What is "credit monitoring" and how can it help me protect myself from identity theft?
Credit monitoring services, right now, are some of the best tools that you and I have available to us right now to protect our identities. The first thing that an identity thief is going to do, when they are trying to open up accounts under your name, is usually credit cards. That is the most prevalent form of identity theft. When they fill out those credit card applications the issuing bank is going to check your credit to see if you are a good risk. If you actually have credit monitoring services, credit monitoring services check your credit report, for that type of activity, looking for checks into your credit. If you have credit monitoring, they will inform you that there is activity on your credit. Meaning that someone is checking your credit to open a new account under your name. Credit monitoring is a proactive way to find out what is going on regarding your credit. It allows you a window into your credit report 24 hours a da, to find out if there is activity if someone is trying to compromise your identity. I highly recommend credit monitoring in this day and age.