The terms Identity Theft Protection and Credit Monitoring Service are often thought about and used interchangeably as both are designed to protect consumers from having issues with their credit score. However, they are not really the same.
A Credit Monitoring Service, is designed to do just what the term implies- to keep a watch on a user’s credit. If and when a change occurs, typically a decline in the credit score, the user gets a notification of some sort, such as an email, that the credit score declined. However, it offers little else, or what prompted the change.
Identity Theft Protection is a stronger offering. This service will monitor multiple items, that does include the credit score, but also adds the Dark Web, criminal databases, Social Security number repositories, and other resources to assess for any threats to an individual’s identity being used for criminal purposes.