I have a subscription to one of those ID protection services. Not because I paid for it, but because someone lost my personal information and sprung for it for a couple of years.
I've read somewhere that these services are kind of a rip-off, and that any information they provide is available elsewhere. The most important service these people seem to offer is an update when my credit is accessed. After getting a new apartment, etc., I'll get a notification within a few days that my credit was accessed.
Is there really a way that I can do this myself (without paying the $10 or whatever to pull my credit port, from all three agencies?) Or is one of these protection services the cheapest / easiest way to have this done? I understand one can access their credit report free yearly - but this time interval is too long to provide real protection.