Surfshark Launches a Real-Time Identity Theft Alert Service

• Surfshark updates its real-time alert service and now includes SSNs and credit cards too.
• The service is important in helping users take timely protective action when their details are leaked online.
• The cost of the new tool is an additional $0.99 per month, and it comes with a “truly incognito” search mode.

Surfshark, one of the highest-regarded VPN vendors in the industry, is introducing a fully-fledged identity theft protection service and incorporates it in the VPN solution. Named “Surfshark Alert,” the tool was available previously but has been upgraded now to detect traces of hacked personal information from a larger number of sources and to also detect more data types. More specifically, Surfshark Alert now checks for over 60 data points, including email accounts, passwords, personal ID numbers (SSNs), credit cards, and even social media links.

Surfshark Alert is essentially an aggregator that is there to help users realize compromises and take protective action such as password resets before crooks have enough time to exploit the leaked data. More severe risks like bank account and credit card leaks require contacting banks and going through a lengthy process, but again, knowing about it is the first step in minimizing the associated risks.

CEO of Surfshark, Vytautas Kaziukonis, stated the following about the updated “Alert”:

NordVPN has recently announced something similar, adding a dark web monitor scanner on its client apps. The tool works to alert users of breaches in real-time, helping them reset passwords before it’s too late. In both cases, the tools are checking the web for breaches based on the email address that is used for the VPN accounts, so if you have a leak on a different account, this obviously won’t be caught by the crawlers.

If you want to add that extra layer of protection to your online presence, “Alert” comes at an additional cost of $0.99 per month on top of whatever subscription tier you have picked. As a bonus, “Alert” comes bundled with a new tool called “Surfshark Search,” which promises to give you a real incognito mode for online searches. It displays purely organic results, keeps ads locked out, and eliminates even the most persistent trackers, all while working lightning-fast and without leaving any digital footprints.