Identity Protection Guide
Identity Protection, Without the Marketing
Twenty years inside the industry, now writing outside it. Honest answers on what these services actually do, what they don’t, and when they’re worth paying for.
Start where you are
Pick the situation that matches yours.
Considering a service
“I’m thinking about paying for identity protection and want to know if it’s worth it.”
Comparing services
“I’ve decided I want protection. Which service should I choose?”
Protecting someone else
“I’m worried about an aging parent or a child’s identity.”
Foundational reading
The pieces everything else on this site refers back to.
What services do
What Identity Protection Services Actually Monitor, and What They Miss
The honest scope of what these services catch, and where the real gaps are.
Free and effective
How to Freeze Your Credit
Free, more effective than most paid services, and takes about 30 minutes. Here’s the step-by-step.
Beyond the big three
The Specialty Bureau Freezes Most People Skip
A freeze at Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion misses several databases lenders actually use. Here’s what else to consider.
Why this site exists.
Most identity protection content online is written by the companies that sell identity protection. Their answer to every question is “yes, you need our product.”
This site is written by someone who spent twenty years building those products from the inside. That perspective means I can tell you when a paid service genuinely makes sense, when free tools do the same job, and why the marketing in this category rarely matches the product. The goal is plain-English answers you can act on, without the fear-selling or the upsell.
Written by Tom Reardon, who spent over 20 years in product and operations at major identity protection providers. He writes to give consumers the honest picture the industry’s marketing never did.