Even with politicians passing laws that protect consumers from identity theft crimes, identity theft protection services are in high demand. Why? Because laws can only do so much. A criminal doesn't care what laws are in place if he or she intends to steal your identity. Where there's a will, there's a way, and the laws can't do much about that.

Fortunately, identity theft protection services can pick up where the laws leave off. While it's impossible to completely prevent identity theft from happening to you, these services can seriously mitigate any damage that would occur if you did become a victim of the crime. By offering credit freezes, daily credit monitoring and identity theft insurance coverage, the risks associated with this ever-increasing crime are definitely reduced.

So, if identity theft protection services are so valuable, why the controversial coverage by the media lately? Why would newspapers like Philadelphia's The Bulletin print articles bashing identity theft protection services and dismissing their claims and their value? Because not all identity theft protection services are created equal.

As evidenced by reviews, such as the identity theft protection service reviews found at Star Reviews, some identity theft protection services don't measure up. However, those same reviews prove that some companies offering identity theft protection really can deliver on their promises. IdentityGuard Total Protection and LoudSiren, for example, received impressive ratings.

The key to finding the right identity theft protection service is understanding the features of each service offered and reading the available research and reviews on the different services. When the right protection is purchased, it might not be able to completely prevent someone from stealing your identity, but it can definitely nip the damage in the bud.