Equifax Data Breach 2017 September 13, 2017, 11:14:07 am As most everyone knows, Equifax was hacked. We found the following information very helpful and learned that our accounts may have been compromised. The reason I'm posting this on the LDO Forum is because some the Faithful may be on the road and may not have found this information as yet.*****The first step is to visit Cybersecurity Incident & Important Consumer Information | Equifax to find out if your information was exposed. The site includes a Potential Impact tab, where you can enter your last name and the last six digits of your social security number. (Be sure you’re on a secure computer and internet connection when you’re doing this!) This will tell you whether or not your information was compromised.Enroll in free credit monitoring even if the site doesn’t say you were affected. You’ll be able to find out when you can enroll at the site linked above. You’ll have from that date until November 21, 2017 to enroll for a free year of credit monitoring.*****Hope this is helpful.
Re: Equifax Data Breach 2017 Reply #1 – September 13, 2017, 11:48:37 am Here are a few sites that offer good information.Equifax Data BreachAfter Equifax Breach, Here’s Your Next Worry: Weak PINs - The New York Times4 Things You Should Do About the Equifax Hack - The New York TimesJim 2 Likes
Re: Equifax Data Breach 2017 Reply #2 – September 13, 2017, 01:13:03 pm Quote from: Traxless - September 13, 2017, 11:14:07 amEnroll in free credit monitoring even if the site doesn’t say you were affected. You’ll be able to find out when you can enroll at the site linked above. You’ll have from that date until November 21, 2017 to enroll for a free year of credit monitoring.My understanding is that if enroll in Equifax's free credit monitoring, you also agree to arbitration, giving up any rights to sue or be involved in a class action suit. 1 Likes
Re: Equifax Data Breach 2017 Reply #3 – September 13, 2017, 01:31:31 pm Quote from: HiLola - September 13, 2017, 01:13:03 pmMy understanding is that if enroll in Equifax's free credit monitoring, you also agree to arbitration, giving up any rights to sue or be involved in a class action suit.Initially that was the case but Equifax has since removed that stipulation. However, the free TrustedID Premier service they are offering does have the arbitration requirement.Read here: Cybersecurity Incident & Important Consumer Information | Equifax
Re: Equifax Data Breach 2017 Reply #4 – September 13, 2017, 01:57:12 pm OK, now I'm confusedQuote from: Charles and Donna - September 13, 2017, 01:31:31 pmInitially that was the case but Equifax has since removed that stipulation. However, the free TrustedID Premier service they are offering does have the arbitration requirement.Read here: Cybersecurity Incident & Important Consumer Information | EquifaxOK, now I'm confused. Does enrolling give up your right to legal action or not?
Re: Equifax Data Breach 2017 Reply #5 – September 13, 2017, 02:01:40 pm Quote from: HiLola - September 13, 2017, 01:57:12 pmOK, now I'm confused. Does enrolling give up your right to legal action or not?My understanding from reading several articles on the subject is we do NOT give up our right to legal action if a person enrolls in the free one (1) year credit monitoring offer.Forbes Welcome"Equifax customers may be gratified to learn the consumer backlash apparently led company executives to disavow the blanket arbitration clause for victims of the enormous security hack. A document the company posted on its site yesterday declared that forced arbitration would not be required for security breach victims who decide to take up the company on its offer of a year's worth of a free credit monitoring service known as TrustedID Premier:NO WAIVER OF RIGHTS FOR THIS CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTIn response to consumer inquiries, we have made it clear that the arbitration clause and class action waiver included in the Equifax and TrustedID Premier terms of use does not apply to this cybersecurity incident."More information.
Re: Equifax Data Breach 2017 Reply #6 – September 13, 2017, 02:06:42 pm You do not give up your right to sue regarding the hack. However, you agree to arbitration regarding a dispute with TrustedID Premier credit monitoring.Equifax says it won’t bar consumers from joining breach-related lawsuits |...Jim 1 Likes
Re: Equifax Data Breach 2017 Reply #7 – September 13, 2017, 02:21:22 pm And as-of this morning it has been reported that nation-wide at least 32 class-action lawsuits have been filed against Equifax; four have been filed in San Diego Federal Court alone.
Re: Equifax Data Breach 2017 Reply #8 – September 13, 2017, 03:10:26 pm Both DW and I may have been impacted so signed up for the credit monitoring. There is such a big backlog it may take several days to get going. I guess we need to keep a close watch on our accounts now!Any other recommended actions at this time?
Re: Equifax Data Breach 2017 Reply #9 – September 13, 2017, 03:55:29 pm Quote from: HiLola - September 13, 2017, 03:10:26 pmBoth DW and I may have been impacted so signed up for the credit monitoring. There is such a big backlog it may take several days to get going. I guess we need to keep a close watch on our accounts now!Any other recommended actions at this time?Gayle's info was impacted mine wasn't. We are both going to partake of the free monitoring service. We placed a Fraud Alert with the three bureaus for her and are considering a freeze.Consider this. Many banks don't do credit checks to let you open a bank account. So someone with your info can open an account and start writing bad checks and ultimately, a warrant is issued for your arrest. Of course, that is identity theft and you can file a police report and utilize the help found in some of the links posted here. That kind of thing is still a nightmare to get fixed. There are creditors who don't do credit checks so alerts and freezes are of little help in those instances.I don't know this for fact but suspect that Equifax did not take sufficient measures to protect this data because they don't want to spend the money and effort to do so. They monetize our information without treating the protection of that data as their first priority.In my view, if a person feels the need to freeze their credit Equifax should pay for the cost of this for all three bureaus and the cost to unfreeze when you need to have your credit info accessed by a new creditor and that it should do so for at least the next 5 years, if not longer. The same goes for their credit monitoring since 1 year simply isn't long enough for this to play out. I won't hold my breath waiting for that to happen.Jim 3 Likes
Re: Equifax Data Breach 2017 Reply #10 – September 13, 2017, 04:07:05 pm Thanks, Jim. I found this web page regarding how to place a fraud alert in case anyone else wants to do it:Place a Fraud Alert | Consumer Information 1 Likes
Re: Equifax Data Breach 2017 Reply #11 – September 13, 2017, 04:10:29 pm Quote from: HiLola - September 13, 2017, 04:07:05 pmThanks, Jim. I found this web page regarding how to place a fraud alert in case anyone else wants to do it:Place a Fraud Alert | Consumer InformationWe tried placing the alert at Equifax's site but apparently, it is being hit so hard that it would not complete. Since each bureau shares the alert with all three we placed it through Transunion.Jim
Re: Equifax Data Breach 2017 Reply #12 – September 13, 2017, 04:48:34 pm Krebs on Security is a good website to monitor for information about cyber hacks and vulnerabilities:Krebs on SecurityHere's a link to his article titled The Equifax Breach: What You Should Know.The Equifax Breach: What You Should Know — Krebs on SecurityAlthough I have not yet done it myself, I agree with Mr. Krebs that the best defense is to place a "security freeze" (aka credit freeze) on your account with all four major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, Innovis, Trans Union). See the aforementioned article for details. Yes, it can cost money (varies by state), and yes it's a hassle because you must remove the freeze when you want to apply for credit or a loan, and then restore the freeze afterward, which costs more money. However, it's a lot less hassle than restoring your credit after it has been trashed by an identify thief.
Re: Equifax Data Breach 2017 Reply #13 – September 13, 2017, 04:53:58 pm I would strongly urge all to freeze your credit. This goes a long way toward keeping the bad guys at bay. This does not help with the IRS tax return fraud unfortunately. IRS needs to do something to help us foil these dudes.Yes, to do temporary unfreezes from time to time for something is a PITA but I have a common name and I have dealt with so many issues over the years that I want nothing to do with being in the system any more than needed.My HELOC with my bank (with whom my dealings don't require an unfreeze) provides me plenty of access to any loan needs.
Re: Equifax Data Breach 2017 Reply #14 – September 13, 2017, 05:07:34 pm Quote from: Jim & Gayle - September 13, 2017, 04:10:29 pmWe tried placing the alert at Equifax's site but apparently, it is being hit so hard that it would not complete. Since each bureau shares the alert with all three we placed it through Transunion.JimInitially I tried calling the phone numbers that were in the link I provided earlier but they want you to mail a bunch of info. I was finally able to place a Fraud Alert for both of us via the TransUnion website.Will consider doing a Credit Freeze next as Dave suggests. It's already turning into a PITA, thanks Equifax!
Re: Equifax Data Breach 2017 Reply #15 – September 13, 2017, 06:08:12 pm Since Equifax advised that data for both of us was potentially compromised I first placed a fraud alert with Experian; Experian advised "As a convenience to you and to further protect your credit information, we shared your request with the other nationwide consumer credit reporting companies, Equifax and TransUnion, and you should receive confirmation directly from them."I started requesting new account numbers for each of our credit cards on Friday; I have one more left to do.I have placed a Fraud Report with IC3; the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center.I have held off on placing a Credit Freeze with each company; I already have Identity Theft Monitoring with AllClear ID and ProtectMyID.And I already had all CC's set to alert me to any and all activity via text and email; some will also alert me by phone.From what I've read the last-ditch efforts would be to change your SS and DL #'s if you are actually victimized. 2 Likes
Re: Equifax Data Breach 2017 Reply #16 – September 13, 2017, 06:16:48 pm Quote from: Jim & Gayle - September 13, 2017, 03:55:29 pmI don't know this for fact but suspect that Equifax did not take sufficient measures to protect this data because they don't want to spend the money and effort to do so. They monetize our information without treating the protection of that data as their first priority.In my view, if a person feels the need to freeze their credit Equifax should pay for the cost of this for all three bureaus and the cost to unfreeze when you need to have your credit info accessed by a new creditor and that it should do so for at least the next 5 years, if not longer. The same goes for their credit monitoring since 1 year simply isn't long enough for this to play out. I won't hold my breath waiting for that to happen.JimI am in complete agreement with you Jim.Charles
Re: Equifax Data Breach 2017 Reply #17 – September 13, 2017, 06:44:05 pm We were hacked sometime back. I only found out about it when Citi Bank sent us a FICO score which was in the toilet. According to Equifax, I have student loans, way over due mortgage loans etc. Funny, no one is trying to collect on them. I am not really worried about it. I owe nothing, and will never need another loan. 1 Likes
Re: Equifax Data Breach 2017 Reply #18 – September 14, 2017, 10:27:38 am Quote from: HiLola - September 13, 2017, 03:10:26 pmAny other recommended actions at this time?I can tell you what we've done. In addition to signing up for Equifax's identity theft program, I put in both a Credit Freeze and a Security (fraud) Alert at all four credit reporting agencies. I did this for both myself and my husband, so a total of eight credit freezes and security alerts. (Note that the Security Alerts are only good for 90 days, so I've made a note on my calendar to go back and renew all four of them.)In addition, because it had been more than a year since I'd gotten free credit reports (again, for both myself and my husband), I went to Annual Credit Report.com - Home Page and got our reports (everything looks fine).The AnnualCreditReport website only offers credit reports from the three main reporting agencies, Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. In addition, I ordered our credit report from Innovia, a credit reporting agency that's not as well known. 2 Likes
Re: Equifax Data Breach 2017 Reply #19 – September 14, 2017, 10:45:51 am Quote from: Linda Hylton - September 14, 2017, 10:27:38 amI can tell you what we've done. In addition to signing up for Equifax's identity theft program, I put in both a Credit Freeze and a Security (fraud) Alert at all four credit reporting agencies. I did this for both myself and my husband, so a total of eight credit freezes and security alerts. (Note that the Security Alerts are only good for 90 days, so I've made a note on my calendar to go back and renew all four of them.)In addition, because it had been more than a year since I'd gotten free credit reports (again, for both myself and my husband), I went to Annual Credit Report.com - Home Page and got our reports (everything looks fine).The AnnualCreditReport website only offers credit reports from the three main reporting agencies, Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. In addition, I ordered our credit report from Innovia, a credit reporting agency that's not as well known.Would that be Innovis? Innovis HomeJim
Re: Equifax Data Breach 2017 Reply #20 – September 14, 2017, 10:57:22 am This article from Consumer Reports talks about the 4th bureau Innovis. Another interesting point they mention is that you are entitled to a free credit report each time you set up a fraud alert meaning you could obtain one several times a year.Security Freeze vs. Fraud Alert - Consumer ReportsJim 1 Likes
Re: Equifax Data Breach 2017 Reply #21 – September 14, 2017, 12:03:26 pm "...you are entitled to a free credit report each time you set up a fraud alert..."I'm with Life Lock and I get my credit report from them each time I log on to their site, as well as the reports of the other major agencies. Anything spoken of in this thread can be performed with Life Lock, plus a lot more (including sexual predator reports for my specific neighborhood.) .
Re: Equifax Data Breach 2017 Reply #22 – September 14, 2017, 12:19:15 pm With regard to whether you may be a victim of this hack, I've read from two different sources that were researching and reporting on it that they entered a random name and six digits more than once on the Equifax site and both were told they were. So I'm taking that with a grain of salt, but assuming I am included. I'd be content for now to have the 90 fraud alert if I can get it. I've gone through the entire process of requesting a fraud alert a couple of times (online), and then have been told my request couldn't be completed. I'd like to hear from those who have been successful in placing a fraud alert or credit freeze, if they did it online or over the phone. What's ultimately going to happen is uncertain (nothing quickly I'm sure), so am content with a short term solution to see what comes next. Hoping credit freezes become mandatory from the big three or four, and a simple method to request a temporary lift of same, all for free. Like others have said, I don't have a need to apply for credit these days, so a freeze wouldn't be inconvenient.
Re: Equifax Data Breach 2017 Reply #23 – September 14, 2017, 12:21:21 pm Quote from: Lazy Bones - September 14, 2017, 12:03:26 pmI'm with Life Lock How do you like that? I've been thinking about joining LifeLock, or one of the other identity theft protection companies. What level did you sign up for?
Re: Equifax Data Breach 2017 Reply #24 – September 14, 2017, 12:25:21 pm Quote from: krmugn - September 14, 2017, 12:19:15 pmI'd like to hear from those who have been successful in placing a fraud alert or credit freeze, if they did it online or over the phone. ...Like others have said, I don't have a need to apply for credit these days, so a freeze wouldn't be inconvenient.As I mentioned, I put in both a fraud alert and a credit freeze for myself and my husband with all four credit reporting agencies. It was done online without a problem.All four credit reporting agencies have a method whereby you can temporarily or permanently undo a credit freeze. We're in Washington State, and our credit freeze and fraud alerts were free. Other states may charge a nominal fee.
Topic: Equifax Data Breach 2017 (Read 1651 times)
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Topic: Equifax Data Breach 2017 (Read 1651 times)
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