? A: This is a good question, and it is good that you give extra thought to the safety of your online identity. If the company or website you request your credit report from reliable and secure, your social security number will be safe when you sign up.
Before entering personal information - such as your social security number online - it is important to be sure that the website where you enter that information is secure. So the first step is to know which sites and services are reliable enough for you to enter your social security number.
How to know which sites are safe to enter your social security number
With the popular web browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari and Internet Explorer, the first step in the diagnosis of site security is simple: just look at the address bar. If the site is secure enough for you to enter your personal information, there will be a change in color or highlight it in the address bar, a small lock icon and / or tell HTTPS instead of HTTP. Sound familiar? You've probably seen these changes when you enter payment information or even connected to your Facebook account in the past. The "S" in HTTPS stands for "secure." The picture below shows that the address bar of a secure website like Google Chrome. 
Another way to check the reliability of the site you request credit reports is to do some light research. This includes checking the Better Business Bureau website and read the reviews on the service or website, such as we have on our review of credit report monitoring page.
is my Social Security number safe from credit report monitoring sites?
All credit report monitoring services that we review on our site have been tested for quality and safety. We signed up for each of these services and yes, entered our social security numbers. When you enter personal information on your registration, such as your social security number or credit card this data is securely transferred in an encrypted format using SSL technology. Services like Identity Guard Privacy Guard and TrustedID are established and reliable companies that provide you not only with your reports and credit scores, but also offer the best protection against identity theft. Take a look at our overall credit report monitoring critical to learn more about these services.
The services we talked provide free reports and 3-bureau credit ratings for subscribers, but if you are looking for a free annual credit report from Experian, Equifax and / or TransUnion, every consumer has the option for free at their disposal each year https://www.annualcreditreport.com, which is safe and secure as well.