Fair But Pricey ID THEFT
By Jonah Freedman

(MONEY Magazine) – We've long been skeptical about identity-theft insurance, which covers the cost and hassle of getting your records straighened out if you become a victim. Now comes ID Fraud Intercept, from the big daddy of credit scoring agencies, Fair Isaac. The twist: For $90 a year, the company will monitor all of your credit reports for signs of fraudulent activity, such as new credit lines and title changes. Plus, it keeps an eye on more than 400 data sources for suspicious information changes, like a new address. And if you still become a victim, the policy indemnifies you up to $25,000. "You can put ID theft out of your mind," says Fair Isaac's Craig Watts. Is it worth $90 a year? We remain skeptical. Federal law puts tight limits on your liability in fraud cases. We recommend just getting a copy of your credit report once a year--at about $10 per--from each of the bureaus: Equifax.com, Experian .com and TransUnion.com. --JONAH FREEDMAN