With so many new security breaches from major corporations, financial institutions, and now Equifax, consumers are left compromised and confused.
If you have a credit report, there’s a good chance that you are one of the 143 million American consumers whose sensitive personal information was exposed in a data breach at Equifax, one of the nation’s three major credit reporting agencies, according to the FTC.
According to Equifax, the breach lasted from mid-May through July. The hackers accessed names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and, in some instances, driver’s license numbers. They also stole credit card numbers for about 209,000 people and dispute documents with personal identifying information for about 182,000 people. The hackers were able to access personal information of people in the UK and Canada as well.
There are steps you can take to protect your financial livelihood. Whether or not your information was exposed, U.S. consumers can get a year of FREE credit monitoring and other services.
Visit Equifax’s website, www.equifaxsecurity2017.com. The site will give you a date when you can come back to enroll. Write down the date and come back to the site and click “Enroll” on that date. You have until January 31, 2018 to enroll. You also can access frequently asked questions at the site.
Consider the following suggestions to protect your personal information:
Request your FREE credit reports annually from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion by visiting annualcreditreport.com. Accounts or activity which you do not recognize could indicate identity theft. Contact Contemporary Tax Specialists for assistance.
Monitor your existing credit card and bank accounts closely for charges you do not recognize.
Consider placing a fraud alert or credit freeze or on your files. Contact Contemporary Tax Specialists for assistance.
File your tax return early or take advantage of identity theft protection measures set by the IRS. Contact Contemporary Tax Specialists for assistance.
The idea of your identity being stolen is SCARY, but it's even more unsettling to imagine the damage which is done when one does not take the measures necessary to protect her/himself. Contact Contemporary Tax Specialists to regain your piece of mind and reclaim your livelihood!
