How an Identity Monitor Can Help Protect Your Information

When trying to protect your information online, sometimes one set of eyes isn't enough, so implementing a service like an identity monitor is a great way to ensure that there is an added level of protection standing between your information and thieves. Though it may seem like more of the same, this type of protection is designed and created with the intention of giving you more in terms of protection. While adding to the level of security, this type of service does not require additional vigilance by the user in between reports; it simply runs constantly, alerting users to certain types of activities like new credit applications, new loan applications or change of addresses, even monitoring for Social Security number exposure, which may be signs of attempted identity theft.

What is an Identity Monitor?

An identity monitor is like a credit monitor - but it takes things one step further. Whereas a credit monitoring service checks your credit file information, an identity monitor encompasses more aspects of your identity from your name and social security number to your address and vital statistics. Monitoring your very important information for personally identifiable information for potentially damaging exposure on the Internet; for new cell phone applications made in your name; bank password changes can all be indications your identity has been compromised. With early notifications, you can be alerted early and start to take the necessary precautions to keep your identity protected,

What Happens When Someone Steals My Identity?

Being the victim of identity theft is more than having money stolen and accounts compromised. It can also mean the difference between being approved for certain things like jobs, homes, or even passports. If a thief gets ahold of something like a Social Security number, they can then use that to pose as you - applying for things, filling out forms, even pretending to be a legal citizen in some cases. As you can guess, getting things sorted out when they get to this point can be quite difficult, so it is important to try to stop this type of invasion from happening in any way available.

Is Identity Theft Common?

The answer to this question is yes. Identity theft happens all the time, inconveniencing and even in some cases ruining the lives of the victims. It can be very difficult and time consuming to recover from identity theft, so knowing how to identify this type of theft is important. Sadly, the prevalence of identity theft makes it easier to know what to look for - meaning that the loss of others is used as a teaching method for those that have not been victimized. Thousands of people have had their identities stolen, requiring them to participate in the slow process of reclaiming control over their lives. Their stories and experiences provide information for people that are concerned about the safety of their own information, and even reading one of them will make some type of identity protection like an identity monitoring service or credit report monitoring seem like a fantastic idea to implement.

ID Theft Protection Information For Individuals

When it comes to protecting yourself, there is more to worry about than physical violence or burglary. The prevalence of ID theft has increased over the last decade as use of the Internet has skyrocketed and people have started to put their entire lives on display. With more information becoming available to hackers and thieves, people have found themselves becoming victims more and more; their lives becoming convoluted, compromised and even in some cases entirely ruined by identity theft.

What is ID Theft Protection?

Identity theft protection is exactly what it sounds like: methods and procedures that are designed and implemented in order to keep your information safe and secure. Things like credit monitoring, account monitoring, log-in verification and even things like captchas and verification codes are all types of this protection. These measures are put into place by the websites you use without any necessary action by you, the user, as well as by way of implementing added security by being chosen. These types of protection cannot reverse, fix, or act as foolproof methods of prevention, but using them may decrease the likelihood that your information will be compromised - and increase the ability of users to find and put an end to security compromises.

Who Uses These Methods of Protection?

These methods are used by those that want to have the highest level of protection when it comes to their personal information. When used correctly, these methods offer added layers of protection between their information and thieves, helping to make it less likely that their identities will be compromised, which can reduce stress, hassle, and even the potential for substantial loss.

What Can Happen if My Identity is Stolen?

You may not think that identity theft is a serious concern, but the fallout from very serious cases can be felt for years afterwards. This happens when financial information or a Social Security Number is stolen, as these cases can take a long time to straighten out. Credit card companies, banks, and even the Federal Government may have to be involved, meaning that it is more than calling the local police in order to report some false charges, it requires a great deal of investigation and cooperation between the victim and the authorities. The person that stole your identity will be essentially living your life, and laying a trail that could affect your ability to do many things until it is caught, stopped, and rectified.  For this reason (among others) it is imperative to attempt to prevent identity theft by implementing some type of monitoring program or system as an added precaution.

The Rise of Identity Theft Over The Internet

As the Internet has become the "go to" for many people when it comes to banking, shopping, paying bills and talking to friends, the trend of identity theft has been on the rise. Though when many people think of identity theft, they simply think of someone using the name and information of someone else, the truth of the matter is that having your identity stolen is so much more. Not only is it an inconvenience, but it is an invasion of privacy, a potential threat to close family and friends, and extremely difficult to narrow down the culprit in may cases. Identity theft cannot ever be eradicated, but there are plenty of steps that can be taken that will decrease the chances of being targeted and impacted.

How To Decrease the Likelihood of Identity Theft

Though it may seem like a daunting task, there are many options available that can help people protect themselves from becoming a victim of identity theft. To start, it is important to consider all of the information that they make public to others. With the prevalence of social media, people are putting more and more out into the world - names, addresses, photos - each piece of information is one additional clue about your life, and can help someone work their way into even more personal accounts.

Another method is to employ some outside help. The use of services, software and apps like credit check monitoring, identity monitoring, password keepers, and even anti-key loggers can help to prevent others from getting to your information. Many of these types of programs serve as a way to make people feel like their information is more secure - giving them a sense of peace. Information about these types of protection is available at http://www.identityguard.com/ as is the ability to purchase and begin using them.

Common sense is one of the best ways to help prevent identity theft; it can save a lot of trouble for online users. Changing passwords often, coming up with extremely difficult ones to crack, and even choosing off the wall security question answers will add an extra level of protection to your accounts and information, which can decrease the ability of thieves to take and misuse your information. The best thing that individuals can do is to think before they act; meaning that taking a few extra seconds to make sure that a website is secure, or that they are giving necessary information only may not seem like much, but it will certainly help.

The Best Types of Identity Monitoring

There are many different ways for people to keep their information safe, but the best ones are simply the ones that work. As each person has a different level of need for protection, different things will work better for different people. Identity monitoring can do a great deal toward protecting the information, assets, and identities of the people that utilize it, so not waiting is imperative. The sooner information is protected, the sooner the feeling of safety and being at ease will settle in each time a purchase is made or a bill is paid over the Internet.

Why You Might Use A Credit Check Monitoring Service

Before you can reasonably decide whether a credit check monitoring service may be useful to you, you may need to learn more about what it actually is. Most of the time, a monitoring credit check service will provide you with a selection of information. That information, for example, may come in the form of email alerts that are used to inform you when certain activities are detected through data obtained from your credit reports. This might, for example, indicate new credit has been opened in your name, or collections being added, and so on. Usually, credit check monitoring allows you to regularly keep an eye on what is happening in your credit for the purpose of detecting if identity thieves are working against you.

Credit Check Monitoring and Identity Theft

Most people believe that the biggest reason why you should check your credit regularly is to protect yourself from identity theft. Indeed, this is a key reason why credit check monitoring has become so important over the years because identity theft is becoming an increasingly relevant problem. Using services offered through websites, such as http://www.identityguard.com, you can watch over your credit reports more diligently, so that you can be informed as early as possible of certain activity that could indicate identity theft.

What Is Identity Theft?

Identity theft takes place when your personal details are stolen from you. Often, criminals can use your personal identity information to drain your bank account, start up new lines of credit in your name, or even commit fraudulent activities. When this takes place, any negative activity that happens within your line of credit is attributed to you, and not to the criminal who is actually responsible. This is one of the reasons why monitoring credit check can be so useful.

It's also worth remembering that one of the negative effects of identity theft is to lower your credit rating and this can have a huge impact on a person's life. Your credit is the element that helps banks and financial institutions decide whether they should give you the loans you need for the things that you want desperately in life, such as homes, new cars, or anything else.

Is Credit Monitoring Important?

Keeping track of your financial well being is imperative to a person’s future, and can often mean the difference between having an easy life and having a difficult one. As your credit score is often an indication of what you are capable of handling in terms of finances, knowing exactly where you stand is more than a good idea, it is essential. Your score may not be perfect and it may not even be where you would like it to be, but with careful vigilance, it is possible to keep track of it and learn more about how to protect it. 

What is a Credit Score? 

Your credit score is calculated based on a number of things. Debt, active credit cards, loans, income and your history when paying bills are all taken into account and then the credit score is calculated. This score changes as your information changes - doing things like paying bills on time and paying off loans or debts will raise your scores while increasing debts, missing payments or having bills sent to collections will do the opposite. Having good credit is important for adults, and checking your credit report periodically is a good way to find discrepancies - which can be an indication of identity theft or fraud. Credit monitoring services, like the one offered at http://www.identityguard.com/, is an effective way to keep an eye on your credit.  

Who Will See My Credit Score? 

Ideally, only those that need to access your credit score will see it. This will include you, your bank, any company you approach for a loan or fill out an application for (credit cards, apartments, cars, etc) and potential employers. Being able to use old credit reports alongside the new can be used as a way to establish evidence of theft by alerting the proper parties to discrepancies, a sudden drop in numbers and even fraudulent applications or collections notices. In a perfect world, very few people will be able to access your credit scores, and they will only be used as guidelines and a tool to benefit you as you move through life. 

How Accurate is Credit Check Monitoring? 

Although these types of services are known for accuracy, they should never be used as a definitive method for proving identity theft or a data breach. Though they report current numbers, they act as more of a general indication of a credit score, and serve to keep users up to date in a way that comprehensive once a year reports cannot. The information obtained by these monitoring services is accurate, but they cannot be used to actually prevent identity theft; they are simply an enhanced method of detecting some types of fraudulent account or identity activity. These types of services give users a heads up when something looks amiss.

While it seems like a great deal of information to keep track of, credit monitoring services can help a great deal, and are available in many forms from simple to complex, depending on the type of services that you need. These reports are meant to help users get a better grasp on their financial standing in a way that would not be possible otherwise, giving them means to preemptively strike against account fraud or potential theft. 

The Best Ways to Protect Yourself From Identity Theft

Identity theft is a growing concern for many people due to their dependence on the Internet and online shopping. 

Despite the prevalence of online identity theft, many people also sometimes forget that they need protecting from identity theft in real life situations, too. Identity theft can completely destroy the lives of those that are victims, so it is imperative that preventative measures are taken in order to protect yourself, your loved ones, and your finances from identity theft. Recovering from having your identity stolen can take years, and is a complicated and involved process, so here are some tips to help protect yourself.

Good Ideas

• Don’t give out your personal information to anyone that you can’t verify. Scammers often look legitimate on the surface, but a little digging will uncover the fact that they are not associated with the business they claim to be, and what they will do with your information is unclear. 
• Change your passwords often - and choose ones that cannot easily be figured out. Websites often suggest using numbers, letters and special characters... This may seem like a hassle, but it is to protect yourself from identity theft. Choose phrases or titles, not birthdays and names - these are much harder  to figure out.   
• Be vigilant about your surroundings. When going to the ATM or signing credit card receipts in stores, be aware of those around you. Cover the numbers on the key pad, use a signature that would be difficult to reproduce. Any measures you take will make it harder for others to assume your identity. 
• Keep an eye on personal documents and statements. Many people tend to leave mail unopened if they don't need to look at it right away - and since many practice online banking, they may not even receive paper statements. These statements and correspondence from your financial institutions are often the first sign that something may be wrong, so it is important to open and read them thoroughly on a regular basis. 

Bad Ideas

• Sharing information can be dangerous. Do not fill out forms, respond to emails, or allow others to sign into your accounts for you, unless the situation absolutely calls for it. This is an open invitation for people to learn your information.  
• Writing passwords down could end in disaster. Even though it may seem like a great idea to take down every username and password that you have into a neat little file, this is only going to act as an aid for people that see or find them. This is especially true if these passwords are located in a file on your computer or in your email.
• Carrying your Social Security card and other important documents is a mistake. Although it is convenient to have these items, having them fall into the wrong hands could result in a major identity compromise and a legal struggle. Ladies should clean out their purses and both men and women should periodically clean out their wallets, taking out items like receipts, bank balances, and old checks when necessary.

Why Do People Use Credit Monitor Services?

Credit monitor services can be utilized as a way of alerting individuals that certain changes have occurred within their credit report, either via text message or email. Generally, most people use automatic credit monitor systems as a method of watching over their credit histories, as it can be useful in warning them about possible fraudulent activity, such as identity theft.

According to the Federal Trade Commission in the United States, it can take up to a year before consumers notice that their credit identity has been compromised and that somebody has stolen their identity and is obtaining debt using their name. By using a service to monitor credit, such as the one provided by Identity Guard® (http://www.identityguard.com), it is possible to detect identity theft much faster than if you were simply relying upon the information gleaned from annual credit reports.

What Does a Credit Monitor Service Do?

When you decide to use a credit monitor service, such as the Identity Guard® automatic credit monitor, you will be receiving alerts whenever certain changes occur in your credit reports. For a fee, your credit monitoring service of choice will be able to provide you with frequent information, although the nature of that information can differ slightly according to the company that you choose.

However, one important thing for consumers to understand about credit monitoring, is that it cannot promise that identity theft will not take place. Although accessing credit monitoring services can be a great way to help you keep a closer eye on the changes that may take place within your report, making the identification of problems more quickly, they will only help to protect you against identity theft - which means that you are able to detect its occurrence much earlier.

A good credit monitoring service is there to inform its customers of when certain changes take place within their credit files. Information is obtained through data from the three major credit bureaus. Oftentimes, the service will not provide actual credit scores but simply data computed based on the credit reports as a way to detect changes that could possibly be due to identity theft.