How to monitor national IDs using Surfshark Alert?



Besides keeping your email addresses and credit cards safe, Surfshark Alert offers a way to protect your national ID (i.e., SSN in the US). It works similarly to the credit card and email scanner by searching for your personal information in the databases of recent breaches. If your ID appears in one of those breaches, your identity might be at risk. Follow this tutorial to find out how to prevent that.

 

In this article, you will learn:

 

 

How to scan your national ID

 

  1. Log into your account at surfshark.com

    Login_screen.png

  2. Open the drop-down menu in the Alert section. Then proceed to the Scan IDs tab.

    To use Alert, you must have 2FA activated on your account.

    If you don't have it yet, here's how you can easily activate it.





  3. Now, choose your country. Bulgaria, Lithuania, and the US are available at the moment. New countries are coming soon.

    Click Continue.



  4. Enter your ID number and press Scan.

    Note: Surfshark, by default, doesn't store your details. The data is wiped out immediately once the scan is complete. Unless you choose to keep this ID for continuous monitoring.



  5. If there are no breaches with your ID, that means your identity is safe.  



  6. To add new IDs (family member or another close person), click the plus sign at the top-left corner.

 

 

What to do if your ID is breached

 

  1. If your ID is potentially compromised, your identity is at risk.

    You will see the date and origin of all breaches, also some additional details on what other information could have been leaked. 

    We highly recommend contacting your local authorities for further assistance. All countries have their ways of dealing with situations like this. They will give the best advice. 

    If you're a US citizen, you may want to fill out a form here.


  2. You can archive breaches once they're no longer relevant.

  3. You can still find your old breaches in the archive if you need them later.

Congratulations - you have successfully set up Surfshark Alert to monitor your national ID! 

 


You may also be interested in:

  1. How to monitor credit cards using Surfshark Alert?

  2. How to enable 2FA for multiple users?

  3. How to watch Netflix with Surfshark?

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