How to choose identity theft protection for seniors

Why do seniors need identity theft protection?

Seniors are one of the most at-risk groups when it comes to cybercrimes like scams or identity theft. Data from the 2025 Internet Crime Report released by the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) shows that 60+ year olds were not only the most-likely group to submit a complaint, but also had the highest total reported monetary losses, at over $7 billion.

This alarming statistic is likely in part because seniors are more susceptible to cutting-edge techniques, like AI scams. For example, one study from iProov found that seniors are the least likely age group to recognize deepfakes, realistic AI-generated clones of real people. Nearly 40% of people aged 65+ had never even heard of deepfakes before the study took place.  

Separately, scammers may target seniors not because of potential gullibility, but because people aged 65-74 have the highest average net worth of all age groups according to data from the Federal Reserve. In other words, it’s not necessarily that seniors are easier targets — it’s that they’re often more valuable ones.

And even tech-savvy seniors are at risk. Data leaks and data breaches can expose sensitive data that companies have, meaning that identity theft can happen even if potential victims have done everything they can to keep their info secure. 

Key features to look for in identity theft protection for seniors

Identity protection services have different features that can impact both the price and your protection level. Understanding these features can help you choose a product that suits you best. Here’s more detail on some of the most important identity theft protection features for seniors:

• Extensive monitoring: More monitoring of your personal and financial info means you’re more likely to catch (and potentially prevent) fraud. Look for a service that monitors lots of data points, ideally including your credit activity, various financial accounts, and even the dark web.
• 401(k) and investment account monitoring: If you rely on 401(k) and investment accounts for financial security throughout your golden years, investment account monitoring features can give you greater peace of mind that you’ll be able to catch someone trying to steal your money.  
• 24/7 customer support from real people: If you prefer speaking to a real person, not a machine, the best identity theft protection service for you will offer an easy way to get live support when you need it. Look for services that provide 24/7 customer support phone lines. 
• Alerts of fraud: If signs of identity theft are detected in one of your accounts, you need to know quickly. Your chosen identity theft protection service should offer alerts that tell you when something looks wrong, increasing the chance that you can protect against the worst consequences.
• Reimbursement protection: Falling victim to identity theft can be costly, with stolen funds, legal fees, and other expenses turning your financial health upside down. Identity theft insurance or reimbursement coverage can absorb these costs. Look for a service that offers a high reimbursement limit and unlimited claims for the best protection. Some services offer scam reimbursement for even greater financial coverage.
• Expert restoration: Recovering your identity fully after theft can be a long and arduous process, often involving affidavits, disputes, and a lot of phone calls. To ease the burden if your identity is stolen and speed up the recovery process, look for a service that offers expert restoration support.
• Home title monitoring: If you own property, you may be vulnerable to home title theft, when a scammer illegally transfers your property title into their name. Some identity theft protection services offer home title monitoring services that make it easier to detect suspicious deed activity. 
• Ease of use: Identity theft protection services often come with apps for your phone or computer, but they’re not always simple to use. Look for an option that experts praise for ease of use to ensure you can make the most of all the features.
• Family plan: If you want an identity theft protection service that also covers your spouse or children, even if they don’t live under the same roof, search for an option that offers a family plan. These can help you save money versus buying individual plans for your entire family. 
• Senior discounts: Some identity theft protection services may be available at a discounted price for seniors. If you’re a member of AARP or a similar organization, look for member deals on an identity theft protection service that suits you.

Ultimately, the identity theft protection features you need will depend on what you have to protect. If you have relatively simple finances and rent your home, for example, a basic plan might work for you. If you have a more complex financial situation, with a mix of checking, savings, investment, and retirement accounts, an advanced plan could make more sense.

Why is LifeLock a good choice for seniors?

There are many different identity theft protection services for seniors to choose from, each with its own pros and cons. But LifeLock is the only service listed by AARP as a trusted identity theft protection provider.

Why LifeLock? First off, it includes some of the broadest monitoring coverage available — spanning up to three credit bureaus, unlimited checking, investment, and 401k accounts, your home title, the dark web, social media accounts, and more. But it also offers one of the highest identity theft reimbursement limits, with up to $3 million in coverage available with LifeLock Total and no limit on the number of claims. 

Those features make it ideal for seniors who want to monitor their diverse financial accounts and protect the credit and wealth they worked so hard to build. Beyond that, LifeLock includes access to 24/7 customer support which allows you to speak to a real human, along with expert, U.S.-based restoration specialists ready to help if your identity is stolen.

LifeLock’s suitability for seniors is praised by experts, too. Security.org, for example, put LifeLock at the top of their list of identity theft protection services for seniors, beating out other options including Aura and Identity Guard. In their review, they said LifeLock is the “clear choice for those 50 or older,” citing the AARP discount, comprehensive monitoring coverage, and three-bureau credit monitoring as key reasons.

Real users rate LifeLock excellently, too, reflected in its average rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars from over 14,000 real customer reviews on Trustpilot. That beats out competing services including Aura, which has a 4.1 star rating, and Identity Guard, which has a 3.2 star rating.

Here’s what a few of our customers have to say about why they trust LifeLock:

 

 

 

Other identity theft protection services

LifeLock is the top-recommended identity theft protection service for seniors by third-party reviewers at Security.org. But, it’s not the only service out there. Here are some other identity theft protection services to choose from: 

• Aura: Aura bundles identity theft protection features with digital security tools, aiming to provide an all-in-one package. It offers plenty of the features seniors might want from an identity protection service, but doesn’t match LifeLock’s maximum $3 million identity theft reimbursement coverage, lacks social media, phone takeover, and utility account monitoring features, and has a lower average customer rating on Trustpilot.
• Identity Guard: Identity Guard is owned by Aura, offering a slightly more basic identity theft protection service at a lower price. However, the entry-level plan misses some critical features, like credit monitoring, and the relatively low Trustpilot rating of 3.2 stars might call into question the user experience it offers.
• IdentityForce: IdentityForce is a product from TransUnion, one of the three major credit bureaus. It offers identity theft protection features including dark web monitoring, up to $2 million in reimbursement coverage, and restoration support, but lacks credit monitoring in the entry-level plans.
• ID Watchdog: ID Watchdog is operated by Equifax, another major credit bureau, and offers identity theft protection and restoration features. It also includes some digital security features, such as malware alerts, but the entry-level plan lacks key tools like financial monitoring.
• IDShield: IDShield bundles identity theft protection with some digital security and anti-spam tools. It offers broad monitoring and the unique touch of retained private investigators who help support your restoration if you suffer from identity theft, but it placed last on the Security.org list of best identity theft protection services for seniors, with the experts calling out the confusing setup process.

Protect your identity with LifeLock

As a senior, not only are you in an at-risk category for identity theft, you may also have more to lose than most. But you’re not helpless — an identity theft protection service can give you the monitoring, alerts, reimbursement, and restoration features needed to detect threats to your identity and protect your finances.

LifeLock can help you monitor your finances across your checking, savings, investment, and retirement accounts, offers credit monitoring across up to three-bureaus, and includes up to $3m in identity theft reimbursement coverage along with U.S.-based restoration support if your identity is stolen. Together, these features give you greater visibility over your weak points and the expert backing you need to stay safer.

FAQs

Why are seniors targeted by scammers and identity thieves?

Scammers may target seniors because they tend to have greater wealth and are potentially less familiar with the newest digital threats. In other words, scammers might see older people as easier and more lucrative identity theft targets. Of course, this isn’t true of all seniors, but data from the IC3’s 2025 Internet Crime Report indicates that, as a group, seniors are targeted most.    

What are the most common scams that affect the elderly?

In a recent Senate report, common scams focused on seniors include imposter scams when fraudsters impersonate trustworthy organizations like Medicare, person-in-need scams when bad actors pretend to be family members and ask for cash, and investment scams, which victims in their 70s reported losing a median of $20,000 to in 2024.  

What identity theft protection does AARP recommend?

AARP doesn’t explicitly recommend an identity theft protection service. However, LifeLock is the only identity theft protection service listed as a trusted provider in the fraud prevention category on the AARP website.

Methodology

To create this article, we evaluated identity theft protection services using publicly available, independently verifiable information. We also reviewed documentation on monitoring features, credit tools, financial protections, reimbursement terms, pricing, usability, and customer support.

We supplemented this with analysis from independent publishers such as Security.org, as well as customer feedback and aggregate ratings from platforms including Trustpilot. By relying on public resources, we aim to provide readers with a review they can trust. 

All information was checked and reviewed before publication and is subject to change. The analysis reflects the author’s independent evaluation and does not necessarily represent the views of LifeLock or its parent company.