Is your identity protected?

My in-laws receive social security checks in the mail. I worry about them and their identity. So many social security checks are stolen these days. A friend of mine saw a pile of paper in the ditch and went to clean it up and found it was a bunch of empty envelopes of what appeared to be social security checks and child support checks.
Then, with all the very easy to get credit card offers that come in the mail, I get worried about my identity being stolen. How easy would it be to get a card from someone else and just change the address?
There are companies out there, like lifelock, that help you protect your identity. They do frequent checks of the credit bureaus, and put out a fraud alert on your accounts.
I love that they have a wallet lock program where if your wallet is stolen you only have to call them, and they will contact all your banks and credit card companies for you. How great is that?
Donnie lost his wallet in a public bathroom and just one card was stolen out of it, plus the cash, but they did try to use the card! I could have been bad news for us.

If you use a credit protection company, make sure you get one with a gaurantee. If your identity is stolen while using them, they should do everything to help you restore your name, including hiring a lawyer and investigators, some will even give you back the money that was stolen. The only company that I have seen with that much of a guarantee is LifeLock.