How can you detect if your personal information has been compromised?

Monitoring your accounts for unusual activity is an essential practice for detecting if your personal information has been compromised. By keeping a close watch on your financial transactions, account statements, and any notifications from your bank, you can spot discrepancies, unauthorized transactions, or other signs of potential fraud. This proactive approach allows you to react quickly to any suspicious activity, minimizing potential damage and facilitating quicker resolution. Regularly checking your accounts increases your chances of catching any issues early before they escalate.

In contrast, ignoring notifications from your bank can lead to missing crucial alerts about suspicious activity or security breaches. Checking your credit score only once a year may not provide a timely indication of compromises, as fraudulent activity can occur at any time, meaning that a single annual check might not reveal immediate issues. Assuming all is well without actively monitoring your accounts can leave you vulnerable, as breaches might go unnoticed until significant damage has been done.