Best Identity Protection After an AI Scam: Credit Freezes, Alerts
Quick Answer: Start with a free credit freeze at all three bureaus, then change passwords and turn on passkeys for email, bank, and phone accounts. Add an initial fraud alert if someone tried to open new accounts. Paid identity monitoring is useful but secondary. Most victims can lock down their identity for $0 using federal rights. AI scams have evolved far beyond obvious phishing emails. A voice clone can call your family while sounding like you. A deepfake can show your face in a video you never made. A chatbot can build a romance or investment story over weeks, extracting your date of birth, Social Security number, and account details along the way. The money you lost is bad enough, but the hidden risk is what happens next. Your identity data may now be circulating. That is why identity protection has to move fast, and why free tools beat paid subscriptions for most victims. An AI scam is rarely a single theft. It is a doorway to future account openings and takeovers. ...