A credit bureau is an information clearinghouse that compiles information on consumers. The credit grantors, or lenders, report consumer payment history to the credit bureaus. The credit bureaus then compile that information together with information on tax liens, bankruptcies, and court judgments that is available in public records. In return, when consumers apply for credit, lenders can check credit reports to determine the creditworthiness of consumers.

Credit monitoring services will watch over your credit file with continuous around the clock tracking and notify you whenever there is a change to the credit file. These services will alert you within 24 hours of a change, usually through email, phone, or text message as you see fit.

If you find yourself a victim of identity theft, you can take some steps to minimize the damage and protect yourself against future theft in the process. It’s important to react as soon as you discover that a theft has taken place, so that thieves don’t have more time than necessary to completely destroy your finances or cause you a lot of problems.

Credit Sesame is a Website that helps people manage their credit — its offering users free credit monitoring, a service that the big three credit bureaus offer for a fee. However, Credit Sesame monitors information from a single credit bureau — Experian.

Identity theft may be used to facilitate or fund other crimes including illegal immigration, terrorism, phishing and espionage. There are cases of identity cloning to attack payment systems, including online credit card processing and medical insurance. Sources such as the non-profit Identity Theft Resource Center sub-divide identity theft into five categories.