“I almost got scammed over the phone by people posing as the Social Security Administration and the Drug Enforcement Agency. I’m now looking for the best identity theft protection. Can you advise, please?” — Esther H.
Sadly, stories like Esther’s are becoming more common. Every few weeks, another company you have worked for, shopped with, or trusted sends out that dreaded notice: your personal data may have been exposed in a breach. One wrong click, one unpatched system, and suddenly, your private information is circulating online.
The numbers continue to move in the wrong direction. Based on the latest FTC and FBI data available heading into 2025, identity theft and online crime are on pace to set new records. The FTC reported over 1.1 million identity theft reports in 2024, up nearly 10% year over year, and early 2025 complaint volumes suggest that total identity theft reports are tracking even higher this year, driven largely by credit card fraud, account takeovers, and loan fraud. At the same time, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center logged 859,532 cybercrime complaints in 2024 with losses exceeding $16 billion, a roughly 33% increase in losses from the prior year, with phishing, data breaches, ransomware, and investment scams leading the way. While final 2025 totals are not yet published, both agencies indicate that consumer losses and identity misuse continue to accelerate, pointing to another record-setting year if current trends hold.
That is why protecting yourself with trusted identity theft protection is not optional anymore. It is essential. With the right tools in place, you can catch suspicious activity early, lock down your personal data, and stop scammers before they do real damage.
Jump down to my top Identity Theft protection picks
Cybercriminals are getting more crafty at stealing more
Hackers are targeting healthcare establishments, financial firms, manufacturers, utility companies and individuals. It’s hard to avoid being in the cross-hairs of these cybercriminal attacks.
Why not protect yourself from the get-go, so you’re not reacting to these types of letters or worse financial repercussions such as random charges to your account or weird accounts being opened and closed in your name with your information?
Why is fraud protection vital to you?
The saying an ‘ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’ can not be more fitting than when thinking about fraud protection.
When you think about fraud, you might think about fraudulent credit card charges. However, fraud covers a whole lot more than most people realize.
Though most banks and credit card companies will issue you a refund or recoup some of the verifiable fraud charges on your account, as well as replace your credit card if it was lost or stolen, they will very rarely assist you in more complex matters listed (but not limited to) below:
- Stolen social security numbers
- Credit score fluctuations because of accounts opened or closed under your information
- Negative credit reports from major credit bureau
- Prevention of further abuse of your financials with security freezes or account locks
- Reimbursement of stolen funds
- Scanning the dark web to alert you if your information is being bought or sold
Certainly, you can hope for the best and eventually be contacted by an organization you interacted with a scary letter informing you that your private data has been leaked.
The alternative is getting a fraud protection service, which will likely alert you sooner and help you deal with the repercussions.
With a fraud protection service, you will know who to call or what to do next as soon as you get an alert or letter about suspicious activities. While it is great to simply have a service that will alert you of problematic activity, some services guide you step-by-step when a suspicious activity or cybercriminal activity impacts you.
What to look for in identity theft protection
When comparing identity theft protection services, focus on the features that help you detect fraud early, stop further damage and recover quickly if your personal information is misused.
1. Identity monitoring
Identity monitoring helps you spot when your personal information is being used in suspicious ways.
- Social Security alerts: For better or worse, so much of your life is tied to your social security number, especially governmental, medical, and financial services. However, what happens if your social security number gets leaked in a data breach? If you get alerts about where your social security number is being used, you can make sure that it is being used correctly and only by you.
- Identity alerts: See if and where your name, birth date, contact information as well as other personal information are being used.
- Dark web monitoring: The dark web is where cybercriminals sell & buy private information online. Many services monitor these sites and alert you if your information shows up.
2. Credit and financial monitoring
Credit and financial monitoring can help you catch suspicious activity before it turns into a bigger financial problem.
- Credit Score Monitoring: While a credit card company might credit those charges or issue a replacement credit card, what happens if a cybercriminal opens and closes multiple lines of credit using your leaked information? You depend on high credit scores to secure optimal lending offers. It impacts whether you are even a candidate for certain purchases or investments such as apartments, homes, or vehicles. By monitoring your credit score, you can keep track of your overall financial health.
- Credit Report Monitoring: Though average Americans are granted free credit reports every 12 months from the three major consumer reporting companies, culling through these reports can be cumbersome, and difficult to spot potential fraud. These fraud protection services can help you more easily access these credit reports, identify fraudulent charges, as well as go through the credit reports with a specialist.
- Transaction Monitoring: You’re able to connect all your financial accounts into one dashboard (banks, investments, 401ks). You’re also able to set alerts based on transaction amounts, so it helps catch unusual transfers of money or withdrawals.
3. Recovery help if your identity is stolen
The best services do more than alert you. They also help you recover if criminals misuse your identity.
- Identity restoration help: Many fraud protection services actively work with you to restore your identity by dispensing experts to work with credit agency, government agencies, etc.
- Reimbursement of stolen funds or identity theft insurance: Some companies reimburse stolen funds, which can provide relief as fraud investigations can take 30 to 90 days.
4. Account-locking and prevention tools
Prevention tools can help stop scammers from causing additional damage once suspicious activity is detected.
- Security Freeze: Connects with establishments that offer free security freezes.
- Wallet Protection: If your wallet is stolen, customer service will help cancel your debit and credit cards. If you forget some, customer service will pull your credit report to see any active credit lines.
5. Family protection and overall value
Identity theft protection should fit your household, your risk level and your budget.
- Family Plan options: As children have clean credit history and relatively unattached social security numbers, they can become easy targets for cybercriminals. Many services allow multiple family members in certain plans, so the whole family stays safe.
- Value: Fraud protection should not be just for the super-rich, and not every person needs the maximum level of protection. Many services now offer monthly subscriptions vs. just annual, as well as different tiers of services.
CyberGuy’s Top Choices for Fraud Protection
Aura – Identity Theft Protection
Some highlights of its services include:
- Fast alerts when new lines of credit are opened in your name
- 24/7 U.S.-based dedicated customer support on all plans
- 3-bureau credit monitoring
- Up to $1 million in identity theft insurance (up to $5 million for family plans)
- Comprehensive identity theft coverage on every plan
- Experian credit lock included
What sets Aura apart right now
- Extensive dark web monitoring: Aura monitors more of your personal data across the dark web than leading competitors*
- Broader coverage: Tracks over 355 data points, helping reduce blind spots tied to emails, passwords, Social Security numbers, and financial accounts
- Stronger visibility: Claims to monitor 41% more data than competitors like McAfee, LifeLock, Norton, IdentityForce, NordProtect, Surfshark, and Cloaked
- Always-on monitoring: 24/7 scanning designed to surface threats as early as possible
- Proven scale: Over 14 million dark web alerts sent in 2025 alone, showing how active the monitoring system is
Pros:
- Fast alerts: Notifies you quickly when suspicious activity is detected
- Comprehensive protection: Combines identity monitoring with additional security tools in one plan
- Exclusive offer for CyberGuy readers: Save up to 68% off Aura’s best plan
- Family-friendly coverage: Protects up to 5 adults and unlimited children, with built-in parental controls and online safety features
Cons:
- Marketing claims vs. real-world impact: More monitoring does not always mean better outcomes. It also depends on how alerts are handled
- Simplified plan structure: Fewer low-tier options for those who want only basic monitoring
Why CyberGuy is recommending Aura now
- Broader dark web monitoring: Greater coverage helps reduce missed threats
- Fast, actionable alerts: Early warnings can help limit damage
- Dedicated recovery support: 24/7 U.S.-based assistance with a case manager if identity theft occurs
Has your information already been exposed?
Start with a free identity breach scan here to see if your data is showing up in known breaches. Try it out below:
CyberGuy Plans include:
Individual PlanGet powerful identity and credit protection with comprehensive monitoring and security tools. | Couples PlanCovers up to 2 adults with the same top-tier protection as the Individual plan. | Family PlanCovers up to 5 adults and unlimited kids with the same top-tier protection as the Individual and Couples plans. |
| Price: $9/month | Price: $17/month | Price: $25/month |
| You Save: 62% (billed annually) | You Save: 64% (billed annually) | You Save: 68% (billed annually) |
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Identity Theft Protection:
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Financial Fraud Protection:
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Has your information already been exposed?
Start with a free identity breach scan here to see if your data is showing up in known breaches.
Identity Guard
Credit: Identity Guard
Identity Guard uniquely boasts the use of Watson, IBM’s artificial intelligence, which means your data is being constantly scanned for by AI that adjusts to new threats or information consistently.
Some highlights of its services include:
- Get alerts if your identity or online accounts are compromised
- Identity theft insurance: Backed by $1 million identity theft insurance to cover losses, legal fees, and more
- Excellent customer service with a US-based restoration specialist for all plans
Pros:
- Identity Guard has many services under its plan where you only have to pay 1 subscription fee to keep your identity and finances safe. Plus, there is one-on-one customer service to help you with every step of the way to resolve identity theft.
- 3 tiers of service (Value, Total and Ultra), as well as individual and family plans
- All plans alert you of high-risk transactions, which prevents you from putting your information and self at risk (prevention)
- Monthly credit score updates (1 bureau) as well as credit monitoring (3 bureaus) for the 2 higher priced tiers
- Online dashboard and app & dark web monitoring included in all plans
- Most notable features:
- Identity theft insurance: Backed by $1 million identity theft insurance to cover losses, legal fees, and more
- Dark web monitoring: Identity Guard will monitor personal information like your Home title (with Ultra plan), Social Security Number (SSN), phone number, and email address and alert you if it is being sold on the dark web or being used to open an account.
- White Glove Fraud resolution team: This service provides a US-based White Glove case manager to help you recover your identity should it be stolen. You can work with this case manager to recover any losses associated with the identity theft you experience.
Cons:
- Previously, we would have said the interface needed a redesign, but the company just made a nice update.
CyberGuy Plans include:
Prices shown reflect Identity Guard’s introductory Year 1 discount when billed annually. Renewal rates may be higher after the first year.
Ultra Individual PlanGet the most powerful identity and credit protection, exclusively for CyberGuy fans. Includes comprehensive monitoring and security tools at the best price available. Price: $7.99/month You Save: 73% (billed annually, special intro offer) What’s Included:
| Ultra Family PlanCovers up to 5 adults and unlimited kids with the same top-tier protection as the individual plan. Price: $14.99/month You Save: 62% (billed annually, special intro offer) Includes everything in the Ultra Individual Plan for your entire family. |
How does Identity Guard work if your identity is stolen?
If your identity is stolen, here is what happens if you are a member of Identity Guard.
- You first would receive an alert that someone has opened an account in your name.
- In the Identity Guard dashboard, you will see an alert. If you don’t recognize the institution, you will be prompted to call Identity Guard’s customer service team.
- The Identity Guard team will open a case and ask them more questions.
- Based on what they learn, our team will recommend a set of actions to take (Credit Lock, Security Freeze, Fraud Alerts, etc)
- The case will stay open for a set of time, and our team will continually follow up and see if there are any more instances of fraud.
Out of the top 3 fraud protection services, the company that rises to the top is Identity Guard. Identity Guard gets the edge on its competition because of how comprehensive its offerings are for the price with our exclusive deal and variety of packages it offers.
With over 25 years of experience leading the industry and with millions of customers, Identity Guard delivers expert identity protection with 24/7 customer support, and $1 million identity theft insurance to protect your assets for your peace of mind.
The savings are great, especially for the Total & Ultra family packages. Every Identity Guard Family plan covers 5 adults, unlimited kids, and includes $1 Million coverage for every adult.
More:
Why should I consider Fraud protection?
Of course, paying regularly for fraud protection services may seem like an unnecessary expense when you’re not presently dealing with identity or credit issues. Yet, the likelihood of being a part of a data breach is high. With a subscription to a fraud protection service, you can focus on your present moment instead of worrying about what a cybercriminal is up to. If something does happen, you have people in your ‘corner’ to help you through the process. Peace of mind, after all, is priceless.
Have you guys been a victim of a data breach? Stolen identity or theft? If so, how did you deal with the repercussions? If you do use a fraud protection service, which one and why? We love hearing from you!
More ways to protect yourself
*Based on March 2026 competitive research, including McAfee, LifeLock, Norton, IdentityForce, NordProtect, Surfshark, and Cloaked.
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