Credit monitoring gives seniors an early warning when someone tries to open accounts or borrow in their name.
What does credit monitoring do?
Credit monitoring services watch your credit files at one or more of the three bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — and alert you when something changes: a new account, a hard inquiry, an address change, or a jump in balances. These changes are often the first sign someone is using your identity to borrow money. Faster alerts mean you can dispute fraud before it spreads. Many services also provide your credit score and report. For seniors, plain-English alerts and responsive phone support make monitoring easy to act on. Call 1-800-MEDIGAP at 1-800-633-4427 to talk about protecting your credit.
Credit monitoring vs. a credit freeze
Credit monitoring is a detective tool — it tells you after something happens. A credit freeze is preventive — it blocks new accounts from being opened in your name entirely, and by law it's free to place and lift at all three bureaus. Many seniors use both: a freeze to stop most new-account fraud, and monitoring to catch activity on existing accounts or any freeze that's been lifted. Monitoring alone won't stop a thief, and a freeze alone won't flag misuse of current accounts. Layering the two, plus careful phone and email habits, gives strong protection.