Identity Protection Tools

Essential tools and services for protecting and monitoring your identity.

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Essential Free Tools

Credit Monitoring

  • AnnualCreditReport.com: Free reports from all three bureaus. Check every 4 months rotating.
  • Credit Karma: Free TransUnion and Equifax monitoring. Weekly updates. Alerts for changes.
  • Credit Sesame: Free credit monitoring with score tracking and identity theft insurance.

Breach Notifications

  • HaveIBeenPwned: Check if email in data breaches. Sign up for notifications.
  • Firefox Monitor: Email and password breach checking. Free alerts.
  • Google Password Checkup: Built into Chrome. Checks saved passwords against breaches.

Government Resources

  • IdentityTheft.gov: FTC's official recovery site. Create personalized recovery plan.
  • SSA.gov/myaccount: Monitor Social Security earnings and benefits.
  • IRS IP PIN: Identity Protection PIN for tax filing. Free for eligible victims.

Paid Identity Protection Services

LifeLock

$9.99-$25.99/mo. Credit monitoring all three bureaus. Identity restoration. Up to $1M insurance coverage.

IdentityForce

$17.95-$23.95/mo. Dark web monitoring. Credit and identity monitoring. High coverage limits.

Aura

$12-$15/mo. Real-time alerts. VPN included. Financial fraud detection. Antivirus.

IdentityGuard

$8.99-$24.99/mo. AI monitoring. Credit reports. Identity theft insurance up to $1M.

Are Paid Services Worth It?

Pros

Convenience. Monitors more sources. Insurance coverage. Recovery assistance. Dark web monitoring. Family plans.

Cons

Expensive. Mostly provides monitoring, not prevention. Can do yourself free. Credit freeze more effective.

Verdict

Not necessary if you monitor yourself. Consider if previous victim or high risk. Credit freeze + free monitoring sufficient for most.

DIY Protection Toolkit

  • Password Manager: 1Password, Bitwarden. Unique passwords everywhere.
  • Authenticator App: Authy, Google Authenticator. 2FA protection.
  • VPN: Protect on public Wi-Fi. NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Mullvad.
  • Credit Freeze: Free at all three bureaus. Most important tool.
  • Privacy.com: Virtual credit cards for online shopping. Free tier.
  • MySudo: Disposable phone numbers and email addresses.

Mobile Apps

  • Credit Karma: iOS/Android. Free credit monitoring and alerts.
  • Experian: iOS/Android. Credit report access and dark web scan.
  • Mint: iOS/Android. Financial monitoring. Alerts for unusual activity.

Best Practices

  • Check credit reports every 4 months (free, rotate bureaus)
  • Review bank and credit card statements weekly
  • Set up account alerts for all financial accounts
  • Maintain credit freeze unless actively applying for credit
  • Use password manager with unique passwords
  • Enable 2FA with authenticator app everywhere
  • Shred documents before disposal