Can Free Identity Theft Protection Actually Work?

People often say that the best things in life are free, but does this translate to services like identity theft protection? Can a free product really compete with paid services and do what it is meant to do? This is a question that is best answered by taking a look at one of the sites that offers identity theft protection - http://www.identityguard.com/. This site has many different plans and products available, including credit monitoring services, identity monitoring, single sign on solutions, credit score reporting and much more. These services all come at a cost, but the company offers something extremely valuable for free - a trial of their services.

But what will a trial do?
A trial of something is a limited look at the ways a product or service can benefit users. While it is only available for a short period of time, it can often give people an idea of exactly how something works - allowing them to decide whether or not they want to purchase the product in the end. A  trial may include limited features, a short time frame in which to play around with features, results and reports and an in depth description of services in order to appeal more to potential users. A trial is meant to entice users by showing them what companies have to offer before they make their purchase.

Are there free services that don't end after a trial period?
While there are free services that can be used indefinitely that do in fact work, there are paid options that offer additional services, more customized protection methods, and a better likelihood of catching  thieves. This is made possible because charging a fee for a product allows the development team to spend more time and effort updating the products that they create. Without funding, it may be more difficult to keep up with changes in structure, tactics of thieves, and  new methods that are used to monitor accounts as people do not want to work for free - fewer updates mean a better chance for an outdated product, which is never a good thing... but can be especially damaging when personal information and financial security and stability are on the line.

Should I trust a free service?
The answer to this question is somewhat subjective. For some, using a free service is the only option, as that is all that can be afforded. While using this type of service will offer some protection, it may not be enough to catch thieves or keep them from doing a great deal of damage. Free products have proven to be successful in terms of programs and services like virus protection, office suites, games and applications, but most of these free options also have paid alternatives. Using a free service may be enough to give a person an idea as to whether or not they would like (or think they could benefit from) using a paid version... but it's important to remember that in many cases, you get what you pay for, and that things cost money for a reason.