Identity Theft Protection

Updated 02-01-2012

Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the U.S., with over nine million victims each year. Just being careful isn't enough to protect your identity. If you are serious about preventing identity theft, sign up for one of our recommended identity theft protection services. They all provide daily monitoring of the information that is most often compromised by identity thieves. Our top-rated services combine multiple types of monitoring, such as credit reports, public records, credit cards, and Social Security. Some also include software to protect your computer and even throw in access to your credit scores. Click here for a full comparison of all the identity theft protection services.

Identity Theft Protection Reviews & Ratings


Services: Our Ratings: Bottom Line:
Identity Guard Total Protection Rating:stars
Most complete ID theft protection service; full credit report monitoring; free Internet security suite; 25% discount & free 30-day trial
TrustedID Rating:stars
Best value, especially for families; full credit report monitoring; exclusive 14-day free trial & 10% discount
LifeLock Rating:stars
Strong overall value and identity theft protection; 10% discount & free 30-day trial; no credit scores or credit report monitoring
ID Protect Premium from American Express Rating:stars
Robust ID theft protection solution with Internet security software; doesn't include credit scores
PrivacyGuard Rating:stars
Great credit protection & data with our top-rated Internet security software
ProtectMyID.com Rating:stars
Best value for ID theft protection w/ credit report monitoring; exclusive 35% discount
Equifax Complete Premier Rating:stars
Useful combination of credit and identity theft protection features, a bit pricey.
Debix Rating:stars
Cost-effective approach to credit report monitoring combined with real-time assistance, but no other identity theft protection monitoring
Identity Theft Shield Rating:stars
Does not prevent identity theft but assists in recovery
Identity Guard Good Start Rating:stars
Cheapest ID theft detection available

NextAdvisor Identity Theft Protection Blog Headlines

Does Identity Guard have a toll-free phone number to call for more information?
Q:  Does Identity Guard have a toll-free phone number to call for more information? A:  Yes, Identity Guard does have a toll-free phone number you can call for more information about their product: 1-855-727-5801. Identity Guard customer service representatives are available via that phone number from 8am to 8pm EST Monday through Friday. This is [...]

Zappos hack exposes passwords for 24 million customers
Last Sunday night Zappos.com, the online retailer of shoes and clothing owned by Amazon.com, had its server hacked. The hackers gained access to the personal information of its 24 million customers, including name, email address, billing and shipping address, phone number, the last four digits of their credit card number, and a "cryptographically scrambled" version [...]

Will enrolling with TrustedID prevent my husband from accessing the bank acco...
Q:  I have just enrolled in TrustedID identity theft protection. My husband is a joint account holder on the bank and credit union accounts. He's worried he'll get blocked from using his cards on the accounts – will he? A:  TrustedID's identity theft protection service will not prevent your husband from using his bank or [...]

Does Lifelock protect my bank account?
Q:  Does Lifelock protect my bank account? A:  Lifelock does help protect your bank account from fraudulent use (and a whole lot more – see our Lifelock review for details). The basic Lifelock service will monitor the Internet black market for fraudulent usage of your bank account number and alert you if it occurs.You'll be [...]

Will TrustedID identity theft protection prevent the unauthorized use of my d...
Q:  Will TrustedID identity theft protection prevent the unauthorized use of my debit cards and secure my bank accounts? A:  Yes, TrustedID IDEssentials will help protect both your debit/credit cards and your bank accounts from fraudulent use.  When you sign up for TrustedID, you will need to enter any debit/credit and bank account numbers you [...]

NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS: Monitor My Finances Better
Want to get better control over your finances in 2012? A good way to do that is to start monitoring your credit. Why? Business, banks, lenders and even rental agencies can rely heavily on your credit scores and credit background when deciding whether to do business with you. Having good credit can make you eligible [...]

Identity Guard announces kID Sure protection for your children
Identity Guard has launched an identity theft protection service just for children?kID Sure. kID Sure utilizes advanced scanning technology to search for the fraudulent use of your child's personal information, including  Social Security numbers, bank account numbers and public record data. It searches the Internet black market, pre-credit sources (such as utility and telecommunications) and thousands [...]

What does LifeLock Ultimate give you that LifeLock doesn't? Does it give you ...
Q: What does LifeLock Ultimate give you that LifeLock doesn't? Does it give you your  credit score? A: LifeLock Ultimate includes all of LifeLock's identity theft protection features, but adds a number of enhancements. LifeLock Ultimate's upgrades include 3-bureau credit monitoring, expanded monitoring for identity theft,  public and court record surveillance, scanning for fraudulent new bank [...]

Does Identity Guard monitor my bank accounts too?
Q: Does Identity Guard monitor my bank accounts too? A:  Yes, Identity Guard TOTAL PROTECTION® monitors the Internet black market for any bank account numbers you register.  It also scans for the fraudulent use of your credit cards, Social Security number, address and other personal information.  Although Identity Guard automatically starts monitoring the SSN, address [...]

My credit is frozen. Do I have to unfreeze my credit to get a credit report?
Q:  My credit is frozen. Do I have to unfreeze my credit to get a credit report? A:  No, you do not have to unfreeze your credit to obtain your credit report. Credit freezes prohibit third parties?like potential lenders?from being able to access your report, and are typically set to help prevent identity thieves from [...]

You Could Win Cash for the Holidays with the NextAdvisor $500 Giveaway!
Need some extra money for the holiday season? Well, you're in luck. NextAdvisor is giving away cash prizes every week of December! Just go to our Facebook page and click on the NextAdvisor $500 Giveaway, fill out the entry form, and you'll be entered to win. It's our way of saying thank you to our [...]

Can a Credit Freeze be Activated at all 3 Credit Agencies with Identity Guard...
Q:  Can a credit freeze be activated at all 3 credit agencies with Identity Guard TOTAL PROTECTION? A:  Identity Guard® TOTAL PROTECTION will walk you through the steps to set a fraud alert at each of the 3 credit bureaus.  Identity Guard will not help you set up credit freezes. You can always do this on [...]

Do I Have To Sign Up For Identity Theft Protect and Credit Monitoring Separat...
Q:  I am interested in signing up for identity theft protection and also credit monitoring.  Do I need to sign up for each individually? A:  No, you don't.  Our top-rated Identity Guard TOTAL PROTECTION® provides both comprehensive identity theft protection and thorough 3-bureau credit monitoring.  Upon signup for their free 30-day trial, you'll also receive [...]

How can I get identity theft protection for my daughter?
Q:  How can I get identity theft protection for my daughter? A:  Good question!  A couple of our top-rated identity theft protection services offer protection for your children too.  Most people don't realize it, but children are easy prey for identity thieves because their lack of credit history means they usually don't have any credit [...]

Protect Your Children's Identity with Identity Guard's New kID Sure Service
Did you know that children can also be victims of identity theft? In fact, they are more attractive targets for identity theft because their credit is usually clean and their identity isn?t as closely monitored as adults? identity. Thieves can create a whole new identity with just a child?s social security number, and can cause [...]

Identity
Theft
Protection
Overview

What Is Identity Theft Anyway?

Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal information, such as your Social Security number, name or credit card number, without your permission, to commit fraud or other crimes. A thief could take out a mortgage in your name or commit a crime and pretend to be you when caught. Thieves can even use your personal information to apply for a job or use your medical insurance!

Learn more about identity theft.

How To Protect Yourself

It's actually easy to help protect yourself against identity theft. Identity theft protection services do the work for you by monitoring your personal information to detect and/or prevent identity theft. We recommend identity theft protection services that monitor several different types of information for fraudulent activity, including your credit reports, public records, and black market websites where stolen information is bought and sold. Identity thieves can strike in numerous ways, so the more protection you have, the better.

View our full comparison for more details.


Free Trials

Not sure if identity theft protection is for you? Try one of our risk-free trials. We've negotiated exclusive free trials with our most highly recommended services, so you can take one for a spin, kick the tires, and see if you like it. If you decide you don't want the service, simply cancel during the trial period and you will be charged nothing.

View our full comparison for more details.


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Disclosure: NextAdvisor.com is a consumer information site that offers free, independent reviews and ratings of online services. We receive advertising revenue from most of the services we review. Our editors thoroughly research and whenever possible test each service we review and offer their honest opinions about each one. We are independently owned and operated and all opinions expressed on this site are our own.