Last week, Target announced that we would offer all Target guests who shopped our U.S. stores one year of free credit monitoring and identity theft protection. Beginning today, guests may sign up for that service. After a thorough review of options, Target has chosen ProtectMyID, provided by Experian – a leading global information services company that helps individuals understand and keep track of their credit reports, as well as monitor for, and resolve, identity theft. Guests have until April 23, 2014 to request an activation code, and then until April 30, 2014 to register for free credit monitoring through ProtectMyID. In addition to a complimentary copy of their credit report, guests who sign up will receive daily credit monitoring, identity theft insurance where available, and have access to personalized assistance from a highly trained Fraud Resolution Agent. Access to the Fraud Resolution Agent will continue even after other benefits of the initial one-year ProtectMyID membership expire. After 12 months, those who register have the option to continue their memberships at their own expense. The free ProtectMyID offer being provided by Target does not include Experian credit score or reports from Equifax and TransUnion. When visiting the enrollment site, guests will have the option to purchase these additional services at their own expense if they choose, but are not required to purchase a credit score to receive the benefits of credit monitoring and identity theft protection. Enrolling online is fast, secure, easy and accessible at any time. Here’s how to register: 1. Visit Creditmonitoring.target.com to request an activation code. Guests will be required to submit their name and an email address. After submitting their information, Target will email guests within 72 hours with their unique activation code and directions for how to enroll in ProtectMyID. Guests should look for this email and check that it does not end up in a “junk” mailbox. Emails collected during this process will only be used for the purpose of sending an activation code for free credit monitoring. 2. After guests receive their activation code from Target, they may visit www.protectmyid.com/target and use the code to start the enrollment process. It will be important to verify the code entered matches the notification received from Target. Also, guests must be sure to click the red “Click to Redeem Your Activation Code” button (or use the “ENTER” key). 3. Enroll in ProtectMyID. Guests will need to provide Experian with personal information such as name, address, date of birth and social security number. Experian asks for personal information so that identities can be verified during the registration process and future log-ins. This is strictly a security measure to ensure no one else, including Target, will have access to that information. 4. After completing these steps, guests are all set up, and can begin to take advantage of all the ProtectMyID features. Guests who sign up for free credit monitoring should continue to monitor their accounts and report any unusual or suspicious activity to their bank. In addition, we’d like to remind guests to remain wary of consumer scams, including phishing and social engineering.   Read additional stories from A Bullseye View on the data breach, and use Target’s website as a resource for all official guest communications on this incident and to view frequently asked questions.

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