The best identity theft protection for seniors starts with free steps you can take this week: a credit freeze, account alerts and a habit of reading your statements. Paid services add monitoring and recovery help on top, but they can't stop a thief from trying, and they can't stop a scam where you're talked into paying. This guide explains what these services do and do not do, so you can decide calmly whether one is worth it for you.

Identity theft often begins with a phone call, a text or a data leak you never heard about. Our guide to senior scams covers how those first contacts work. Here we look at what happens to your information afterward. Take your time.

A note on products: nothing on this page went through our own hands-on trials. Every type below carries our Researched label. What you read here comes from FTC guidance and the services' public descriptions, so check the details with each company before you pay. We don't rank companies, and there are no prices here.

What identity theft looks like after 60

Identity theft means someone uses your personal information, such as your Social Security number, bank details or Medicare number, to get money, credit or services in your name. The FTC runs IdentityTheft.gov to help people report it and recover.

Common signs include a bill for something you didn't buy, a call from a debt collector about an account you never opened, a letter about a tax return you didn't file, or a statement from a doctor for a visit you never made. Mail that stops arriving can be a sign too, if someone changed your address.

Medicare numbers deserve a word. Medicare.gov explains that current Medicare cards use a Medicare number instead of your Social Security number. Guard that number like a credit card and only give it to your own doctors and plans.

The free protection that does the most

Before you look at any paid plan, these free steps do the heavy lifting. The FTC recommends them.

  1. Freeze your credit at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. It's free under federal law. A freeze stops lenders from seeing your credit report, so a thief can't easily open new accounts. You can lift it for a day when you apply for credit yourself.
  2. Or place a fraud alert. You contact one bureau and it tells the other two. Lenders must take extra steps to check it's you. The FTC says an initial alert lasts one year. A freeze is stronger.
  3. Check your credit reports. The official free site is AnnualCreditReport.com. Look for accounts or addresses you don't recognize.
  4. Turn on alerts at your bank and card companies. A text or email for every charge over a small amount you choose.
  5. Create your own my Social Security account at ssa.gov, so no one else can create one in your name.

Free alerts from your bank count, even though you aren't paying a service for them. They're some of the best tools you have.

What paid services do

Paid identity protection services bundle several tools into one subscription. The main parts are:

  • Credit monitoring. Alerts when a new account or credit check appears on your report, at one bureau or all three.
  • Personal information monitoring. Watches for your Social Security number, email or phone number on criminal websites, often called the dark web, and in public records.
  • Account and transaction alerts. Some plans link to your bank or retirement accounts and flag unusual activity.
  • Identity restoration help. A case manager who helps you make calls, fill out forms and dispute fraudulent accounts. For many people, this is the most valuable part.
  • An insurance component. Many plans include coverage that may reimburse certain costs of recovering your identity, under conditions set in the policy. We describe it only so you know it's there; Lifesenio doesn't recommend or compare insurance.

What they do not do

The marketing can get fuzzy on these points.

  • They don't prevent identity theft. Monitoring tells you after your information is used.
  • They don't stop scam calls or texts. A scammer who calls you isn't blocked by a monitoring service.
  • They can't undo a payment you made to a scammer. Money sent by wire, gift card or cryptocurrency is hard to get back, whatever service you have.
  • They don't always remove your details from people-search sites, unless the plan includes a removal feature. Our guide to the data removal service options explains that separate job.
  • They don't replace a credit freeze. A freeze stops new accounts. Monitoring only reports them.

Hands placing a folded paper with account notes into a home file drawer

Best identity theft protection for seniors: the main types compared

Free: freeze, alerts and IdentityTheft.gov

Good for: everyone. Limits: you do the watching and the calls yourself.

Single-bureau credit monitoring

What it is: alerts from one credit bureau, sometimes free from a bank or card company. Good for: a light extra layer. Limits: misses accounts reported only to the other two bureaus.

Full-service identity protection

What it is: three-bureau monitoring, information monitoring and restoration help. LifeLock, Aura, Identity Guard and IdentityForce are known names in this group. Good for: people who want a single place to call if something goes wrong. Limits: more alerts to read, a yearly cost and renewal terms to track.

Protection bundled with antivirus

What it is: some security suites include identity monitoring. Our guide to the best antivirus software explains those suites. Good for: people who want one subscription. Limits: the identity part may be lighter than a full-service plan.

Family plans

What it is: one subscription covering a couple or several adults. Good for: spouses, or an adult child helping a parent. Limits: each adult should agree and keep control of their own accounts.

Questions to ask before you pay

If you still want a paid plan after the free steps, ask each company the same questions:

  1. How many credit bureaus do you watch?
  2. How will you alert me: text, email, phone call or app? Can I pick?
  3. If my identity is stolen, will a real person work my case? How do I reach them?
  4. What exactly does the insurance part cover, and what does it exclude?
  5. What is the price after the first year, and how do I cancel?
  6. Can a family member be added as a contact without seeing my accounts?

Write the answers down. Comparing plans is much clearer on paper than on a screen.

Scam alert

Scammers pose as identity protection companies too. A call or email saying "your identity has been compromised, verify your Social Security number" is a red flag. Real services don't ask you to read your full number to them on a surprise call. When in doubt, hang up and call back using the number on the company's official website.

If you get stuck: the first 24 hours after identity theft

Take it one step at a time. Call your bank or card company using the number on the back of your card. Change your email password first, then banking. Freeze your credit at all three bureaus. Go to IdentityTheft.gov for a recovery plan. Report scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and online crimes at ic3.gov.

Strong, different passwords also keep thieves out of your accounts in the first place. Our guide to the best password manager for seniors compares the main types.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is LifeLock worth it for seniors?

It depends on what you already do for free. LifeLock, like other paid services, watches for signs that someone is using your information and offers help if they do. It can't stop a thief from trying. If you already have credit freezes, account alerts and a habit of checking statements, a paid plan adds less. Compare what it covers with what you already have.

What is better, LifeLock or Identity Guard?

Both are well-known identity protection services with several plan levels. We haven't run hands-on trials, so we won't rank them. Compare them the same way: how many credit bureaus they watch, what alerts you get and how, whether a real person helps with recovery, which family members are covered, the renewal price and how to cancel.

What is the best identity theft protection for seniors if I don't want to pay?

Freeze your credit at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, which is free by federal law. Check your free credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com. Turn on text or email alerts at your bank and card companies. Set up your own my Social Security account. If something goes wrong, IdentityTheft.gov builds a free recovery plan.

Does identity theft protection stop scam calls?

No. Monitoring watches for misuse of your information after the fact. It doesn't stop a scammer from calling you or talking you into sending money. For fewer calls, look at call blocking and at removing your details from people-search sites. For scams where you pay someone, your best protection is to hang up and check with someone you trust.

One thing to try this week

Freeze your credit at all three bureaus this week: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Each one takes a few minutes online or by phone. Look for the "freeze" link on each official website. Keep the confirmation notes in one folder at home. That's the core of the best identity theft protection for seniors, and it costs nothing. For a landline that rings too often, our guide to the landline call blocker types is a good next read, and our guide to senior scams has the full picture.

Sources

  • FTC Consumer Advice: identity theft, credit freezes and fraud alerts, identity theft protection services
  • IdentityTheft.gov
  • FTC ReportFraud
  • FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
  • Social Security Administration: my Social Security account
  • Medicare.gov: your Medicare card and number