Safepath: Step 5

“Hi. Chris Parker here, founder and CEO of WhatIsMyIPAddress. This is the final step the of the 5-Step Challenge. You’re going to learn about a free online program to help prevent identity theft. And best of all, it’s free.” Free credit monitoring from Credit Karma allows you to keep tabs on your credit activity and reduce the risk identity theft. When’s the last time you looked over your credit history? Do you know if the information on your credit report is accurate or not? Every time there’s activity on your personal credit, it shows up on your credit report, which is in the hands of the credit bureaus. The credit bureaus not only see every credit transaction you make, but also the credit applications you’ve submitted and even the number of times you’ve been turned down for credit. They see what’s going on all the time. But you don’t. They also assume you're the one making all the changes or charges to credit accounts...even it it's not. So, if an identity thief or cybercrook were to try to a open credit account or buy something using your name and I.D., the credit bureaus record and take note of the information and activity. But they don’t notify directly about what's going on. So, is there a way for you to monitor your credit activity as a whole? Yes, there is! Credit Karma isn’t a credit bureau or a lending company. They are a highly respected online service that offers free credit monitoring when you open an account with them—and opening an account is free. Here’s how Credit Karma describes free credit monitoring on their website: “If anything changes on your TransUnion or Equifax credit reports, we’ll send you an alert that could help you spot signs of identity theft more quickly. We can even help you dispute certain errors.” Lastly, here’s more good news. Through your Credit Karma account, you also have free access to your credit scores with TransUnion and Equifax, two of three major credit bureaus, including weekly updates. Open a Credit Karma now and take advantage of their free credit monitoring and other services. With Credit Karma on your side, you’ll feel more confident about protecting your credit and identity online.