Take steps to proactively protect your identity and credit. If your identity is stolen, it may severely hamper or stop you from taking out a mortgage, credit card, or other types of credit.
You’ll be covered with $1 million identify theft insurance and live support to guide you through the steps of identity restoration, in case your identity gets stolen.
Simply log in to your account and make sure you turn on the free Credit Monitoring feature. The best part is that you can now do it all in one place.
Our free membership offers monthly credit score updates. Your credit score is an important measure of your creditworthiness. Credit card companies, lenders, banks, landlords, and employers use this to help determine what terms they will offer you. Our 1 Bureau score comes from TransUnion.
Our daily credit monitoring will alert you to important changes on your credit report, and provide analysis of your credit and financial situation. Our 1 Bureau daily credit monitoring covers TransUnion alerts.
When you sign up for Credit Sesame’s free credit monitoring, we’ll automatically give you $1 million identity theft insurance, plus live access to talk to identity restoration specialists — for free. In the event you are ever a victim of identity theft, you won’t be alone to deal with it because we’ve got you covered.
If you suspect someone has stolen your identity, act quickly. First, review your credit report to determine which creditor is reporting the activity you think is fraudulent. Next, reach out to the creditor directly to let them know that you believe your personal information has been stolen. Ask the credit bureau that’s reporting the suspicious activity to place a fraud alert on your report. This is free, and the credit bureau you contact will alert the other two. Then check your credit reports from all three credit bureaus thoroughly to look for other red flags that could signal identity theft. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) encourages consumers who suspect identity theft to fill out an identity theft affidavit. The next step is to file a report with your local police department. To support your claim, provide a copy of the police report and your identity theft affidavit to the credit bureau that initially reported the fraudulent activity.
An important first step towards preventing identity theft is to sign up for Credit Sesame’s free credit monitoring service. In addition to staying on top of your credit, secure your personal information. Divulge your personal information sparingly, and only the details that are required. Don’t email your Social Security number, bank account number or credit card number via email. Carefully double-check the sender of any email you receive before you click on a link, and the URL of any website where you enter personal information. Hackers are very good at creating emails and websites that look legitimate. Shred old bank or credit card statements before putting them in the trash, and opt for paperless statements whenever possible. Avoid completing financial transactions while on public Wi-Fi, and choose unique, complex passwords for your email and financial account logins.
Credit cards and bank accounts are not the only targets of thieves. For example, medical identity theft occurs when someone uses your health insurance to fraudulently obtain medical care. Other types of insurance identity theft involve someone using your information to file claims or seek benefits. For example, a thief might use a stolen Social Security number to apply for government benefits, claim a tax refund or get a passport. Identity theft can also occur when someone uses your information to get a driver’s license, seek employment or commit a crime.