After the Equifax Hack, Consumers Are On Their Own - Here Are 6 Tips To Protect Your Data
The fear of getting your personal information leaked is a man's worst nightmare, you agree to that, don't you? So how much on a scale of 1 to 100 would you rank your level of fear if you had to be a victim of the Equifax hack? Whoa!! A mere imagination was enough to frighten the hell out of you isn't it. Now let's come back to reality, approximately 143 million American consumers fell prey to this breach, causing their sensitive personal information to be exposed at Equifax, one of third largest credit reporting agencies in The United States. A company they once considered trustworthy wasn't strong enough to safeguard their personal information. What difference would it make if at all they had to get themselves a fingerprint scanner to secure data.
Equifax disclosed a few facts about the data breach they recently faced. Let's browse through what they have to say:
The breach lasted from mid-May to July. The hackers accessed people's names, birth dates, driver's license number, address and even their social security numbers, which can cause a major threat to your personal life.
They also stole away the credit card numbers of 209,000 people and other documents consisting individual identifying data of approximately 182,000 inhabitants.
Apart from this, they've also stolen the private information of people residing in the United Kingdom and Canada.
Phew!! That's a lot. If you love your data more than yourself and don't wish to see yourself suffer as they did, read through these 6 steps, follow them religiously and protect your information from being misused:
1. Inquire if you've been a victim
You can do so by entering your last name and the last six digits of your social security number at the Equifax website. This will tell you if you've been affected by this breach or not.
2. Enter yourself for a year of free credit monitoring
You can now attain your credit report from Experian, Equifax and TransUnion free of cost. This will help you know about an identity theft, if any. Whether or not you've been a victim to the Equifax breach, the company considers you eligible for a 12-month free credit monitoring along with other services. It also gives you a date when you can come back and get yourself enrolled.
3. Place a credit freeze on your files
A credit freeze obstructs someone (thieves) from creating a new account using your name although it won't prevent him or her from making any changes to your existing account.
4. Supervise your existing accounts
It is important to monitor your bank account and credit card details minutely and if you notice something fishy, you need to take up the required steps.
5. Consider placing a fraud alert on your files
If you decide to go against a credit freeze, you must consider placing a fraud alert on your files. This warns creditors of you being an identity theft victim and asks them to verify if every transaction that is being made using in your name is done by you or someone else.
6. File your taxes on or before time
File your taxes as soon as you have the tax information you need but way before a cyber crook attains it (Do this without fail!)
A tax identity theft occurs when someone uses your social security number in order to get a job or a tax refund. Deliver quick replies to letters from the IRS.
Cyber security breaches will continue as cyber attackers are and will become more sophisticated in the years to come. Companies need to ensure that consumer data is secured in the best possible manner and the only way to do so is by using a fingerprint scanner.
Article Source: After the Equifax Hack, Consumers Are On Their Own - Here Are 6 Tips To Protect Your Data