In the wake of the recent Target data breach, in which identity thieves gained access to the personal information of at least 70 million customers, the company announced it would offer free credit monitoring for a year. While this is a good first step for the retail giant, it gives affected customers false hope. At face value, credit monitoring seems like an attractive service. After all, it helps detect suspicious activity on your credit report and gives you a heads-up about potential problems. But many credit monitoring companies market their service as being an identity theft protection plan. This simply isn’t the case. The reality is that credit monitoring is just what it says it is: monitoring. It doesn’t prevent identity theft or your credit from being hijacked. Considering the fact that one in four data breach notification recipients become a victim of identity theft, simply monitoring these attacks isn’t enough. You need to proactively take steps to protect both your credit and your identity.

1. Think
Credit
Monitoring
Prevents
Identity
Theft?
Think
Again.
In
the
wake
of
the
recent
Target
data
breach,
in
which
identity
thieves
gained
access
to
the
personal
information
of
at
least
70
million
customers,
the
company
announced
it
would
offer
free
credit
monitoring
for
a
year.
While
this
is
a
good
first
step
for
the
retail
giant,
it
gives
affected
customers
false
hope.
At
face
value,
credit
monitoring
seems
like
an
attractive
service.
After
all,
it
helps
detect
suspicious
activity
on
your
credit
report
and
gives
you
a
heads-­‐up
about
potential
problems.
But
many
credit
monitoring
companies
market
their
service
as
being
an
identity
theft
protection
plan.
This
simply
isn’t
the
case.
The
reality
is
that
credit
monitoring
is
just
what
it
says
it
is:
monitoring.
It
doesn’t
prevent
identity
theft
or
your
credit
from
being
hijacked.
Considering
the
fact
that
one
in
four
data
breach
notification
recipients
become
a
victim
of
identity
theft,
simply
monitoring
these
attacks
isn’t
enough.
You
need
to
proactively
take
steps
to
protect
both
your
credit
and
your
identity.
Credit
Monitoring
Gives
a
False
Sense
of
Security
Credit
monitoring
services
alert
you
when
any
type
of
new
account
appears
on
your
credit
report.
Unfortunately,
by
this
time
the
identity
theft
has
often
already
happened.
Credit
monitoring
didn’t
prevent
the
theft;
it
simply
notified
you
of
the
fraudulent
activity
so
you
could
start
the
long
process
of
trying
to
repair
your
credit.
Look
at
credit
monitoring
as
being
only
a
small
part
of
a
comprehensive
identity
theft
protection
plan.
Keep
in
mind
that,
although
you’re
alerted
when
changes
occur
on
your
credit
report,
some
events
may
go
unnoticed
or
even
be
reported
incorrectly.
Many
consumers
don’t
discover
that
their
identity
has
been
stolen
until
debt
collectors
show
up
at
the
door.

2.
The
same
goes
for
three-­‐in-­‐one
services
that
offer
to
monitor
all
three
credit
reporting
bureaus.
These
methods
aren’t
secure
because
an
identity
thief
can
still
open
accounts
in
your
name
without
actually
having
your
credit
report
pulled.
There
is
also
an
extensive
delay
between
when
an
account
is
opened
and
when
it
shows
up
on
your
credit
report.
By
the
time
you’re
notified,
the
identity
thief
could
have
dozens
of
accounts
already
opened
and
racking
up
debt.
Tips
for
Preventing
Identity
Theft
You
need
an
identity
theft
protection
plan
to
keep
thieves
from
using
your
information
in
the
first
place.
A
few
tips:
• Be
proactive
and
sign-­‐up
for
identity
theft
protection
with
ID
Theft
Solutions,
the
only
company
managed
by
law
enforcement
that
restores
your
identity
back
to
pre-­‐theft
status.
• Be
cautious
of
the
websites
you
visit
and
the
Internet
connections
you
use
to
access
them.
Public
networks
aren’t
secure
and
identity
thieves
can
easily
gain
access
to
your
computer,
email
accounts,
and
bank
accounts.
• Never
share
personal
information
via
email,
over
the
phone,
or
with
anyone
you
don’t
know
well.
Identity
thieves
like
to
impersonate
customer
service
representatives
and
ask
to
verify
your
birthday,
Social
Security
number,
or
other
personal
data.
If
you’re
not
expecting
contact,
hang
up
and
call
the
company
back
at
a
phone
number
you
can
trust.
• Lock
up
your
financial
and
medical
information,
and
shred
documents
you
no
longer
need.
• Implement
a
credit
freeze
and
check
your
credit
card
statements
at
least
once
a
month
for
suspicious
activity.
You
can
also
sign
up
with
CreditKarma.com
to
check
your
credit
score
and
also
receive
monthly
monitoring
for
free—without
your
credit
being
affected
in
any
way.
• Add
a
fraud
alert
to
your
credit
report
if
you
suspect
you’re
at
risk
for
fraud
(such
as
using
a
debit
or
credit
card
during
the
Target
data
breach
debacle).
Whatever
you
do,
don’t
just
depend
on
credit
monitoring
as
your
identity
theft
protection
plan.
With
one
new
victim
every
three
seconds,
identity
theft
is
a
growing
problem
that
shows
no
signs
of
letting
up.
Visit
The
Identity
Advocate
at
www.TheIdentityAdvocate.com
to
start
safeguarding
your
identity
today,
and
don’t
forget
to
join
our
mailing
list
to
have
identity
theft
prevention
tips
delivered
to
your
inbox
each
month.