Identity Theft Protection

The thought of having your identity stolen can be frightening, particularly when you think about the years and years of work it took to establish an excellent credit rating. This is one of the reasons so many consumers turn to identity theft protection services: They want to fix identity theft now, and avoid any pitfalls in the future. While not every service offers the exact same features, most of them will provide these common services that will both protect your identity and provide you with peace of mind as you shop online, pay your bills and live the life of a normal consumer.

Features of identity theft protection services:

• Complete credit monitoring: The service will flag your credit report with all of the major credit bureaus. Any time a request for a new account comes in, your service will know about it immediately and will veto any illegal request. Consider this part of the service a bouncer. Fraud won't get past your first line of defense, and your information will be kept safe and secure.
• Mail reduction: Did you know that a large portion of identity theft stems from the ability of thieves to steal your mail? Your identity theft protection service will work to reduce the "junk mail" that fills your mailbox. As a result, you won't receive the credit card solicitations and applications for home equity loans that can put you at a higher risk for identity theft. This automatically reduces the likelihood that your identity can be stolen – and saves a few thousand trees in the process!
• Some "damsel in distress" assistance: If you purse or wallet is lost or stolen, you can feel confident that your identity will be safe. Your protection service will jump into action quickly by freezing your accounts and immediately setting up new ones. You'll find new credit cards and account numbers in the mail quickly and can live without the hassles of frequent phone calls to repair the situation. In fact, your company will work to repair everything that was stolen down to the wallet. It's part of the service!
• Consider your service a "credit concierge:" While most consumers are told to set self-reminders to get their annual credit reports, your identity theft protection company will do it for you. You'll receive your annual report from all the major credit bureaus as part of your subscription to the service. That way, you can review the reports on your own and get added peace of mind that your information is safe and secure. It also gives you a great opportunity to review your accounts and asses your overall creditworthiness.
• They'll foot the bill, if necessary: Most identity theft protection providers also have set guarantees that you are covered in the event of theft. In fact, most back this claim up with $1 million that will pay for any damages caused by the theft. So no worries about paying for legal expenses or private investigators. You already have someone on your side, who's footing the bill.

If you have any questions, please read our Frequently Asked Questions page.