Over the years my former agency periodically suffered record breaches ranging from cyber intrusions to carelessness, resulting in numerous occasions where my personal information had been compromised. As a result I use a third party service to monitor my credit report.
I’ve also read many stories of expats who didn’t realize they were victims of identity theft until years later when they returned to the states. This made it difficult to track down records for correction.
Some of my solutions to protect my credit while on long term travel have included:
OPTION 1: Credit Monitoring
With third-party monitoring companies like Zendough, I receive alerts when there are changes to my credit history (positive, negative, change of address, application, etc).
Zendough is a fine company and I have no complaints with them, but I think $15/month is high for an “after the fact” service. However, this seems like a great safety net for people who have active business transactions involving frequent credit report access.
Unfortunately, two things de-valued Zendough’s service for me:
- They now only provide free vantage credit scores every 90 days. This is not the score used when applying for credit.
- They allow subscribers the option to freeze credit applications online for Transunion, but not for other credit bureaus.
OPTION 2: Credit Freeze
If you plan to travel for an extended period and/or don’t frequently apply for credit, a cheaper option is to freeze all your accounts with each credit bureau. This is a free service offered by all four major bureaus – and when you need to apply for credit, you can temporarily unfreeze them real time.
Transunion, www.transunion.com/credit-freeze 1-888-909-8872
Equifax, www.freeze.equifax.com 1-888-378-4329
Experian, www.experian.com/freeze 1-888-397-3742
Innovis, www.innovis.com/personal/securityFreeze 1-866-712-4546
Interested in More Proactive Precautions?
Security Expert Brian Krebs digs into this topic deeper as has many more suggestions to consider.
Please note that security freezes are a proactive measure to help protect credit. If you are a victim of fraud/identify theft, then you should inquire about fraud/security alerts.
Updated June 19, 2022
THIS IS A FACT SHEET FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. IT IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE. FOR LEGAL ADVICE, YOU MUST CONSULT YOUR OWN ATTORNEY.
Have you experienced identify theft while traveling? Do you have other suggestions to consider for protection of credit records?
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