What Kinds of Identity Protection Services Exist?

Identity theft has quickly become one of the most prevalent types of crime, especially as more and more people have started to use the Internet for many day to day activities and social experiences. For this reason, many companies have been on the ball about creating services meant to help people get through the difficult times that follow becoming a victim of identity theft. In order to better understand how these services fight against the crime itself, you'll need to understand exactly what the provided services are - and what they offer.

Single Sign On Solutions
This type of protection from identity theft utilizes a single password and username to access many different areas within computers and networks. By entering this information once, you'll be able to access what you need to - with no worry that you'll have to stop and sign in each time you need to use a different item. The only exception to this is when it is necessary to sign into a higher level program or area, in which case a separate password may be required. This type of solution is meant to increase productivity, decrease the need to stop and log in every few minutes, and increase the security of computers. As you'll need a password to access specific areas, those that do not have one will be totally out of luck.

Password Manager
A password manager also utilizes a single password in order to get things done. The difference here is that with this single password entered, you'll be able to access a database of all of your passwords and user information, giving you the ability to enter them in when and where necessary. A password manager keeps things secret from strangers, and negates the need to write down and remember a multitude of passwords - also decreasing the possibility that these things will fall into the wrong hands. Although it can be a little scary to have all of your most personal information in one location, this is an extremely useful method that is much more secure than it sounds; without the master password, no one will be able to see your information, meaning that you can sign out of pages and accounts on shared computers without fearing that you won't be able to get back in when you need to.

Credit and Identity Monitors
These two types of identity protection services are a little more focused than password managers and sign on solutions, as they actually go through your personal information, looking for signs of theft. With proper implementation, these services can be extremely useful in showcasing things that can be associated with cases of identity theft - this includes out of the ordinary transactions, new account inquiries, changed balances and debts, and even personal information being used in "strange" ways. Each of these types of events will be noted and reported back to you by these services through email, which negates the need to wait long periods of time for yearly reports and things sent through the actual mail. The fact that both of these monitoring types exists is a good indicator that there are different types of identity theft that you should be aware of - and that there are options meant to meet your needs, no matter what they may be.