Information About the Equifax Data breach
On September 8, 2017, Equifax, one of the major credit reporting agencies, announced a breach that occurred from mid-May through July 2017. During this period, hackers accessed people’s names, social security numbers, birth dates, addresses, driver’s license numbers, and credit card numbers.
Equifax set up a website for consumers to check if their information was exposed: www.equifaxsecurity2017.com . This website has not been verified by regulators, but may provide pertinent information to consumers trying to determine whether they have been effected by the breach. To use the website, customers should click the “Potential Impact” tab, enter their last name and the last six digits of their social security number. Customers are urged to take standard precautions, including using a secure computer and an encrypted network connection, when accessing the website.
Management can proactively mitigate the fallout from this and other breaches by ensuring the following:
The Federal Trade Commission released some steps to help consumers after the data breach, as follows:
• Check your credit reports from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion by visiting annualcreditreport.com. Accounts or activity that you don’t recognize could indicate identity theft. Visit identitytheft.gov to find out what to do if there is unrecognized activity.
• Consider placing a credit freeze on your files. A credit freeze makes it hard for someone to open a new account in your name. Keep in mind that a credit freeze won’t prevent a thief from making charges to your existing accounts.
• Monitor your existing credit card and bank accounts closely for changes you don’t recognize.
• If you decide against a credit freeze, consider placing a “fraud alert” on your files. A fraud alert warns creditors that you may be an identity theft victim and that they should verify that anyone seeking credit in your name really is you.
• File your taxes early. File as soon as you have the tax information you need, before a scammer can. Tax identity theft happens when someone uses your social security number to get a tax refund or a job. Respond right away to letters from the Internal Revenue Service.
Customers can visit identitytheft.gov/databreach to learn more about protecting themselves after a data breach.
