As you know, automated credit monitoring services alert you about significant changes reflected in the credit reports such as new accounts and delinquencies from creditors. Usually, credit reports are monitored daily and email alerts are sent to notify registered individuals of recent changes which should be reviewed to detect potential fraud in case some changes are not initiated by the consumer.

A key point to remember is that before signing up for credit monitoring which can cost around $10 per month, you should review the current state of your credit reports because when you sign up for a credit monitoring service, the report changes will be sent as of the date of the registration for the service and unauthorized accounts and transactions existing in the credit reports may not be detected.

A second key point to remember is that the credit monitoring landscape and business model is changing which benefit consumers. For example, in addition to the free credit reports available to consumers and identity theft victims in many countries, some companies are starting to offer free credit monitoring and free credit scores by leveraging advertising or as a way to attract customers and sell additional services. In the US, consumers can get free copies of their credit reports from www.AnnualCreditReport.com and also sign up for free credit monitoring at Credit Karma.

Credit report monitoring is a major part of identity theft protection and it is free. So take a few minutes to order free copies of your credit reports and register for free credit monitoring.

Until next time, Be Identity Safe,

Henry Bagdasarian
Identity-Theft-Awareness.com

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