What is Credit Monitoring?
Credit monitoring includes monitoring of changes reported to all three national credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion). Changes monitored include personal information, public records, inquiries, new account openings, and existing accounts reported past due.
What should I do if I receive a notification for something that didn’t happen?
In some cases, the credit-reporting agency may commit errors on your credit file and the incorrect information may trigger a notification. Nevertheless, if you see a credit notification that is not accurate, please contact customer support.
How often is my credit monitored?
Credit bureau notifications are generated through consistent monitoring, and are distributed multiple times a day. A credit bureau file is monitored daily and any notifications triggered because of new inquiries and/or adjustments made to a credit file are sent to you via email.
What should I do if I see a mistake on my credit report?
In some cases, the credit-reporting agency may commit errors on your report — the incorrect information may simply be a mistake. However, an error on your credit report could indicate that an identity theft event has occurred. If you see incorrect information on your credit report, please contact our customer support.
Why is there a difference between my three scores?
Each credit-reporting agency generates a score derived from what is reported about you. A creditor may report to one, two, or all three of the national credit bureaus. As a result, the information one credit bureau has may be different than another, resulting in a different credit score.
What time range does my initial credit report cover?
Your credit report includes data beginning from the date your credit file was first established. This could span more than 25 years.
What does it mean if I see big changes in my credit score from month to month?
Every reported item on your credit report is used to calculate your credit score. If your score has changed significantly since the last month, it may be due to the fact that an account was not reported for the month or an item has been added to or removed from your report. Drastic changes in account balances and opening new lines of credit could also significantly impact your score.
What information do I enter in the Medical Identities field?
Enter your Member ID number as it appears on your health insurance card.
Where does TrueScan data come from?
This data comes from Internet forums and websites, web pages, IRC channels, refined PII search engine queries, Twitter feeds, P2P sources, hidden, and anonymous web services, malware samples, botnets, and torrent sources.
What time range does my initial TrueScan report cover?
Your first TrueScan report includes data from the previous eight years. This means that our tool searches the prior eight years of records it has collected for a match to the personal information you are monitoring.
What does it mean when I receive an alert?
Your TrueScan service tracks Internet activity for signs that the personal information you’ve asked us to monitor is being traded and/or sold online. This notification means that our surveillance technology has discovered information on the Internet that is a match to your monitored identity elements.
What if the notification references only some of the personal information TrueScan is tracking?
Even if only some of your personal information has been detected by TrueScan, it is recommended that you contact the appropriate institution to have your account information changed, or change your account information yourself if possible – similar to the way you would with your password to email account password. It is safe to assume that if some of your information is compromised, all of it is. You may also want to review a copy of your credit report to ensure that all of the information that appears there is familiar to you.
Is the buying and selling of others’ personal information online illegal?
This activity is illegal in the United States, but other countries do not necessarily have the same laws as related to cybercrime. United States regulatory agencies have no jurisdiction to prosecute fraudsters acting on websites and chat rooms located in other countries.
Can I still become a victim of identity theft even though I am enrolled in TrueScan?
TrueScan dramatically reduces your risk of identity theft by letting you know sooner if your personal information is compromised, and in turn enabling prevention or quick resolution of an identity theft incident. In addition to TrueScan, you also have identity protection insurance and recovery services to help alleviate some of the financial burden of identity theft and guide you through the often confusing and difficult process. Unfortunately, no identity protection tool can prevent identity theft altogether.
What records does Financial Account Takeover search for my personal information?
Your personal information is monitored daily against activity from a comprehensive, cross-industry database. The service has access to thousands of financial institutions across all 50 states which includes national and regional banks and credit unions.
What is Financial Account Takeover monitoring, and how soon will I receive a notification if my personal information is found compromised?
This service monitors your name and Social Security Number, and will notify you daily if unusual or high-risk activity is detected. If detected, you will receive the following notifications:
- Bank Account Application Notification – If your personal information has been used to apply for a new bank account
- Bank Account Opening Notification– If your personal information has been used to open a new bank account
- Bank Account Takeover Notification– If changes have been made to your existing bank account, including changes to account contact information or attempts to add new account holders
- Credit Card Application Notification– If your personal information has been used to apply for a new credit card account
- Credit Card Opening Notification– If your personal information has been used to open a new credit card account
How soon will I receive a notification if a match to my personal information is found?
Notifications are delivered within seconds of a transaction, allowing you to determine if a fraudulent event occurred so that you can take action immediately. You will receive an alert if your personal information is used for new applications or identity authorizations/validations.
Will I only receive notifications for complete transactions?
No. In addition to receiving notifications for complete transactions, this service will also alert you to initiated transactions. For instance, if a fraudster initiates a transaction and later abandons the transaction, you will still receive a notification.
How far back does my initial report search?
45 days
How soon after risky content is posted will I be notified?
You will receive a notification within 24 to 48 hours.
Why does Child Monitoring track my child’s personal information?
This service monitors your child’s personal information for activity on the dark web, including Internet sites, chat rooms, forums and more. If we find your child’s personal information being traded and/or sold online, we will notify you. We also monitor your child’s SSN to identify credit information associated with your child’s identity.
What does it mean when I receive a notification?
We monitor your child’s personal information to identify activity on the dark web and to spot credit information associated with your child’s identity. This notification means that a match to your child’s monitored information has been found. Review the notification to determine if your child’s identity may be at risk. For more information and guidance, contact an identity restoration specialist.
What if the notification references only some of the personal information Child Monitoring is tracking?
It is safe to assume that if some of your child’s information is compromised, all of it is. You should contact an identity restoration specialist to determine if an identity theft event has occurred.
What do I do if I don’t recognize the information included in the notification I receive?
If your child’s notification contains names and/or addresses that you do not recognize, this could be an error in credit header information or indication of identity theft. For more information and guidance, contact an identity restoration specialist.
What do I do if there is a name or address in the Social Security Number Trace report that I don’t recognize?
If your report contains names and/or addresses that are not familiar to you, there is probably an error in credit header data — the identifying information that accompanies your credit reports, including information such as name, current and prior address, phone number, date of birth, and SSN. However, this could be an indication of identity theft. If you see unfamiliar information in your Social Security Number Trace report, please contact customer support.
What do I do if an old address is incorrect in the Social Security Number Trace report?
It is not uncommon for address history dating back more than five years to contain errors. However, if the incorrect address is more recent, please contact customer support.
What do I do if I see a name on the Social Security Number Trace report or notification that isn’t my current name?
It’s not uncommon to see alternate names on your report due to marriage, joint credit accounts, and nicknames you may have used. However, if you are concerned, please contact customer support.
What time range does my initial Social Security Number Trace report cover?
Your first Social Security Number Trace report looks at data beginning from the date your SSN first became associated with credit header data. This could be as early as when you were born and issued an SSN.
Where does Change of Address Monitoring data come from?
Change of Address Monitoring report only changes in address that have been processed through the United States Postal Service (USPS). Change of Address Monitoring does not track UPS or FedEx-only addresses or private mailboxes.
How long after I submit a change of address request will I receive an alert?
The USPS can take up to two weeks after the “effective date” to publish the address change. You will receive a notification once the change has been published.
What do I do if there is an address in Change of Address Monitoring that I don’t recognize?
If your report contains an address that is not familiar to you, there is probably an error in public records information. However, this could be an indication of identity theft. If you see unfamiliar information in Change of Address Monitoring, please contact customer support.
What time range does my initial Mail Change report cover?
Your first report includes data from the past three months, including the current month.
How will being enrolled help me restore my identity if I become a victim of identity theft?
As specialists, we’ll help you determine if an identity theft event has occurred and guide you through any necessary restoration activities. We may assist you with the following activities:
- Contact your issuer or banking institution
- Review your credit report for indications of identity theft
- Place a fraud alert or security freeze with the three credit bureaus
Do you need my account numbers to cancel my cards?
No, our Specialists will assist in contacting your bank or creditor to cancel your lost or stolen cards. These entities will be able to locate your account by verifying other forms of personal identifying information.
Should I notify customer support before traveling?
It’s not necessary to contact us before traveling. If you are currently out of state, we will help in canceling your cards, and assist in contacting your state’s DMV office to replace your identification. If you are traveling by air, we will provide additional steps for your flight. A police report may be needed as documentation for a lost or stolen wallet. If you are traveling outside of the United States, we will provide you the U.S. Embassy or Consulate office contact information for passport replacement.
I’m not sure what was in my wallet. Can you notify my banks and cancel all of my cards?
For your security, your bank or creditor will speak only with the account holder. We will assist in reviewing your account with you for any other cards that were possibly in your wallet, and contact those entities.