What Identity Theft Protection Looks Like

You hear a lot about identity theft protection these days. But what does it look like? I’ve subscribed to no less than six different services in the last decade.

Most of them make their presence felt in the form of a charge on your credit card statement, and that’s about it. One thing I like about McAfee is the fact that, when you get an alert, they’ll hold your hand through the process.

When a check was made on my credit file, I received the following message:

Dear Robert Siciliano,

As a McAfee Identity Protection member, you are receiving this automatic notification email because activity recently has been posted to your account through one or more of our industry leading services:

A. 3-Bureau Credit Monitoring

B. Internet Scanning, including chat rooms

C. Change of Address monitoring

Posted account activity doesn’t necessarily indicate identity theft. However, it can be an early indication of fraudulent activity. That’s why it’s important to always review any alerts you receive from us.

Please take the following steps immediately to examine this information and determine if this activity is authorized.

Check Your Alert – To view your complete alert report, please login here and click on “Unviewed Alerts.”

Verify The Activity – If you are aware of the change(s) and agree with the items on your alert, no action is needed on your part.

Contact Us – If you have any questions or concerns regarding your alert, including information you believe to be either inaccurate or fraudulent, please contact Customer Support immediately at 1-866-622-3911. For your convenience we are here for you daily from 6:00 AM – 6:00 PM (Pacific Time).

Remember, McAfee Identity Protection is with you every the step of the way. In the event you suspect identity theft, our dedicated Fraud Resolution Team will work closely with you to help you understand and investigate your alerts immediately.

Thank you for choosing McAfee Identity Protection to help protect your identity.

Sincerely,

McAfee, Inc.

This alert was triggered when a mortgage broker checked my credit report, with permission. I got this alert within a day of the credit check. When I logged into my McAfee account, I was able to see the actual credit check on McAfee’s dashboard.

Had the alert been triggered by anything other than a legitimate credit check, I would have called McAfee’s fraud resolution agents, who would have immediately begun a process of alerting any creditors to possible fraud. That’s comforting.

To ensure peace of mind, subscribe to an identity theft protection service, such as McAfee Identity Protection, which offers proactive identity surveillance, lost wallet protection, and alerts when suspicious activity is detected on your accounts.

For additional tips, visit CounterIdentityTheft.com.

Robert Siciliano is a McAfee consultant and identity theft expert. See him discuss how to protect yourself from identity theft on CounterIdentityTheft.com. (Disclosures)