Proactive Monitoring Services: On the Lookout For Identity Issues

Savvy criminals can use a victim’s personal information to hijack entire credit report and security protections. This means they can control all of a victim’s accounts, open new accounts and remove any credit alerts warning creditors that an individual may be a victim of identity theft. Criminals can even pretend to be you when they commit crimes.

If you suspect your credit file has been hijacked or that a criminal has stolen your identity, check with your insurer or bank to see if they can provide you with Cyberscout services.

1. Check your credit reports as frequently as possible, at least twice a year. Every consumer has the right to get a copy of his or her credit report from each of the reporting agencies, free of charge, and as often as necessary. To obtain your free reports, contact the reporting agencies directly. You can find the information about requesting your credit file on their website: https://www.transunion.ca:443/product/consumer-disclosure  and https://www.consumer.equifax.ca/personal/.
2. Enroll in credit monitoring to regularly monitor credit activity in your files.
3. Enroll in fraud monitoring. This goes far beyond credit monitoring alone. Fraud monitoring can watch for signs of identity theft and fraud in public records, Internet chat rooms, criminal records, and more, to alert you of attempts to alter or acquire your identity data.