ProtectMyID

How often do you actually check your credit report? Most likely, you don’t check it at all. A few of you may take the time to check it annually, maybe even less if you check it three times a year, since that’s what you can do for free if you understand the system. But is that often enough?

I can’t even tell you, how many times having a credit monitoring product has saved the day. Yet in case you still wonder if it is worth it, here is a perfect example of what happens all the time.

Within one week, a consumer received email alerts from ProtectMyID.com that someone attempted to open unauthorized accounts in her name at Sears, T-Mobile, Lowes, Sam’s Club and Wal-Mart. Because she had credit monitoring, ProtectMyID.com’s fraud resolution team was able to alleviate the crime by assisting the consumer before it got out of hand. They helped her contact the credit companies to start a fraud claim and with filing an identity theft police report. There is no way of knowing just how much money – or headache – credit monitoring saved this woman. Chances are it was a lot.

Later, this consumer admitted that she used to wonder if paying for credit monitoring each month was worth it, but said her husband suggested she do it. Now she understands why it should be a priority. It’s like when you crash your car. Suddenly you don’t mind that you paid your insurance each month. Having just experienced an accident myself, I totally get that. You’re better safe than sorry, especially when the “safe” doesn’t cost you more than you probably spend at Starbucks each week.