Skip to main content
Identity theft doesn’t announce itself — by the time most people discover their information has been compromised, criminals have already opened accounts, drained funds, or filed fraudulent tax returns in their name. McAfee’s identity monitoring watches your email addresses, bank account numbers, Social Security Number, and other personal information around the clock, scanning the dark web and data breach databases so you’re alerted the moment your data surfaces somewhere it shouldn’t be. McAfee delivers these alerts up to 10 months earlier than comparable services, giving you the head start you need to act before serious damage is done.

​
What McAfee Monitors

McAfee’s identity monitoring casts a wide net across the information most targeted by identity thieves. The service continuously scans for the following personal data points:

Financial Information

Bank account numbers, credit card numbers, and routing numbers are monitored for appearance in breach databases and dark web marketplaces.

Government IDs

Your Social Security Number and passport numbers are among the most valuable pieces of information to identity thieves — McAfee watches them closely.

Login Credentials

Usernames and passwords associated with your email addresses are scanned so you know immediately if an account has been breached.

Medical & Personal IDs

Medical IDs and insurance numbers are monitored to catch medical identity theft, one of the fastest-growing forms of fraud.
Here is the full list of personal information McAfee actively monitors on your behalf:
  • Email addresses — all addresses you add to your monitoring profile
  • Bank account numbers — checking and savings account numbers
  • Credit card numbers — up to the number of cards supported by your plan
  • Social Security Number (SSN) — your primary government identifier
  • Passport numbers — domestic and international passport IDs
  • Medical IDs — health insurance member numbers and medical record identifiers
  • Usernames and passwords — credentials tied to your monitored email addresses

​
How You’re Alerted

Speed matters when your identity is at risk. McAfee is engineered to find your stolen data faster than the competition and get the right information to you immediately so you can take action. Real-time notifications: The moment McAfee detects your personal information in a data breach or dark web listing, you receive an instant push notification through the McAfee mobile app and an email alert containing details about what was found, where it was found, and what you should do next. Up to 10 months earlier than competitors: McAfee’s threat intelligence network — powered by McAfee Smart AI™, which processes over 4 billion scans per day — identifies data breaches and dark web activity significantly faster than many comparable identity monitoring services. This early warning window is critical: it gives you time to change passwords, contact your bank, and freeze your credit before criminals can act. Actionable guidance: Each alert doesn’t just tell you what happened — it tells you exactly what to do. McAfee walks you through specific steps to secure the affected account or information, reducing the stress and confusion that typically follows a breach notification.

​
How to Set Up Identity Monitoring

1

Activate McAfee at mcafee.com/activate

Navigate to mcafee.com/activate in your browser to begin your McAfee account activation. Sign in (or create a new account if you’re new), then enter your 25-digit McAfee product key to complete McAfee subscription activation and unlock your McAfee+ plan.
2

Open the Identity section in the McAfee app

Download and install the McAfee app on your device, then open it and select Identity from the main navigation menu. Tap or click Identity Monitoring to open the monitoring setup panel.
3

Add your personal information

Enter the email addresses, SSN, bank account numbers, credit card numbers, passport numbers, and any other personal details you want monitored. The more information you add, the broader your coverage.
4

McAfee begins scanning immediately

As soon as you save your information, McAfee starts scanning dark web forums, breach databases, and data marketplaces for matches. An initial scan summary is available within minutes.
5

Receive and act on alerts

If McAfee finds any of your information in a breach or dark web listing, you’ll receive an immediate alert in the app and via email. Follow the guided steps McAfee provides to secure your accounts and minimize damage.

​
Understanding Your Monitoring Dashboard

Once identity monitoring is active, your McAfee dashboard gives you a real-time picture of your exposure:
See every piece of personal information you’ve added, confirm it’s actively being monitored, and add or remove items at any time. You can monitor multiple email addresses, which is especially important if you use different addresses for banking, shopping, and social media.

​
Plan Availability

McAfee identity monitoring is included in the following McAfee+ plans:
McAfee identity monitoring is not included in the McAfee Essential plan ($39.99/year). To access identity monitoring, you’ll need to upgrade to McAfee+ Premium or higher.

​
Frequently Asked Questions

McAfee uses a combination of automated crawlers, threat intelligence partnerships, and McAfee Smart AI™ to continuously scan dark web forums, paste sites, and breach databases. When your information appears in any of these sources, McAfee’s systems flag the match and trigger an immediate alert.
Yes. McAfee encrypts all monitored personal information using industry-standard encryption before storing it. Your sensitive data is used exclusively for monitoring purposes and is never sold or shared with third parties.
Open the alert for step-by-step guidance tailored to the specific type of data exposed. Generally, you should change the affected password immediately, enable two-factor authentication on the account, contact your bank or card issuer if financial data was exposed, and consider placing a credit freeze if your SSN was involved.
The number of monitored items varies by plan. McAfee+ Premium and above allow you to monitor multiple email addresses. Check your plan details in your McAfee account for the exact limits.
Add all email addresses you use — including older ones you rarely check — to get comprehensive monitoring coverage. Data brokers and hackers often target legacy accounts that users have forgotten about but never closed. If you haven’t yet completed your McAfee activate online setup, head to mcafee.com/activate to get started with your McAfee product key.