Fighting Identity Theft on the Dark Web

With identity theft on the rise, credit card issuers are introducing new benefits designed to make you feel more secure. Discover recently announced that cardholders can sign up for free monitoring of their Social Security numbers on the “dark web,” where criminals buy and sell stolen personal data. “It’s like Amazon for thieves,” says Eva Velasquez, president and CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center. If your SSN pops up on a risky website, Discover will alert you through e-mail or text message. MasterCard also offers free dark-web surveillance for credit and debit card customers’ SSNs plus other information, such as the number associated with your driver’s license. It’s a common feature of paid identity-theft monitoring services, too.

If you learn that your SSN is floating around on internet black markets, don’t panic. It only means that your number is up for grabs, not necessarily that anyone is using it maliciously. But don’t be complacent, either, given the proliferation of data breaches in recent years. In 2016, one in three people who were notified that their personal information was compromised experienced ID fraud in the same year, according to Javelin Strategy & Research.

If your SSN is at risk, consider putting a freeze on your credit reports. (You may have to pay a fee; see I Thwarted ID Thieves). Everyone should get their free yearly credit reports at Annualcreditreport.com and check them for unrecognized accounts.

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