“Of Mice and Megabytes Supplement”

MONITORING YOUR CREDIT PROFILE
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My brother had a close call last month. His identity had been stolen apparently by employees at his bank who were selling customers’ personal information.

It could have been worse and it appears only one of his credit cards was used fraudulently. His problem led me to visit Equifax’s Web site (equifax.com). Equifax is one of the leading credit bureaus in the U.S. and they currently offer a two-tiered service that monitors your credit identity and notifies you upon any activity.

Designated “Equifax Credit Watch,” the “Gold” program costs $9.95 a month, while a “Silver” account will set you back $4.95 a month. Both offer varying levels of coverage including identity theft insurance, e-mail alerts of possible identity theft activity, and “dedicated customer care for quick answers.” I’m seriously considering a subscription but I’d be interested to know if any reader is already a member and if they feel it’s worth the cost.

Along the same lines, I recently opted for a new credit card from Fleet. They have a feature for on-line users that I’ve not seen offered by other credit card banks. I’ve configured my account via the Internet to automatically send me an e-mail notification whenever a transaction is posted to my account. I was eve able to specify a minimum transaction dollar amount for the notifications.

Re-printed from the Rafu Shimpo, June 2003. Copyright©2003 Rafu Shimpo. All rights reserved.