Best Identity Theft Protection Services of 2022

A criminal, or even someone who's just curious, can easily find out a lot about you online. Social Security numbers, social media profiles, credit card numbers, bank account information, and much more are vulnerable to disclosure to do phishing and other cybersecurity threats. Some of this information is obtained through data breaches, but much of it is publicly available. All of this means that a clever thief can potentially gather all the data needed to steal someone else's identity. This will enable them to take out a loan or open a credit card in the victim's name, receive a tax refund they aren't entitled to or medical treatment they didn't pay for, or otherwise damage the victim's finances, credit score, and reputation. This damage can take years to recover from, often at great expense.

The good news is that identity theft protection can help prevent ID theft or restore your identity if you become a victim. The Best Identity Theft Protection Services of 2022 are:

Compare the Best Identity Theft Protection Services

The Best Identity Theft Protection Services of 2022

To help narrow down the right identity theft protection service for you, below is a list of our top-rated identity theft protection services of 2022. Follow the links for complete reviews of each company.

Identity Theft Is on the Rise

The Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Sentinel Network, which tracks identity theft and other consumer fraud complaints, received 1.4 million reports of identity theft in 2021. The most common types of identity theft were credit card fraud, government documents or benefits fraud, and loan or lease fraud.

Moreover, a recent study by the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) found that data breaches were up 38%, and nearly 30% of people who contact the ITRC are victims of more than one identity crime. The study goes beyond the known financial implications of identity crimes and explores the emotional, physical, and psychological impacts experienced by victims.

Many of the identity crime victims that ITRC interviewed between January 2019 and December 2021 experienced emotional, physical, and financial consequences from identity theft. Some of the victims even considered suicide. Many did not have enough money to pay for food, utilities, and/or other bills, and some were evicted for failing to make mortgage payments. It was also common for identity theft victims to feel violated.

A 2022 report by Javelin Strategy and Research found that identity fraud losses in 2021 totaled $52 billion and affected 42 million U.S. residents.

How Does Identity Theft Happen?

Identity fraud is a relatively easy crime to commit and can target consumers directly, especially when they don't take basic cybersecurity precautions like using strong passwords and antivirus software. Some identity thieves can even bypass financial services providers' attempts to deter ID fraud. Identity fraud differs from traditional identity theft in that a consumer usually remembers interacting with a criminal through a text, call, or email in which their personal information was taken, often in a phishing attempt. With traditional ID theft, a consumer usually doesn't know exactly when their identity was stolen. "Identity fraud has quickly evolved through unique societal changes related to innovation, the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, and criminal tactics that focus on both corporate and consumer targets," the summary said.

A 2022 report published by GBG, an identity verification company, found that:

According to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, more than 240,000 victims reported about $50 million in losses from phishing scams in 2020. In a phishing attack, the hacker usually sends the victim an email that looks like it’s from the victim's bank, other financial institution, or another company that the victim uses. However, the website linked in the email is actually controlled by the hacker. If the victim clicks on the link and enters their personal information into the website that comes up, the hacker can steal it. A recent survey by the security company OpSec found that 51% of consumers noticed more phishing attempts during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, phishing continues to be one of the most popular ways to steal someone's identity.

In addition, Consumer Reports notes that:

How to Prevent Identity Theft

Someone can steal your identity even if you subscribe to an identity theft protection service. However, this service provides a critical function. It monitors your financial accounts, Social Security number, social media accounts, and other personal data and sends you prompt alerts if your data may have been compromised. An ID theft protection service can also monitor changes to your credit file through one or all three of the major credit bureaus, such as if someone tries to take out a loan in your name. All of this allows you to limit the damage an identity thief can do by promptly notifying stores where you have lines of credit, your bank and other financial institutions, and other parties. Plus, many identity theft protection services offer help from trained agents who can assist you in restoring your identity if it is stolen.

In addition to subscribing to an identity theft protection service, there are other ways to protect your identity. These include:

For more tips, see our guide 10 Ways to Prevent Identity Theft.

Below, we discuss more of the benefits of an identity theft protection service, features that a good service should include, and other important information. We also list our Best Identity Theft Protection Services of 2022 to help you choose.

Why Buy an Identity Theft Protection Service?

Buying an identity theft protection service can help guard your identity and finances from scams and hackers, as well as assist you if you have become a victim of identity theft. You have some protection against identity theft even if you don't subscribe to an identity theft protection service. For example, credit card companies tell their customers about suspicious charges that could indicate a stolen card, and they help customers resolve those charges with merchants. You also can take plenty of steps to protect your own identity, such as reviewing your financial account statements for activity you don't recognize.

Robert Douglas, an information and security consultant and certified identity theft risk management specialist, says an ID theft protection service can be useful – but only if you do your part. “If you honestly don’t look at bank statements that often and won’t use these tools yourself, then an identity theft protection service functions by standing in for you and giving you the monitoring capabilities that you might already have with [credit cards and banks],” he says.

Identity theft protection can't actually prevent identity theft. However, it's worth the monthly cost because it can substantially limit the harm an identity thief causes by tracking your personal information on social media and other online platforms. It can also perform dark web monitoring, data breach monitoring, Social Security number monitoring, monitoring of credit-related information, and other services. In addition, an ID theft protection service can scan your financial accounts and send you credit reports periodically. By monitoring all of this data, Robert Siciliano, CEO of Safr.me explains, an ID theft protection service can notify you about fraudulent activity before an identity thief has time to do much damage. This will allow you to immediately contact your financial institutions and other parties to tell them that someone has stolen your personal information. Many ID theft prevention services also can help you recover your identity using trained, U.S.-based specialists.

Do I Need an Identity Theft Protection Service?

Using identity protection makes sense for those looking for extensive protection against identity theft or assistance after their identity is stolen. Our personal data are widely available in the age of the internet. “I tell my clients to assume that their information has already been stolen,” Douglas says. Thus, although identity thieves most often go after children, the elderly, and college students, an identity theft protection service can benefit anyone.

People who have been defrauded find these services especially attractive. “More often than not, consumers engage services such as these as a result of fraud happening in their own lives or to someone close to them,” Siciliano says. “Or, they're very concerned about all the various media reports that they see and recognize the risk.”

To sign up for an identity theft protection service, you will have to provide personal information for the service to monitor. This includes your Social Security number, financial account numbers, and other personal data. This means you need to be comfortable disclosing that information. “I’m not aware of any ID protection service that has been the cause of a breach to date, and after all, what they are really doing is monitoring,” he says.

Is Credit Monitoring a Good Idea?

Credit monitoring is a good idea for those who want to watch their credit activity and help minimize identity theft risks. Credit monitoring immediately tells you about changes in your credit reports caused by someone trying to open a bank account or credit card in your name. If that happens, time is of the essence; the longer it takes to find out about the fraud, the harder it is to recover.

How Much Does Identity Theft Protection Cost?

Plans offered by the identity theft protection services in our rating cost from $9.99 to $50 a month (paying annually usually costs less). The price of a service depends on the company and the level of protection offered. The table below shows the prices of our Best Identity Theft Protection Services of 2022.

What Should I Look for in an Identity Theft Protection Service?

You should look for an identity theft protection service that offers the protection that matters most to you and fits in your budget. When shopping for an identity theft protection service, the top-tier plan may seem like the best choice, but a cheaper plan could be a better fit depending on your needs and budget. Basic credit monitoring and reporting, including alerts for suspicious activity in your financial accounts, are important for almost everyone and are included in most plans, no matter the tier. If these features are all you need, a cheaper plan will be just fine.

If you’re looking for additional protection beyond basic credit and financial monitoring, midrange plans can be useful. Some midrange plans include dark web monitoring, social media monitoring, and change-of-address alerts. Midrange plans can also include identity recovery services like a dedicated customer service agent and insurance to help with recovering your identity if it's stolen. Along with protection, midrange plans can include planning features like credit score simulation tools to estimate how major financial decisions like taking out a second mortgage will affect your credit.

Premium identity theft plans offer services like file-sharing network searches, credit reporting from all three bureaus, reports from sex offender registries, medical ID monitoring, and real-time notifications if someone attempts to open an account using your personal data. Some ID theft protection companies also provide safe web browsing tools, protection from malware, and/or a virtual private network.

In addition to looking at the services a company offers, Henry Bagdasarian, founder and executive director of the Identity Management Institute, says to scrutinize its privacy policies, which outline how the company handles and protects your data. A good ID theft protection service will submit to periodic audits by independent security experts. “This is the best way for consumers to know the company has gone through an independent security test,” he says. In addition, choose a company that permanently deletes your data if you cancel the service. “It is likely stored in perpetuity unless their terms of service and conditions say otherwise,” Siciliano says.

Finally, read the terms and conditions carefully. These explain exactly what the plan covers and doesn't cover, how much assistance (if any) you will receive to restore your identity if it's stolen, and what identity theft insurance covers. You’ll notice a lot of fine print on the companies' websites, Siciliano says. “There are lots of little asterisks, and you have to read carefully to understand what you are really getting,” he says. “Before you make the investment, understand what your risks are and what could occur, and ask for examples of what the company will or will not compensate for — what is protected and what is not.”

Below are some key features of our Best Identity Theft Protection services of 2022.

How to Report Identity Theft

To report identity theft to the police, you’ll need to:

For more information, see How to Report Identity Theft.

Identity Theft Insurance

Having your identity stolen can cause you to lose a lot of money. For example, you might have to pay for attorney and accountant fees, or child or elder care. In addition, you might lose wages by having to take time off of work to restore your identity. Identity theft insurance reimburses expenses related to identity theft, but it doesn't cover stolen funds. Read your identity theft protection service's terms and conditions carefully to see if any insurance comes with your subscription and what it covers.

Identity theft insurance covers different things than homeowners and renters insurance, which cover your dwelling and its contents if they are damaged. LifeLock, Identity Guard, and other ID theft protection services only reimburse for expenses pertaining to ID theft recovery.

Although ID theft insurance can be useful, it shouldn't be the deciding factor in selecting an identity theft prevention service. “The insurance offered should be low on the scale of deciding whether or not you want to use a particular provider," Siciliano says. "It does not have much impact when it comes to proactive protection or even restoring a stolen identity.

10 Ways to Prevent Identity Theft

Although it's impossible to completely prevent identity theft, there are strategies you can use to minimize your risk. These include:

For more information, see 10 Ways to Prevent Identity Theft.

Learn More

For more information on identity theft protection services, see the following guides.

Our 360 Methodology for Evaluating Identity Theft Protection Service Providers 

Why You Can Trust Us: 21 Identity Theft Protection Services Researched

At U.S. News & World Report, we rank the Best Hospitals, Best Colleges, and Best Cars to guide readers through some of life’s most complicated decisions. Our 360 Reviews team draws on this same unbiased approach to rate the products that you use every day. To build our ratings, we researched more than 21 identity theft protection services and analyzed 17 reviews. Our 360 Reviews team does not take samples, gifts, or loans of products or services we review. All sample products provided for review are donated after review. In addition, we maintain a separate business team that has no influence over our methodology or recommendations.

The following describes our 360 approach to researching and analyzing identity theft protection services to guide prospective consumers.

1. We researched the companies and products people care most about.

U.S. News analyzed and compared a variety of publicly available data, including internet search data, to determine which identity theft protection service providers Americans are most interested in. We found 21 companies that stand out in terms of volume of searches and research among consumers, as well as across the different rating sources.

We then compared our top identity theft protection services across several criteria, including monthly cost, monitoring tools, tech features such as mobile applications and smartphone alerts, technical support, and other plan specific unique features. Research shows that these are the most important criteria for people shopping for an identity theft protection service. With careful consideration, we highlighted the most comprehensive plan offered by each company based on the above mentioned features.

2. We created objective 360 Overall Ratings based on an analysis of third-party reviews.

Our scoring methodology is based on a composite analysis of the ratings and reviews published by credible third-party professional and consumer review sources. The ratings are not based on the personal opinions, tests or experiences of U.S. News. To calculate the ratings:

(a) We compiled two types of third-party ratings and reviews:

Please note that not all professional and consumer rating sources met our criteria for objectivity. Therefore, some sources were excluded from our model.
(b) We standardized the inputs to create a common scale.

The third-party review source data were collected in a variety of forms, including ratings, recommendations and accolades. Before including each third-party data point into our scoring equation, we had to standardize it so that it could be compared accurately with data points from other review sources. We used the scoring methodology described below to convert these systems to a comparable scale.

The 360 scoring process first converted each third-party rating into a common 0 to 5 scale. To balance the distribution of scores within each source’s scale, we used a standard deviation (or Z-Score) calculation to determine how each company’s score compared to the source’s mean score. We then used the Z-Score to create a standardized U.S. News score using the method outlined below:

(c) We calculated the 360 Overall Score based on a weighted-average model.
We assigned “source weights” to each source used in the consensus scoring model based on our assessment of how much the source is trusted and recognized by consumers and how much its published review process indicates that it is both comprehensive and editorially independent. The source weights are assigned on a 1-5 scale. Any source with an assigned weight less than 2 was excluded from the consensus scoring model.

Finally, we combined the converted third-party data points using a weighted average formula based on source weight. This formula calculated the consensus score for each product, which we call the 360 Overall Rating.