Account & access
How do I activate my free Shield account?
Open /signup, choose email and password or Google sign-in, and you are done — activation takes under a minute and immediately unlocks higher daily scan limits, your watchlist, alerts and the dashboard.
There is no card, no trial clock and no paywall waiting on the other side. The free account is the full personal-safety tier: you will not be asked to pay to keep scanning or reading the registry.
Once activated, your scan history, watchlist and saved items live in the dashboard, and you can turn on email alerts so new scam reports matching your watchlist reach you automatically.
If you only wanted a single quick check, you do not need any of this — the scanner works for visitors with 3 free scans per 24 hours. Activate when you want ongoing protection.
In practice
- Sign up at /signup with email or Google — under a minute.
- No card required, no trial countdown, no paywall on core features.
- Unlocks higher daily scan limits, history, watchlist and alerts.
- Optional paid tiers add continuous monitoring and family protection.
Related questions
Is the GACS account really free?
Yes. There is no paywall on core safety features. A free account unlocks higher daily scan limits, history, watchlist and alerts. Optional paid tiers exist for continuous monitoring and family protection, but personal safety basics stay free.
Do I need an account to check if something is a scam?
No — visitors get 3 free scans per 24 hours and the public database is readable without login.
Can I report a scam without an account?
Yes. The report form at /report-scam accepts anonymous submissions. Signing in only helps if you want the report tied to your account so you can track it.
See the full list on the Access FAQ page.