The Best Identity Theft Protection Services of 2024

A stolen identity can lead to dire financial and legal consequences. Protect your family’s vital information with the best identity protection services on the market.

Last Updated: November 2024

An Introduction to Identity Theft Protection

Identity theft protection services are subscription-based software and call center services that monitor, safeguard, and recover a person’s identifiable information.

What’s Identity Theft?

There are several types of identity theft, each changing from target to target. Here are a few of the most common types:

  • Credit/Debit Theft: If a thief collects enough of your personal information, they can open a credit line under your name, take money from a debit account, and wreck your finances.
  • Tax Theft: Identity thieves can file your taxes in your name and pocket the return checks.
  • Unemployment Theft: Bad actors can file unemployment under your name, collecting unemployment money from the government even while you earn a paycheck.
  • Medical Theft: Identity thieves can receive medical treatment in your name, making you fit the bill for their procedures and medicine.

How Identity Protection Services Work

Identity thieves can nab your Social Security number, credit card information, passwords, and other identifying information in several ways. Typically, identity thieves target information that lives online. For example, thieves can hack large companies to extract personal data, snag your information from an unsecured browser, or steal passwords using malware.

Identity protection services work to directly counter these popular theft techniques. Identity protection services typically employ a three-pronged approach to protection: monitoring, freezing, and restoring.

  • Monitoring: Identity theft protection software uses advanced algorithms and AI technology to constantly monitor the internet for any and all uses of your identifying information. If suspicious activity occurs, your identity theft protection service will alert you and recommend solutions.
  • Freezing: To prevent an identity thief from taking advantage of your stolen information, identity protection services can freeze many of your personal accounts. Once frozen, your account can’t be used by anyone, including you. Once a threat subsides, you can easily unfreeze your account.
  • Restoring: If a thief manages to use your identifying information, identity protection services often offer restoration services to help you get your life back to normal. Customers will typically be assigned a live restoration specialist, an on-call employee who works with you individually to put your affairs back in order. On top of 1-on-1 service, identity protection services often offer fraud insurance to cover any asset losses resulting from the breach, typically up to $1 million.

Why Identity Protection is Worth It

Identity theft happens all-too-often in the United States. In 2020, the FTC reported $3.3 billion lost in identity fraud cases, costing the Average American $104 per second.

Every time an identity theft case occurs, the victim can face a slew of consequences, including:

  • Loss of finances from stolen assets
  • Conviction of crime(s)
  • Loss of insurance benefits
  • Loss of finances as a result of legal fees

To protect yourself from the consequences of identity theft at a fraction of the cost, consider signing up for protection.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Just about anyone can be a victim of identity theft. Due to the ubiquitous use of the internet by both individuals and companies, just about anyone’s personal data can be snatched from the web. Children, college students, and elderly people are the most at-risk groups to be victims of identity theft. Luckily, identity theft protection can be purchased for family members, meaning you can protect those who can’t protect themselves.
Identity protection services monitor a variety of accounts and information, including: Social Security number, birth date, legal name, credit/debit accounts, savings accounts, medical insurance, tax documents, and home titles.
Yes, all of the identity theft protection companies included on our list above are verified, legitimate businesses.
We recommend you decide based on a few primary factors: depth of protective features, number of protected users, subscription price, and any included perks or benefits for using a specific service.