Identity theft protection: catch fraud before it catches you
- Check for data leaks around the clock
- Mask your identity so there’s less data to steal
- Get real recovery support if fraud ever happens
Widely trusted with 40M+ global app downloads, rewarded with 30+ recognition awards
Data as of 2026-03-26
Data as of 2026-03-26
What is identity theft?
Identity theft is when someone steals and uses your personal data, such as your Social Security or National Insurance numbers, credit card details, or passwords, to commit fraud.
What it is
Unauthorized hijacking of your personal details and sensitive information by criminals aiming to commit identity fraud for their own financial gain.
How it happens
Cybercriminals harvest credentials through corporate data breaches, buy consumer profiles from shady data brokers, or trick you directly via phishing scams and malware to steal sensitive information.
What’s its impact
Financial loss and account takeover, serious credit damage, and exhausting legal battles to reclaim your identity, lost money, and good credit.
Identity theft is a real and growing threat, but it isn’t unstoppable. The right tools can shrink your exposure, catch warning signs early, and keep scammers out.
Why this matters
According to Surfshark’s research, a staggering 23.8 billion accounts have been breached globally since 2004. In 2025 alone, 425.7 million accounts were leaked. At this rate, it’s not a question of if your information gets exposed — it’s when.
And identity theft costs more than money. It costs time, energy, and peace of mind. Fixing the damage can mean replacing ID cards, sorting out your credit, filing report after report, and proving your identity again and again.
Protect your identity with Surfshark
Surfshark’s data leak monitoring is a web monitoring solution that informs you if your private details have fallen into the wrong hands. If something appears on the web, you’ll get an alert so you can secure your accounts before any damage is done.
Act now — see if your data has been exposed with our Data Leak Checker.
Password leak monitoring
Find out if any of your passwords were leaked, so you can swap them out before too much damage has been done.
Dark web monitoring
Let us keep tabs on the shady parts of the internet for you — monitor the dark web to know if your credentials are being traded or sold.
Email leak monitoring
Know if someone might get into your main inbox with email monitoring — get alerted if your email address appears in a data breach.
Credit card leak monitoring
Track your bank accounts with credit card monitoring — get early warnings so you can freeze them and control the damage.
ID leak monitoring
Use identity monitoring to keep a close watch on high-risk personal data, such as your ID or Social Security number.
Instead of handing over your real name, email, and phone number to every website that asks, Surfshark lets you create a fully functional online persona. Alternative ID helps you keep your identity private and reduce your risk of data leaks, marketing spam, and unwanted tracking.
Alternative ID
Generate an alternative name, address, and email for random online sign-ups to keep your identity and inbox protected.
Alternative number
Get a virtual phone number (paid add-on) in your app to keep your primary number away from spammers or data leaks.
Data brokers are collecting and selling your private information for profit. Take it back with Incogni, an automated tool that requests that these companies delete your data from their databases, keeping your name off public search sites and data brokers’ collections.
Automated opt-outs
Don’t waste time contacting brokers yourself. Incogni automatically sends official, legal deletion requests to up to 420+ data brokers on your behalf.
Continuous protection
Keep your information off databases for good — Incogni continuously tracks them and resends removal requests to make sure your data stays private.
Progress tracking
Watch the cleanup happen in real time. Keep tabs on every request and see which brokers have wiped your information in a convenient dashboard.
If the worst happens and you become a victim of identity theft, you don’t have to deal with the fallout alone. With Surfshark’s identity theft coverage, you get access to professional support and financial backing to help you reclaim your name and handle unexpected costs.
Licensed investigator support
Don’t stress about fixing your records alone. Get matched with a licensed identity theft investigator who will personally guide you through the identity restoration and credit repair process.
Up to $1M expense reimbursement
Use reimbursement coverage of up to $1M to cover legal fees, document replacements, and notary costs, as well as financial support to cover stolen funds, lost wages, and mental health counseling.
Disclaimer: Identity theft coverage is available for new Surfshark One+ customers residing in the US, including US territories and the District of Columbia, except for New York State residents. Surfshark is not a licensed insurance producer. Benefits under the Master Policy are issued and covered by HSB Specialty Insurance Company. You can find further details and exclusions in the summary of benefits for the state of Washington and the rest of the US.
Choose your level of protection
Don’t forget to upgrade your ID theft protection plan with a phone number masking add-on.
Why choose Surfshark?
Surfshark keeps online security straightforward. Here is what we offer to help make managing your privacy a bit easier:
How to use Surfshark’s identity theft protection
Surfshark keeps online security straightforward. Here is what we offer to help make managing your privacy a bit easier:
1. Choose a plan and subscribe
Select a Surfshark plan that includes the identity fraud protection features you need.
2. Set up your protection tools
Activate data leak monitoring, set up personal data masking, and enable the privacy features included with your plan.
3. Monitor your data and take action
Receive alerts when your information is exposed and follow the recommended steps to help protect your identity.
One subscription. Multiple layers of protection.
Surfshark combines privacy, security, and identity protection in a single cybersecurity suite.
Secure connection
Browse with greater privacy using Surfshark VPN to encrypt your web traffic, mask your IP address, protect sensitive data on public Wi-Fi, and block ads and malicious domains with Clean Web.
Device protection
Protect your devices from malware, spyware, and other online threats with Surfshark Antivirus — real-time protection, scheduled scans, and more.
Scam detection
Stay one step ahead of scams with scam text protection, email scam checker, and web content blocker working together to help you spot threats before you interact with them.
Identity protection
Shield your digital identity with Alternative ID, monitor data leaks with Alert, reduce your online exposure with Incogni, and get support for identity theft recovery if it happens.
Your identity is worth protecting — start now
One tool to protect your data, secure your devices, and clean up your digital footprint
Frequently asked questions
How do I choose the right identity theft protection service?
Look for a service that monitors your credit cards, personal info, and the dark web all in one place. You also want identity theft protection plans that offer access to real recovery specialists if your identity is compromised, plus solid insurance to cover unexpected legal or recovery costs. Finally, make sure it bundles other useful tools, like a VPN or antivirus, so you get the most value for your money.
What are the different types of identity theft protection?
Identity theft protection generally comes in three main types: credit monitoring, identity scanning, and restoration services.
Credit monitoring checks your credit report and flags fraudulent accounts, unauthorized loans, or new credit opened in your name, while identity scanning checks the dark web for leaked emails or passwords. Restoration services provide insurance and professional help to clean up the mess if you do become a victim.
What is the first thing you should do if your identity is stolen?
First, immediately place a fraud alert and freeze your credit with the three major bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) to block scammers from opening fraudulent accounts in your name. Next, head to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at IdentityTheft.gov to officially report identity theft and get a personalized recovery plan. Finally, contact your bank and credit card issuers to lock down or close any compromised financial accounts.
How do I prevent identity theft?
Start by securing your online accounts with unique passwords and enabling multi-factor authentication wherever you can. To ensure ongoing identity theft prevention, use a VPN to encrypt your data on public Wi-Fi and keep an antivirus active to block malware.
To keep your details off the radar and help avoid identity theft, sign up for apps and websites using masked email addresses and phone numbers instead of your primary contact info. Finally, consider a tool to remove your details from data broker databases so identity thieves can’t buy your information in the first place.
Don’t let identity theft happen by being proactive — take our online safety course to learn how to spot scams and improve your own identity protection.
