Don't Buy Into Expensive ID Theft Protection Services

Consumer Reports says that you should be leery of expensive ID theft protection services because they aren't all they are cracked up to be. No worries if you are one of those people (using an expensive service), CR does offer some alternative strategies to keep your identity safe. ID theft protection services can cost from $120 to $300 a year, and are supposed to monitor your credit reports around the clock, scouring "black-market chat rooms" for your personal information, removing your name from marketing lists, and filing fraud alerts. But the value you get for what you pay is questionable, says CRMA.