Choosing the best identity theft protection service depends on your specific needs and what you’re willing to pay. Our rating system weighs the security features offered against the cost. Below is a comparison of some of the top-rated services:
Best Identity Theft Protection Companies
- Norton 360 with LifeLock Select: Best Overall
- IdentityForce UltraSecure+Credit: Best for Complete Coverage
- IDShield 3 Bureau Individual Plan: Best Value
- Aura – All-In-One ID Theft Protection: Best for Families
- Identity Guard: Best Flexibility
- PrivacyGuard Identity Protection: Best Basic Coverage
Featured Identity Theft Protection Companies
Best Overall: Norton 360 with LifeLock Select
- Learn More: On Norton 360’s website
- Insider’s Rating: 3.12/5
- Fees: $17.99 monthly or $179.99 annually
- Pros:
- Cybersecurity features
- Identity theft recovery assistance
- Refund on service if Norton can’t remove virus from device
- Cons: Only monitors one credit bureau
Best Identity Theft Protection for Families: Aura – All-In-One ID Theft Protection
- Learn More: On Aura’s website
- Insider’s Rating: 4.6/5
- Fees: $15 monthly or $144 annually
- Pros:
- Solid range of protections including parental controls
- Includes antivirus, VPN, and password manager features
- Reasonable pricing for couples and families
- Cons: No social media monitoring
- Perks:
- 60-day money back guarantee (annual plans)
- 24/7 customer support
- $1,000,000 insurance policy for eligible losses and fees due to identity theft.
Aura ID Theft Protection offers comprehensive identity protection at competitive prices, making it a strong choice for both credit monitoring and identity theft protection.
Best Identity Theft Protection for Complete Coverage: IdentityForce UltraSecure+Credit
- Learn More: On IdentityForce’s website
- Insider’s Rating: 3/5
- Fees: $29.95 monthly or $299.50 annually
- Pros:
- Cybersecurity protects credit
- Credit monitoring
- Social media monitoring
- Credit scoring simulator
- Cons:
- Credit reports are given quarterly
- Relatively expensive
- No free trial
- Product Details:
- Various credit scores and lenders usage
- $1 Million Identity Theft Insurance
- Password Manager
- Credit Monitoring: 3 Bureau
- Credit Score Simulator
- Quarterly 3 Bureau Credit Scores and Credit Reports
- Credit Freeze & Credit Report Fraud Assistance
Best Overall Identity Theft Protection: LifeLock
- Cost: $17.99 monthly or $179.99 annually
LifeLock, operated by Norton, is a leading brand. It gains significant value when combined with Norton 360, offering a robust cybersecurity plan.
- Key Features: Standard, Advantage, and Ultimate Plus plans are available, with the Standard plan offering the best value. Upgrading to advanced plans may be necessary for more comprehensive protection.
Best Identity Theft Protection for Complete Coverage: IdentityForce UltraSecure+Credit
- Cost: $29.95 monthly or $299.50 annually
IdentityForce Ultra Secure+Credit, a TransUnion product, monitors Experian and Equifax. It includes social media, mobile device scanning, and dark web data analysis.
- Key Features: Offers an online vault and VPN. An entry-level plan is available, which suits the needs of those who already have credit monitoring. Discounts may be found online by searching, for example, “IdentityForce discount.”
Best Identity Theft Protection for Value: ID Shield
- Cost: Starting at $14.95/month
IDShield offers a comparable level of protection to Ultra Secure+Credit, but it comes at a lower monthly price. Included are three-bureau credit monitoring, alerts, and various cybersecurity and device protection tools.
- Key Features: While it lacks features like junk mail removal, this service is considered a well-rounded plan, and a 30-day free trial is available.
Best Identity Theft Protection for Families: Aura
- Cost: $15 monthly or $144 annually
Aura All-In-One ID Theft Protection has fewer monitoring services than Ultra Secure+Credit and IDShield, not including social media, for example.
- Key Features: Offers three-bureau credit monitoring, essential security tools, and email aliases to reduce spam and exposure to data breaches. Family plans provide reduced cost per person and parental controls for mobile devices.
Best Identity Theft Protection for Flexibility: IdentityGuard
- Cost: $8.99 to $29.99 monthly for individuals, $14.99 to $39.99 monthly for families
Owned by Aura, Identity Guard offers three core plans: Value, Total, and Ultra, featuring a family version for each.
- Key Features: Designed for flexibility. Some plans offer White Glove fraud resolution service.
Best Identity Theft Protection for Basic Coverage: PrivacyGuard
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Cost: $9.99 per month
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Key Features: The service provides dark web scanning, public records monitoring, and tools to secure your browser and keyboard. Includes bank account and credit card monitoring. The credit monitoring feature is separate unless you buy the most expensive bundle.
What Is Identity Theft Protection?
Identity theft protection safeguards personal information, like your name, birthdate, Social Security number, and financial details, preventing fraud and financial loss.
If you have experienced identity theft before, you’re more likely to be targeted again. You’ll need features like dark web monitoring, public records monitoring, and identity theft recovery.
For those concerned about children, identity protection with child-specific features such as hate speech monitoring (Aura) or Childwatch (IdentityForce), is beneficial.
Types of Identity Theft Protection
Protecting personal information is similar to protecting your home from fire. You need a system of measures.
Standard features offered by identity theft protection companies generally fit into one of the following three categories:
- Monitoring and Alerts: Early detection through monitoring of credit reports, Social Security numbers, and court records
- Security Tools: Features like antivirus and malware protection, VPNs, and password management
- Recovery: Assistance with credit freezes and account recovery, although direct fraud losses may not be reimbursed
Identity Theft Protection and Credit Monitoring
Prioritize services that offer reporting from all three major credit bureaus.
Also, look for services audited by independent security experts and that delete your information when you cancel.
How to Report Identity Theft
If you suspect identity theft, first freeze your credit to prevent new credit applications in your name. Then, follow these steps:
- File an identity theft report: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) provides a recovery plan. You can also file a report over the phone at 877-438-4338.
- Report the fraud to involved companies: Notify banks, credit card issuers, and other involved companies promptly.
- Notify the credit bureaus: Contact at least one credit bureau. They’ll provide an initial 90-day fraud alert and, with an identity theft report, extend it to seven years.
- Contact law enforcement: File a police report, especially if you know the identity thief.
How to Get Identity Theft Protection
Cost is a major factor. Look for discounts or deals, such as setting up autopay or paying annually, to get the best price.
The amount of protection you need varies based upon how much you have to protect. Some may need more substantial services that offer bespoke services, while others need basic and robust protection.
Here’s what to consider when comparing identity theft protection services:
- Clear, comprehensive services: Understand what the company does, how it helps, and how quickly you’ll find out if something goes wrong.
- Responds in real time: Quick response from real representatives, instead of automated responses or chatbots.
- Offers prevention tools: Understand prevention tools. At the very least, this should provide you with guidance to secure your assets and internet presence and some action steps.
- Monitors all three major credit bureaus: Essential because fraud may not show up on all of your credit reports right away.
Signs of Good Identity Theft Protection Service
Here are key factors to consider when choosing a service:
- Clear, Comprehensive Services: Know what the company will do, how it will help. Ensure timely alerts.
- Real-Time Responses: By representatives, not preprogrammed answers.
- Offers Prevention Tools: Understand prevention tools (securing assets and internet presence).
- Monitors all three major credit bureaus: Fraud may not show up on all of your reports
Red Flags in Identity Theft Protection Services
- No clear explanation of solutions: Lack of concrete information and details on support.
- Unreachable: Difficulty in contacting the company.
- Only monitors one credit bureau: Real-time alerts could be ignored
- Company has few or negative reviews: Look at reviews before signing up.
How to Prevent Identity Theft
Practice good data hygiene and stay vigilant. Use strong passwords, antivirus software, and regularly review account statements. Consider additional measures like credit freezes or fraud alerts.
Expert Advice on Identity Theft
Our expert panel includes specialists in identity theft protection and credit. Here’s what some of them had to say.
Jennifer Streaks, Financial Reporter and Spokesperson
*Is Identity Protection Worth It?
Eva Velasquez, CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center:
Paid identity protection services can have value for individuals and families that have the financial means to pay for the services. These services can take some of the leg work out of monitoring your identity and the recovery process should an identity crime occur.
Jennifer Streaks:
Identity theft protection is very important right now. Identity thieves and scammers are getting more advanced every few months. Identity theft protection gives you peace of mind and protects your personal information, just like a bank protects its money. Everyone should have it.
Jeanne Kelly:
Absolutely. It is crucial to recognize that even if you are cautious about sharing your personal information, it is still stored in various databases, such as those of financial institutions, schools, and medical offices. Therefore, having identity theft protection ensures that you are promptly alerted in case of any issues and provides professional assistance in restoring your identity.
Paul Kim:
Identity protection can be a nice thing to have for peace of mind. However, most people don’t need to spring for the fanciest, most expensive plan out there. Some of the cheaper plans, plus a little vigilance on your part, will often do the trick.
*How Much Identity Protection Do I Need?
Velasquez:
Ask yourself the following questions: how many people do I intend to cover? What are the ages of the individuals needing services? Do they have access to, and can they make effective use of, digital platforms? How digitally engaged are they? Make sure you purchase coverage that meets your individual needs.
Kelly:
Conduct thorough research to understand the available options. It is not sufficient to rely solely on receiving alerts.
Kim:
When shopping for identity protection, you should think about how much of a risk identity theft poses.
*What Are the Most Important Identity Theft Protection Features?
Velasquez:
Transparency. This is an individual choice. The important features are going to vary based on the individual.
Kelly:
One crucial feature is the ability to grant power of attorney or authorization for someone else to handle the intricate process of restoring your identity.
Kim:
Two features I look out for are dark web monitoring and court records monitoring because it’s difficult to replicate these yourself.
*What makes an identity theft protection service good?
Velasquez:
In addition to my response above, also read consumer reviews and look at third-party accreditation sites such as the Better Business Bureau.
Kelly:
A good identity theft protection service should monitor multiple aspects of your identity, including your social security number, driver’s license, passport ID, medical card, social media accounts,
Kim:
The identity protection services I pay particular attention to will offer solutions for the before, during, and after of identity theft.
Frequently Asked Questions About Identity Theft Protection
- What is identity theft protection?
Identity theft protection monitors your personal information to prevent identity theft and fraud.
- Do I really need identity theft protection?
Whether you really need identity theft protection depends on how diligent you are about protecting your information.
- Can identity theft protection services fully prevent identity theft?
No, although protection services significantly reduce the risk and help to detect fraud early, there is no guarantee.
- What should I do if my identity is stolen?
Report immediately to your identity theft service, contact your bank and credit card accounts, and file with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Why You Should Trust Us: How We Rate Identity Theft Protection Services
We assess services based on the price with the features. The best service is one that inspires you to protect your information.
- Provided features (45%)
- Price of service (45%)
- Customer support (10%)
This guide offers a starting point for exploring the options. Each service offers various plans, with benefits and considerations. Taking the time to compare will allow you to secure the best solution.
