What is a credit report?
Why should I check my credit report?
How often should I check my credit report?
Will signing up for credit monitoring hurt my credit?
How to read a credit report?
Who is at risk for identity theft?
What is a credit score?
Can My Credit Report Affect My Employment?
How Often Should I Check My Credit Report?
Everyone is entitled to one free credit report per year. That's great if you only want to check your credit once a year. However, you really should be checking it once a month. A credit monitoring system will monitor your credit report for you and immediately alert you if there is a problem.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, nearly 10 million Americans were victims of identity theft last year alone! The average cost of identity theft is $5,000 per victim. It takes 12 months (on average) for a victim of identity theft to even notice that his or her identity has been stolen. However, 75% of the victims that realized that his or her identity had been stolen incurred NO out of pocket expenses. This is why credit monitoring services are worth it---you will be notified immediately if someone else is using your credit. That way you can put a stop to it before the thief robs you blind!
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