One of the worst things that can happen to our finances is having our credit wiped out by identity theft. To help thwart this widespread problem, many companies offer you a way to monitor your credit file to make sure that nothing illegal is going on. If you do decide you want a monitoring service's help, make sure you find out the following:

* How often your report is checked at each bureau, and how often those reports are updated.

* How quickly you'll be sent an email if something suspicious occurs. Find out the longest that a problem could appear on your report at any of the bureaus before the service would bring it to your attention.

* How much the service costs and how often you will be charged.

* What other services are provided (identity theft insurance, concierge help in reporting identity theft) and how you can access those services.


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