First off, I hate thieves!

With the data breach of Anthem - of which I'm a member - I've been looking for input on credit and ID monitoring from companies like LifeLock. Seems to me that there are very mixed reviews on the effectiveness and service from these companies and that it may not be worth the cost, even if your ID is stolen. I do a very thorough job of watching our accounts (debit, credit, investments) but short of the three free annual credit reports, I don't have much oversight on new, fraudulent accounts being opened with my information. My questions are:

1. Is this service/protection worth while or a waste of time and money? - particularly interested if you've had to deal with your identity being stolen.
2. Do you have a service in this field that you recommend? What has been your experience with their service and resolution on issues?
3. What proactive steps can I take to prevent and monitor for fraudulent accounts being created with my info?


Thanks for your time any any input you can offer!