DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- In 2020, the Federal Trade Commission reported that active-duty servicemembers are three times more likely to have their identity stolen and their funds misappropriated than their civilian counterparts. Further, approximately 14% of servicemember’s stolen identities were misused by someone they knew or a family member, double that of their civilian counterparts. With the goal of protecting servicemembers from identity theft, Congress amended the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to mandate free electronic credit monitoring services. As prescribed by the Federal Trade Commission, servicemembers can self-certify as active duty, a reservist performing active duty orders, or National Guard to a credit reporting agency and receive free credit monitoring.
Credit reporting agencies, including Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, must notify servicemembers of material changes to their credit file within 48 hours with free access to the file. To get started, follow the link to sign-up with any agency below:
Equifax: https://www.equifax.com/personal/military-credit-monitoring/
Experian: https://stg1.experian.com/lp/military.html
TransUnion: https://www.transunion.com/active-duty-military-credit-center
In addition, see the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s “Credit Reports and Military Service” handout for an excellent guide on how to review credit reports, dispute errors, and protect your credit history.
CFPB Guide: https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_ymyg-servicemembers-tool_credit-reports-military-service.pdf