As you may already know, personal information for over 143 million Americans was exposed with the recent Equifax data breach. We have listed out the next steps you should take to protect your identity.
First step:
Visit www.equifaxsecurity2017.com to determine if your information has been compromised.
Don’t forget to check all social security numbers in your family.
Second step:
If you were impacted or want to be cautious, contact one of the 3 credit bureaus to set up a fraud alert (under federal law, each is obligated to notify the other two):
After placing a fraud alert with one of 3 above, you should also consider contacting a fourth, lesser-known consumer credit reporting agency called Innovis. 800-540-2505
http://www.innovis.com/
FYI: Adding a fraud alert makes it harder for an identity thief to open accounts in your name, but experts note that alerts usually just slow down the process. The alert lasts 90 days but you can renew it and it entitles you to a free credit report from each of the three companies.
How to place a credit freeze instead of a fraud alert:
Placing a credit-freeze on your credit file will generally stop all access to your credit report. Unfortunately, you need to contact all four companies to freeze your file. Here are the links: Equifax; Experian; TransUnion and Innovis.
Important note about a credit freeze: If you need to access credit, you have to unfreeze your records, which can take a few days. The availability of a credit freeze depends on state law or a consumer reporting company’s policy. Some states charge a fee for placing or removing a credit freeze, but it’s free to place or remove a fraud alert.
Identity Theft:
If you discover that someone has used your information to open a credit card, take out a loan, make purchases, etc.:
Please be advised that Equifax will not contact you regarding this data breach.