ADT Identity Theft Protection Review

ADT’s identity theft protection service plunges the home security giant into the world of digital security. ADT isn’t the only brand to offer this combination—Frontpoint includes ID theft protection in all of its home security packages, for example.

We took a closer look at what ADT provides compared to dedicated identity theft protection brands. It’s an affordable choice for individuals but isn’t the most comprehensive option out there.

Identity theft protection from ADT costs $9.99 a month. That’s it—there are no tiered plans to choose from and no family packages.

This price is on par with most competitors’ basic plans, give or take a couple bucks. We were surprised by the depth of ADT’s identity theft and credit monitoring compared to the competition, but it’s more appropriate for individuals rather than families or people with a lot of financial assets.

ADT’s ID theft protection is affordable but lacks the comprehensive services of our top pick, IdentityForce. Although IdentityForce costs more, you get a password manager and VPN along with hands-on recovery services.

Plus, IdentityForce and other competitors cast a wider net when monitoring for fraudulent activity. ADT hits all the basics, though, and is a great starter option for individuals. 

ADT partners with Sontiq Cyberscout (a TransUnion company) to provide identity theft protection. This is the same company behind IdentityForce—our top-rated ID protection service.

ADT keeps an eye on the following data and shares its findings via an online dashboard. Alerts are also sent via email or text.

• Annual credit report
• Bank account and credit card monitoring
• Change of address monitoring
• Criminal record monitoring
• Dark web monitoring
• SSN
• Email address and phone number
• Driver’s license
• Medical insurance ID
• Passport

This is on par with most other ID theft protection services but at a more affordable rate.

ADT’s identity theft protection isn’t the most comprehensive on the market. Here’s what you can get from competitors but not from ADT. And because ADT only sells one ID theft plan, it doesn’t matter if you’re willing to pay more for extra perks—ADT doesn’t offer these services, period:

• 3-bureau or quarterly credit reports
• Data breach updates
• Wallet protection
• Sex offender monitoring
• Social media monitoring
• Investment monitoring
• Home title monitoring
• Hands-on recovery assistance

There are other ways to monitor some of the above, but that negates the done-for-you purpose of ID theft monitoring. Still, if you sign up for ADT ID theft protection, here are tips for filling in some of the gaps:

• Learn how to access your free credit reports. The three credit reporting bureaus have to provide a free report every 12 months, so be strategic and cycle through each bureau every 4 months.¹
• Search the National Sex Offender Public Website to find out where registered sex offenders live in your area. The site also shows their names, photos, and addresses (in most states).

ADT ID theft protection is a month-to-month service. Since you’re not locked into a long-term contract, you can cancel at any time without penalty.

While there are no guarantees or warranties associated with ADT’s ID theft protection, you do get up to $1 million in ID theft expense reimbursement to cover costs associated with fraud resolution.

One of the perks of signing up for an identity theft protection service is getting help if your identity is stolen. You need to file fraud reports, close accounts, change PINs and passwords, and clear up any damage done to your good name in terms of credit history, criminal records, or debt charges.

It’s a lot to tackle by yourself. ADT offers a 24/7 fraud resolution hotline for guidance so you know where to file the reports and how to move forward. But you still have to do the legwork yourself or hire a lawyer to act on your behalf.

Other companies like IdentityForce include “white-glove restoration” services, meaning they’ll make phone calls and file paperwork for you at no extra cost.

The cost of hiring someone or taking time off work to resolve fraud issues should be covered under ADT’s $1 million expense reimbursement plan.

ADT ID theft protection is a good choice for individuals without investments, home titles, or a significant social media presence. If the stakes are any higher than that with a family or other high-value assets to protect, we recommend a more comprehensive service with hands-on fraud resolution help. Check out our recommended identity theft protection companies to learn more.

To review ADT’s identity theft protection plan, we focused on comparing their monitoring services to competitors and evaluating the price of each. We looked for standard services like dark web monitoring, credit report monitoring, and bank account monitoring, plus fraud resolution expense reimbursements. Learn more about how we review products and services on the SafeWise methodology page.

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1. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, “How Do I Get a Copy of My Credit Reports?” January 2022. Accessed August 30, 2022.