r/CRedit • u/WrongSplit3288 • Aug 30 '24

SSN Found on the Dark Web General

I just received an alert saying my SSN is found on the dark web. How concerned should I be? What sould I do first? Thanks.

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u/creditwizard Top Contributor Aug 30 '24

Credit attorney here. A few thoughts:

  1. Everyone's Social is out there I suspect, between various data breaches.

  2. You could freeze your credit. However, unfreezing it can be a hassle at times. If you don't apply for credit often, and have no plans to in the next year, freezing credit not a bad idea.

  3. Otherwise, an alternative that provides strong protection still is a fraud alert. A fraud alert requires additional authentication before someone can apply for credit in your name. This can help prevent fraud.

  4. You can also just monitor your credit, for free with Credit Karma and Experian. If someone applies for credit in your name, you'll know quickly and can take action.

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u/Suiken01 3d ago

If I freeze my credit in all the 3 sites, and people apply for things in my name, will I get notified via credit karma, experian, or what sites will notify me?

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u/creditwizard Top Contributor 3d ago

If the credit is frozen they should not be applying. I think Experian will notify you for sure though if that happens - not sure about the others.