follow. However, before you complete the sign-up, we strongly urge you to read the terms and conditions and make sure you understand them well to avoid any misconceptions later on.
After confirming the payment and setting an email address for alerts, you can create your account. At this point, we urge you to select a strong, unique password to ensure you have a secure account. You can use services like Aura for password protection or McAfee to install an antivirus. After creating the account, you can log in to the dashboard. This dashboard is easy to navigate.
Customer Service and Support
Home Title Lock’s customer service and support are very easy and standard. The company makes it easy for customers to locate contact information, ensuring accessibility to their support team. You can contact them via telephone, which is the most straightforward method. Their phone number is displayed on nearly every page of their website. Subscribers can also find the company’s customer care support helpline by clicking on the “Help” section on the dashboard. You can also send an email or fill out an online support request form if you can’t make a call. However, one important point to note is that the customer service hours are specific, which are from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. EST – Monday to Friday.
Nevertheless, you can also visit their website to answer your general queries. The website has a FAQ, video, and informative article section. A lot of general information is available there.
Pros
- Extensive monitoring of property changes
- Offers restoration services
- Money-back guarantee within 14 days of subscription
- Discount on an annual subscription plan
- Easy to keep an eye on without many complexities
- Customers claim it has good customer care service
- Easy sign-up process
Cons
- Pricier than other services
- Covers only one property per subscription
- No identity theft insurance
- No lost funds repayment plan
What is LifeLock?
The service LifeLock was founded by Todd Davis and Robert J. Maynard in 2005. This service was established to address the growing and evolving problem of identity theft. The founders aimed to provide individuals with tools and services that will protect their personal and financial assets. This innovative approach to identity theft protection involved the basic idea of credit monitoring and using various tools to point out suspicious activities and alert subscribers to potential threats.
Over the years, LifeLock has gained worldwide recognition for its identity theft protection services. In 2017, Symantec Corporation – the company behind Norton Antivirus – acquired LifeLock, and the services of LifeLock were integrated with Norton’s cybersecurity services, similar to Identity Guard, which you can find here. The acquisition allowed LifeLock to enhance its capabilities and provide a more refined set of security services to its customers.
Today, LifeLock by Norton is one of the most trusted and dependable services in the field of cybersecurity, not unlike Blink by Chubb. It offers a range of services specifically designed to help individuals and businesses safeguard their personal information in this digital world.
Introduction To LifeLock and Its Range of Services
LifeLock is a leading name in the field of safeguarding personal information and financial assets. LifeLock offers a comprehensive range of services aimed at helping individuals and business protect their identity. LifeLock offers many services like identity theft alerts and recovery, credit monitoring, dark web scanning, stolen documents protection, and more. They also offer multiple subscription plans and packages tailored according to your needs.
Understanding Identity Theft and Its Implications
Before we can get into the nitty-gritty of the services offered by LifeLock, you must understand that LifeLock primarily provides identity theft protection services. So, you must first know what identity theft exactly is and what implications it might have.
Identity theft is a serious and widespread crime with far-reaching consequences. It occurs when someone wrongfully acquires and uses another person or business’s personal information. Personal information can include names, social security numbers, credit card details, or any other information that can be used as identifying data to commit fraudulent activities. Identity theft is actually more common than you think. Want to know how common identity theft is?
Identity theft has a lot of adverse implications, including emotional and financial ruin. For instance, if your personal information falls into the hands of people or organizations with malicious intentions, they can make unauthorized purchases, open new credit accounts, or even drain your bank accounts. This can lead to significant financial losses, damage to your credit score, and long-lasting consequences for your financial stability.
Victims of identity theft may find themselves dealing with legal problems if the thief commits crimes in their names. Clearing your name in such situations can be challenging and costly. Moreover, a damaged credit score can lead to difficulties in obtaining loans, new credit cards, and even renting a home in the future. In addition to this, having yourself fallen victim to identity theft, banks, credit agencies, and even government bodies can lose trust in you – which can affect your entire life. If you want to know more, here are five ways criminals use your stolen identity.
LifeLock’s Approach to Keeping Personal Data Secure
To mitigate the risks associated with identity theft, individuals and businesses can take preventative measures such as using strong, unique passwords via Aura, being cautious with their personal information, and monitoring credit reports often. But most of these attempts may prove to be weak or hard to keep track of all the things you would have to do to keep safe. So, instead, you can consider employing an identity theft service like LifeLock.
LifeLock’s multi-faceted approach to securing personal data is designed to provide you with comprehensive protection and peace of mind. Their security approach involves proactive monitoring, timely alerts, and comprehensive recovery assistance. They aim to not only detect and prevent identity theft but also support individuals throughout the recovery process in case something goes wrong. Read more about how to avoid identity fraud here.
Features
LifeLock offers multiple features related to identity theft protection. Let’s explore them one by one. However, if you want to check out more services related to identity protection services, click here.
Pricing Plans
LifeLock offers several pricing plans, each with varying levels of protection. First, there are three plans – individual and two family plans. For the individual plan, there are three packages: Standard, Advantage, and Ultimate Plus.
The LifeLock standard provides basic identity theft protection and monitoring. This package includes features like dark web monitoring, stolen wallet and document protection, and up to $25,000 in stolen funds reimbursement. Moreover, it offers $1 million for lawyers and experts and identity and social security number alerts. So, altogether, there is a $1,050,000 coverage total in this subscription plan. The plan comes in at $7.50/month for the first year.
The LifeLock Advantage plan offers more extensive coverage compared to the Standard plan. It includes additional features such as bank and credit card activity alerts, enhanced credit monitoring, and up to $100,000 in stolen funds reimbursement. This plan offers up to $1,200,000 in coverage.
The most comprehensive plan is the Ultimate Plus plan. This includes all the features of the Advantage Plan with more extensive credit monitoring, alerts for crimes committed in your name, and up to one million USD in stolen funds reimbursement. This plan also provides Home Title Protect, as we discussed earlier. Per subscription, it gives up to $3,000,000 in coverage.
Dark Web Monitoring
LifeLock’s dark web monitoring service is designed to protect your personal information from being exploited on the dark web. LifeLock continuously scans the dark web for any instances of your personal information, such as your social security number, credit card details, or any other financial account numbers associated with your being bought, sold, or traded on the dark web.
If LifeLock detects any of your personal information on the dark web, they will immediately send you an alert. This alert will allow you to take immediate action, such as blocking your credit cards or freezing your accounts, before any damage can be done.
Home Title Monitoring
First, it is important to understand that LifeLock offers home title monitoring in two forms – a standalone purchase and a part of the LifeLock Ultimate Plus plan. As a standalone service, it provides alerts for any activity related to your home title in government offices. Whereas, as a part of the LifeLock Ultimate Plus plan, subscribers receive home title protection as a part of their service, making it an added benefit for the highest-tier customers. However, as a standalone product, the cost is different than the Ultimate Plus plan. It’s also important to note that LifeLock’s Home Title protection offers to monitor all properties in which you have an ownership interest.
Choosing between home title security services hinges on the specific security needs of the homeowner. As real estate fraud continues to rise, specialized protection services provide an essential layer of security for homeowners concerned about the integrity of their property titles. They offer peace of mind in an era where digital and property-related crimes are increasingly common.
– Kurt Sanger Cybersecurity Expert
Alerts
LifeLock’s plans offer a range of alerts and notifications as part of its identity theft protection services to help you stay informed and take immediate action in response to any potential threats. As we mentioned before, LifeLock monitors the dark web for signs of identity theft. In addition to this, they also search other data sources for signs of your digital footprint. In case of any suspicious activity anywhere, you receive an alert. These alerts and notifications are designed to provide real-time information about potential threats to your identity and financial security. All these alerts prompt you to take action immediately.
Credit Report Access
LifeLock offers credit report and monitoring services as part of its identity theft protection packages. The offer includes providing you with regular access to your credit reports from all major credit bureaus – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. The service also monitors your credit scores and provides alerts when there are any significant changes to your scores.
LifeLock also sends you alerts when new credit inquiries or applications for your credit are detected. This helps you stay informed about any unauthorized credit activities. Similarly, if new credit accounts are opened in your name or using your personal information, the service will inform you.
Public Record Monitoring
Public record monitoring is a crucial component of LifeLock’s identity theft protection services. It helps safeguard your personal information and financial well-being by monitoring public records for any signs of suspicious activity that could indicate identity theft or fraud. LifeLock scans a variety of public records, including property and court records, to detect any unusual activities.
Changes to public records can have financial and legal implications. Monitoring these records helps protect you from potential financial losses and legal troubles resulting from identity theft.
Social Media Monitoring
Social media monitoring is another one of LifeLock’s identity protection services. This feature is designed to help safeguard your online presence and personal information on all social media platforms. The service would continuously scan all social media platforms for any signs of identity theft.
Individuals often share their personal information, like phone numbers and addresses, on platforms like LinkedIn or other similar platforms. People with evil intentions can retrieve this information for fraudulent purposes. So, scanning social media for impersonation or traded information can prove invaluable to you.
Address Monitoring
LifeLock offers address monitoring as part of its service. They check public records and databases to notice any changes to your address. For instance, if an identity thief tries to change your address to divert your mail or gain access to your accounts, address monitoring can alert you to this activity.
In addition to this, identity theft often redirects mail to a fraudulent address to intercept sensitive documents such as financial statements and official documents. They may also change your other personal information like contact details or billing addresses. So, address monitoring adds an additional layer of security and may even save you from loss via early detection alerts.
Insurance and Restoration Plans
LifeLock offers various insurance coverage plans to provide you financial protection in the unfortunate case you become a victim of identity theft. This coverage is designed to help cover the costs and losses associated with identity theft and the funds that might be needed for recovery. However, the insurance you get depends on the plan you subscribe to. Higher-tier plans offer more substantial reimbursement. Insurance ranges from $1 million to $3 million for different plans we discussed above. In addition to the individual plans we mentioned above, LifeLock has tailored plans for families as well – including the number of kids in a family.
Depending on the plan you choose, your reimbursement will cover any funds you lose from your bank accounts, credit cards, or other resources. In addition to stolen funds reimbursement, insurance plans may provide funds for other purposes as well, like personal expenses that might come your way in case of identity theft. These personal expenses can be legal fees, documentation, etc.
Apart from financial reimbursement, the service also provides you with identity restoration services that may come with experts on identity theft and restoration. These experts can help you resolve most of the issues that might have befallen you and help you minimize the impact of your misfortune.
Auto-renewal and Cancelation Options
LifeLock offers both auto-renewal and cancelation options. The renewal option comes automatically when you subscribe to a plan. This means your subscription would automatically renew after the first year for every year until you cancel the plan. This offers you uninterrupted protection. LifeLock sends you a notification before your renewal date to remind you of the upcoming renewal. This is the time to make any changes or cancel if you want to. Moreover, if you’ve changed your bank account where the charges incur from, you must notify the service. In case you don’t, they give you a few days to update your bank details.
As for the cancellation policy, you can cancel at any time you like. To cancel your subscription, you contact customer support or log in to your online account and initiate the cancellation process. You can visit LifeLock’s official website for details of the cancellation process.
If you are not satisfied with the services provided by LifeLock or change your mind early on, you can request a refund as well. If you’re subscribed to the annual plan, you can get a 60-day money-back guarantee. For the monthly plan, you are eligible for a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Remember that all policies are subject to change over time, so first, we urge you to read the terms and conditions carefully. Second, contact customer support in case of any ambiguities.
Setup and Installation
Setting up and installing LifeLock is a straightforward process. Generally, you need to follow a few common steps, as followed by Identity Guard. First, visit the official website, browse their subscription plans, and decide on one that suits you best. Each plan offers varying levels of protection and features at different prices. So, choose one that aligns best with your interests.
Once you’ve decided upon a plan, click on the selected plan to begin the sign-up process. You will need to provide a lot of information for the service to work in the best way. This information may include your name, address, and payment details. During the sign-up process, you will be prompted to create an account. This account will serve as your central portal for managing your subscription and accessing LifeLock’s services.
After you’ve signed up and created an account, you must complete the payment process. You may need to verify your identity once again during this step.
LifeLock also has a user-friendly app available for both Android and iOS. You must download and install these apps on your phone to receive alerts and push notifications. You can respond to the alerts straight away via the app. Furthermore, you can also contact customer support services with one tap and check your credit score.
Once everything is set up, we urge you to keep a close eye on your account and check your app often to see if you might have received an alert.
Customer Service and Support
LifeLock provides excellent customer support service. The customer care personnel make it their aim to assist subscribers in the best possible way. These channels include phone support, email support, and online chat services – you can choose the method most convenient to you. Moreover, the customer support service is available around the clock. This ensures that you can get assistance no matter the hour, even if it’s outside regular office hours.
Even if you don’t contact a customer care officer directly, you can check LifeLock’s website for blogs and FAQs to clear up some of your ambiguities.
Pros
- Two-factor authentication
- Easy-to-use dashboard and mobile app
- One-million ID theft insurance policy
- 24/7 customer service
- Money-back guarantee on both annual and monthly payment plans
- Home title monitoring is included in the Ultimate Plus tier subscription plan
- Discount for annual subscribers
- Discount for newcomers
- Multiple subscription plans are available
- Stolen funds reimbursement plan included
Cons
- Large increase in the price gap between the first and second year of subscription
HomeTitle Lock vs LifeLock: The Verdict
Objectively, both platforms offer somewhat different services. Nevertheless, LifeLock offers comprehensive identity theft protection services, making it the preferred choice instead of Home Title Lock, which only focuses on home title monitoring.
When we look at pricing, LifeLock offers more cost-effective packages while offering home title monitoring in addition to other identity theft monitoring services. As we said before, there’s a huge chance that a person who is at risk for home title fraud might be at risk for identity theft as well. So, why not get LifeLock, which offers protection from both at a lower price than what Home Title Lock charges for only home title protection?
Where brand recognition is concerned, LifeLock and Norton have greater brand recognition and loyal customer following. This instills confidence in their services. Additionally, customers haven’t positively reacted to Home Title Lock’s marketing tactics either.
With all the above-mentioned factors considered, LifeLock stands out as the obviously better choice when it comes to fraud protection, whether it’s identity-related or home title-related.
Want to know the verdict about who’s better between Identity Guard vs. Identity Force?
Conclusion & Where to Buy
In conclusion, the choice between Home Title Lock and LifeLock by Norton is not one to be taken lightly. Both services offer robust protection against a lot of threats that loom in our digitally connected world.
Home Title Lock specializes in safeguarding your property assets, ensuring that your investments remain protected from title fraud and other similar crimes. On the other hand, LifeLock by Norton provides identity theft protection by protecting your personal information against threats that seek to compromise your digital footprint. The decision ultimately comes down to your needs and preferences – do you require property security or protection against identity theft?
As you embark on your journey to fortify your digital defenses, we encourage you to explore the specific features, pricing, and customer reviews for both Home Title Lock and LifeLock. This way, you’ll know which service aligns most closely with your needs. If you want to look at more services, we suggest you explore Batten’s digital marketplace here.
Your peace of mind in the digital age awaits – make an informed decision and choose the protection that’s right for you. Don’t wait; act now to safeguard your future.
Home Title Lock vs LifeLock: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Difference Between Home Title Lock and LifeLock?
The difference between Home Title Lock and LifeLock is that Home Title Lock focuses on protecting your property’s title from crimes such as title theft. In contrast, LifeLock offers comprehensive identity theft protection similar to other services here.
How Does Home Title Monitoring Work?
Home Title monitoring involves tracking public property records for any unauthorized changes. In case of any suspicious activity, it alerts homeowners and helps them take the necessary steps.
Can Home Title Lock Help Me After Someone Stole My Identity?
Home Title Lock primarily focuses on protecting your property title from fraud or unauthorized transfers. It doesn’t protect you from identity theft directly, but it can alert you to property-related crime.
Are There Any Additional Costs Associated With Recovery Services?
Recovery services are often associated with additional costs. These costs can include legal and notary fees, among other expenses related to helping you recover your losses. To have transparent information about the costs, we urge you to read the terms and conditions thoroughly.