Identity Theft Protection Services: Do You Actually Need One?

Matthew S. Smith Gear Mar 14, 2026 6:30 AM What Do Identity Theft Protection Services Do, and Are They Worth It? Here's the best advice I have for protecting your identity online. Photo-Illustration: WIRED Staff; Getty Images Save this story Save this story Odds are good you’ve encountered an identity theft protection service in the last year, even if you weren’t looking to sign up for one. ID protection services are served up as remedies in data breach settlements; they’re add-ons for bank accounts and credit cards; they’re even found in anti-virus suites. Their popularity and reach shouldn’t be a surprise given the massive scale of the problem. The FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network , which tracks fraud, ID theft, and related issues, received 6.47 million reports in 2024 alone—the highest number yet. The median loss was $497, over 124,000 reports claimed a loss of $10,000 or more. When it comes to ID theft protection, the details matter. “I will tell you that not all are created equal,” says Tracy Goldberg , director of cybersecurity at Javelin Security & Research. “Some are very valuable, and some are not worth the investment.” ID Protection Is Insurance The most important thing to understand about ID protection is that it’s an insurance product. Most ID protection services also throw in monitoring services, but the core service you’re buying is an insurance policy that protects from losses caused by ID theft. In this sense, the term “ID protection” is arguably misleading. It implies an active attempt to protect your identity from those who’d want to steal it. In truth, most ID protection services are reactive. They provide compensation for any harm caused by ID theft after it occurs. That’s important to understand because, as with most insurance products, the devil is in the details. ID protection services often provide headline figures about the total damages covered, but the language surrounding that coverage is critical and includes various sub-benefits. For exa...