 TITLE: What Is Dark Web Monitoring? CONTENT: Types of ID Theft That Can Happen on the Dark Web\n-------------------------------------------------\nThe dark web gives criminals the gift of anonymity, so it can be difficult to track down who has sold and purchased your information. Depending on the type of information that's listed, thieves can commit all sorts of identity theft and fraud.\nFor example, if it's your Social Security number, whoever is in possession of it can open fraudulent accounts in your name, file fraudulent tax returns and health insurance claims, and more. If they manage to get a password that was leaked in a data breach, they can use that password to log in to any of the online accounts where you use it.\nFinally, if it's your bank account or credit card number that gets leaked and sold, criminals can use that information to drain your checking and savings accounts and make fraudulent purchases.\nWhile it's possible to recover from identity theft, the process can take anywhere between a few days and several years in some cases. It can also be an expensive endeavor, requiring a lot of your time to track down, report and resolve the issues that arise—in some cases, you may need to miss work to stay on top of things.\nIdentity theft left unaddressed can also have a big impact on your credit score, which will make getting financing expensive or even impossible. If identity theft has affected your credit reports, you might explore filing a dispute with the credit bureaus that maintain them.\nOne of the best ways to reduce the amount of time and money it requires to rebound from identity theft is to spot it before it happens (or early on in the process) and take steps to stop the thief in their tracks. END