Zander Identity Theft Protection: Is It Worth It?

Can Zander Identity Theft Protection Keep You Safe?

With nearly 4.3 million Americans becoming victims of identity theft and fraud in 2023 alone, identity theft protection has become essential to our safety, security, and privacy [*]. 

For something as important as identity protection, you want a company you can trust — and few organizations have served customers for as long as Zander Insurance. 

Yet, despite nearly 100 years of experience in the insurance industry, Zander's Identity Theft Protection may not offer the level of security you need [*].

In this guide, we’ll look at the pros and cons of using Zander Identity Theft Protection and how it measures up to modern competitors, including Aura. When we're done, you'll have a better idea of which service is right for you. 

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Zander Identity Theft Protection Review: Best Features and How Much It Costs

Zander Insurance was founded in 1925, growing from a modest family business to one of the largest independent insurance providers in the country. In addition to its suite of insurance products, Zander now also offers identity theft protection services. 

For more than 20 years, Zander Insurance has leaned heavily on an endorsement from Dave Ramsey, a well-known personal finance expert [*]. Ramsey even helped develop Zander's ID theft protection and restoration services. 

Here are some of the major features included in a Zander Identity Theft Protection plan.  

• Dark Web monitoring and data breach updates. Zander offers personal information monitoring — covering your Social Security number (SSN), name, phone number, address, etc., across thousands of Dark Web sites and forums — to warn you if your data has been leaked. 
• Up to $2 million in identity theft insurance (on family plans). Zander offers reimbursements for losses that result from identity theft as well as home title and employment fraud. Coverage includes stolen funds, legal fees, and lost wages for up to $1 million on individual plans and up to $2 million on family plans. 
• 24/7 support and identity recovery services. Zander offers 24/7/365 support from U.S.-based specialists to help restore your identity back to where it was before the incident. 
• Lost wallet protection. If your wallet goes missing, Zander will help you cancel and reorder your cards.
• VPN and antivirus (Elite Cyber Bundle only). With the top Individual Plan, you can secure up to 10 devices with a virtual private network (VPN) and antivirus software provided by UltraVPN and UltraAV. On the Family Plan, you can secure up to 20 devices. 
• Account takeover monitoring and new account monitoring (Elite Cyber Bundle only). If someone tries to make changes to one of your financial accounts or applies to open a new account in your name, Zander will alert you in near real-time. 

Zander only offers two different plans: the Essential plan and the Elite Cyber Bundle. 

Each plan offers coverage for individuals or families (two adults and up to 10 dependent children in the same household). Insurance and digital security device coverage also doubles under family plans. 

You'll notice that neither plan features credit monitoring or financial transaction alerts. Zander Insurance purposefully chooses not to include these services, stating that credit files are involved in less than half of all ID thefts. Zander also argues that "you can do it yourself” by regularly reviewing your credit reports [*]. 

Here's a pricing and feature breakdown for Zander’s identity theft services as of January 2024:

Who Can Benefit the Most From Zander Identity Theft Protection?

With so many identity theft protection services available, it can be difficult to know which one is best for you. You need to figure out which features matter most to you and your family and what level of protection best serves your needs. 

Here are a few scenarios in which Zander's identity protection services would be a good fit: 

• You want basic — and affordable — identity theft protection. Zander’s Essential plan is one of the cheapest options available, but it lacks comprehensive monitoring and protection. If you're mostly interested in support and insurance in case you become a victim of identity theft, Zander could be a good option for you.
• You’re willing to monitor your own credit reports, scores, and financial accounts. Zander offers no credit monitoring, so you need to review your own credit scores and reports from each of the major credit bureaus. You’ll also need to monitor your own credit card and debit accounts. 
• You don’t mind using multiple apps for digital security. Zander's identity theft protection services operate out of one app — while the digital security services operate out of separate ones.  
• You don't want online protection. While Zander monitors the Dark Web for your information, it doesn't protect your online accounts. This means that you won’t get social media monitoring, Safe Browsing tools, or a password manager. 

The bottom line: Because Zander Identity Theft Protection attempts to balance costs and features, you might not be fully covered against fraud, hacking, and identity theft. Next, we’ll dig into Zander’s main features, how they protect you, and where (if at all) they fall short.

Zander Identity Theft Protection Features and Pros & Cons

Zander claims that "no company can prevent all identity theft" [*], but many of its competitors come close. The best identity theft protection apps, including Aura, LifeLock, and IdentityForce, offer comparable insurance and support to Zander — along with superior digital security and monitoring. 

Below, we examine Zander's main selling points to see where it excels and where it misses the mark:

Dark Web monitoring and data breach notifications

Dark Web monitoring services scan the illicit marketplaces of the Dark Web for any signs of your information — and warn you if anything appears. By quickly identifying and notifying customers about leaks and data breaches, identity theft protection providers help victims shut down fraud before it escalates. 

How Zander monitors your identity:

• Dark Web monitoring. Zander tracks your sensitive information — including financial account numbers — across thousands of Dark Web sites and forums. 
• Data breach updates. Zander provides information on large data breaches that could affect you and your information. 
• Change-of-address monitoring. Zander tracks your name and address with the United States Postal Service (USPS) and alerts you if someone attempts to make changes in your name.
• Social Security number (SSN) tracking. Zander will alert you of any suspicious activity connected to your SSN. 

Are Zander's monitoring and breach updates worth it? While it's important to monitor the Dark Web, Zander doesn't check other places where your identity could be misused, such as on social media platforms or in public and criminal records. Furthermore, Zander only provides data breach updates — but not information specific to you and your accounts.

Identity theft insurance and 24/7 fraud resolution support

The leading identity theft protection companies have recovery specialists on call to help customers navigate the identity restoration process. These companies also provide identity theft insurance to cover eligible losses resulting from stolen funds, expenses, and lost wages.  

What type of insurance and support Zander provides:

• Up to $2 million to reimburse losses (on family plans). Zander covers up to $2 million in identity theft losses ($1 million for individuals) — including stolen funds, legal costs, lost base wages, and childcare costs. 
• 24/7 unlimited recovery services. Available anytime, day or night, Zander's U.S.-based ID theft recovery specialists can help you restore your identity after a fraud incident.

Is Zander's insurance and support worth it? While Zander's promotes round-the-clock service hours, various customer complaints mention difficult-to-reach specialists and lengthy hold times [*].

Digital security (Elite Cyber Bundle only)

Digital security packages proactively protect users from hackers and scammers by offering antivirus software and VPNs. Other useful tools include password managers, privacy assistants, and Safe Browsing tools. 

What type of digital security Zander offers:

• UltraVPN. Zander provides access to UltraVPN for up to 10 devices on the Individual Plan and 20 devices on the Family Plan. 
• UltraAV antivirus software. Zander uses UltraAV to protect its customers from malware. Users can scan, quarantine, and remove malicious files and programs from up to 10 devices on the Individual Plan and 20 devices on the Family Plan. UltraAV only works on Macs and PCs — no mobile devices. 

Is Zander's digital security worth it? Zander only offers a basic digital security package (for desktop computers) within its highest-priced bundle, which doesn't include privacy services, Safe Browsing, or anti-tracker and ad blocker tools.

Limited financial account monitoring (Elite Cyber Bundle only)

Many identity theft protection providers monitor your financial accounts to identify and alert you to suspicious activity as quickly as possible. Suspicious activity may include unauthorized account changes or financial transactions. 

What type of financial account monitoring Zander offers:

• Account takeover monitoring. If someone adds their name or makes changes to your bank account, Zander will send you a notification.
• New account monitoring. You’ll also get alerted if someone opens up a new bank account by using your name and information. 

Is Zander's financial account monitoring worth it? While its account change monitoring is important, Zander overlooks a critical aspect of financial account monitoring by not reviewing transactions.

Family identity theft protection (Family Plan Only)

The best identity theft protection services offer additional protections for children and families, such as parental controls that include content monitoring, screen-time management, and safe-gaming alerts.

What type of family identity theft protection Zander offers:

• Coverage for up to 10 children. Under the Family Plan, Zander extends its identity theft protection benefits to up to 10 dependent children.
• Coverage beyond 18 years of age. While Zander cuts children out of its family plans when they hit 18, it still offers recovery and restoration services to children up to 26 years of age as long as they're unmarried and full-time students. 

Is Zander's family identity theft protection worth it? While many services provide children-specific protections, Zander simply includes dependent children in its standard protection plans.  

📚 Related: Is Kroll Identity Monitoring Legit? What You Need To Know →

What Are the Downsides of Zander Identity Theft Protection?

While Zander Theft Protection has been around for more than 15 years, it still has some issues that need addressing.

Before you sign up for fraud protection with the Zander Insurance company, consider these downsides:

• No credit monitoring. The biggest downside of Zander Identity Theft Insurance is also — in the company’s opinion — one of its biggest selling points. The lack of credit monitoring may allow Zander to offer affordable identity theft protection; but it puts the responsibility on you to constantly check all of your credit reports for changes, mistakes, or signs of fraud.
• No bank account or transaction monitoring. Despite calling it "a total solution identity theft protection product," Zander does not protect against fraudulent bank transactions. While the top plan monitors information changes on your bank account, you need to spot suspicious activity on your own.
• Limited digital security tools. Zander partners with UltraVPN for its VPN and antivirus protection, but that's all the digital security it provides. Zander offers no password manager, no Safe Browsing tools, and no privacy assistant.
• Only offers identity monitoring on the Dark Web. While Zander scans the Dark Web for leaked information daily, it doesn't look for your information in other places. Zander provides updates about large data breaches, but it won't alert you if your online accounts have been breached or if someone commits a crime in your name.
• Reports of poor customer support. While the company boasts 24/7 customer support, Zander has received numerous complaints about the quality of its support. Customers cite difficulty reaching customer service representatives, lengthy hold times, and delayed refunds [*].
• Apps have functionality issues. Not only do you need multiple apps to manage Zander's identity theft protection and digital security — just operating the apps may prove difficult. Some common complaints include difficulty logging in, frequent crashes, and broken links [*].

Why You Should Consider Aura as a Zander Alternative

Zander has longevity and celebrity backing, but does it actually have what it takes to keep your identity safe?

Compared to other industry leaders, Zander's identity monitoring and digital security appear quite limited.

For example, despite being a relative newcomer to the industry, Aura's comprehensive identity protection has already been heralded as the best option available by Money.com, TechRadar, USNews.com.

Here's a brief comparison between Zander's and Aura's identity theft protection:

For about the same price, Aura provides more thorough identity monitoring and better security.

Here’s why you should choose Aura over Zander:

• The industry’s fastest fraud alerts. Aura monitors your credit and financial accounts, and alerts you to credit and identity fraud or suspicious activity faster than any other service. According to a 2022 mystery shopper survey, Aura’s credit fraud alerts were up to 250x faster than competitors³.
• AI-powered digital security features. Aura's AI-powered Smart Network identifies and blocks risky websites, spam calls and texts, and online threats in real-time to protect you as you work, play, surf, and shop online [*].
• Support that's available when you need it. Aura's team of U.S.-based White Glove Fraud Resolution Specialists can be reached by phone 24/7/365. 
• More comprehensive family protection with greater insurance coverage. Not only does Aura support up to five adult family members and unlimited children from multiple households — every adult plan member receives up to $1 million to cover identity theft losses (up to $5 million in total coverage for families). 
• Better price-per-feature value. For a similar monthly price, Aura offers far more digital security than Zander, plus three-bureau credit monitoring, parental controls, and spam protection.

How to cancel Zander Identity Theft Protection

Zander bills its Identity Theft Protection customers monthly or annually. Monthly subscriptions allow you to cancel your subscription without being charged for future months. 

When you cancel an annual subscription, you receive a prorated refund for the period remaining, minus any start-up costs and the first month's service fee [*].

Call customer support at 1-888-210-3274 to cancel Zander Identity Theft Protection.

The Bottom Line: Zander Misses the Mark for Digital Safety

Zander offers some of the most affordable identity theft protection services on the market, but you might just get what you pay for. 

Without comprehensive credit monitoring and advanced digital security, Zander's customers could be vulnerable to modern-day hackers, scammers, and identity thieves. For ongoing peace of mind, consider signing up for Aura. 

Aura’s award-winning identity theft protection will keep your entire family safe with 24/7 three-bureau credit and Dark Web monitoring, a powerful suite of advanced digital security tools, generous insurance coverage, and the fastest and most reliable alerts. 

Get award-winning protection against fraud & scams. Try Aura free for 14 days →