AlertMe is a consumer credit monitoring service that will provide information to help stop credit fraud and identity theft. The service also provides insurance coverage to help defray costs associated with identity theft.

Daily credit monitoring: By scanning your credit daily, AlertMe is a first line defense against discrepancies that may affect your credit worthiness. When a significant change such as a new account, change of address or delinquent account is detected on your credit file, AlertMe will send you an e-mail notification. AlertMe also provides the steps you should take if you believe the activity could be fraudulent.

Identity theft insurance: Included with your subscription to the AlertMe service is up to $25,000 in identity theft insurance to cover your out-of-pocket expenses incurred to restore your identity and repair your credit (not currently available to residents of Texas or New York). Details about the insurance can be found in the insurance summary.

Optional online access to credit reports and scores: AlertMe gives you online access to credit reports and scores. You can easily and quickly request a credit report and score anytime you like. In addition to being able to view or print the credit report at the time you request it, AlertMe keeps a historical copy of each credit report you request through the service.

Monthly reassurance notification: If there has been no significant credit activity in the past 30 days, AlertMe will send you an e-mail letting you know there has been no activity and that your credit continues to be monitored.

Yearly free credit report reminder: Provides you a reminder and instructions on ordering the free credit reports available due to the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions (FACT) Act.

Because identity theft is the nation's fastest growing financial crime, you need to make sure that you remain the only you. AlertMe is here to help!

AlertMe is $4.25 per month. The price includes daily monitoring of your credit file, email notification of credit activity, annual reminder to order your free credit reports and identity theft insurance (except in New York and Texas). If you select the monthly option, your account will be charged $4.25 and we will auto-renew your subscription and bill you every 30 days.

AlertMe is also available quarterly or annually. If you select quarterly, your account will be charged $12.00 every 90 days, and annually is $45.00 every 360 days.

Identity thieves get your information by:

• Stealing your wallet or purse.
  
• Stealing your mail from unlocked mailboxes, including bank and credit card statements, credit card offers, new checks, and tax information.
  
• Rummaging through your trash, the trash of businesses, or public trash dumps in a practice known as "dumpster diving."
  
• "Shoulder surfing" at ATM machines and phone booths to capture PIN numbers.
  
• Completing a "change of address form" to divert your mail to another location.
  
• Stealing your credit or debit card numbers by capturing the information in a data storage device in a practice known as "skimming." Swiping your card for an actual purchase, or attaching a device to an ATM machine where you may enter or swipe your card.
  
• Stealing personal information they find in your home.
  
• Stealing personal information from you through email or phone by posing as legitimate companies and claiming that you have a problem with your account. When this is done online, it is known as "phishing" online, over the phone it is called pretexting.
  
• Acquiring information from businesses or other institutions by stealing records or information while they're on the job, bribing an employee who has access to these records, conning information out of employees or hacking the records.
  
• Obtaining your credit reports by abusing their employer's authorized access to them, or by posing as a landlord, employer, or someone else who may have a legal right to access your report.
  

Identity thieves use your personal information by:

• Changing the billing address on your credit card account, and then run up charges on your account. Because your bills are now sent to a different address, it may be some time before you realize there is a problem.
• Opening new credit card accounts in your name. When they use the credit cards and don't pay the bills, the delinquent accounts are reported on your credit report.
• Establishing phone or wireless service in your name.
• Opening a bank account in your name and write bad checks on that account.
• Counterfeiting checks or credit or debit cards, or authorize electronic transfers in your name, and drain your bank account.
• Filing for bankruptcy under your name to avoid paying debts they've incurred under your name, or to avoid eviction.
• Buying a car by taking out an auto loan in your name.
• Getting identification such as a driver's license issued with their picture, in your name.
• Getting a job or file fraudulent tax returns in your name.
• Giving your name to the police during an arrest. If they don't show up for their court date, a warrant for arrest is issued in your name.