 TITLE: How COVID-19 Scams Can Affect You CONTENT: Keep an Eye on Your Credit During the Crisis\n--------------------------------------------\nEven if you don't think you've fallen victim to a COVID-19 scam, it's important to check your credit regularly to make sure your information hasn't somehow fallen into the wrong hands. Experian's free credit monitoring service can help you stay on top of your credit score and report, monitor your spending and detect identity theft sooner via daily alerts.\nIf you're not in the process of applying for new credit and don't plan to in the near future, you might want to consider freezing your credit until things calm down. While a credit freeze will not prevent your identity from being stolen, it can help stop identity thieves if they try to apply for credit in your name.\nTo keep a close eye on your credit, you can view your credit report from each of the three national credit reporting agencies every week through April 20, 2022, at AnnualCreditReport.com. You can also view your Experian credit report for free whenever you like.\nPlease also note that Experian will never call you to discuss interest rates or offer direct loan or credit card relief. If you receive a call or email that purports to be from Experian and offers these services, ignore it.\nThese steps can go a long way in providing you with some peace of mind as well as some protection from identity thieves. END