I don't use any of those, but if I were paranoid about identity theft, I'd just pay to freeze my credit reports and then pay to "thaw" them if I needed to apply for credit (such as a mortgage). It'll cost much less and puts you in more control than going through a third party. From my understanding, some of the identity protection services out there just put a "fraud alert" flag on your credit reports (which notifies the lenders that they should take extra steps to verify your identity). Even then, I'd still check out your credit reports every year. The official government site for free credit reports is www.annualcreditreport.com Note that if you wish to just place fraud alerts on your credit reports, you'll have to go through the procedure every 90 days. You'll only need to contact one of the bureaus, however, because they will then notify the other two. If you have been a victim of identity theft, you'll need an ID theft report, which includes a copy of the complaint you file with federal, state, or local law enforcement. In this case, you should ask for an extended alert to be placed on your file that will last for 7 years. Best of luck in keeping your information as private as can be!