Equifax, Part 2

What have you done to protect yourself?

The number of affected consumers has reached over 145 million according to the findings of the cybersecurity firm who completed their investigation into the Equifax breach.  The big difference between this breach and others that have occurred in past years is that criminals may have stolen your birthdate and your social security number.  You can't just get replacements for those pieces of your personal data!  It will be "out there" forever.

Many articles have been written with recommendations as to what we as consumers should do, and there seems to be some consensus, although you will have to decide yourself as to what you want to do.  Remember,  hackers and cybercriminals count on us being lazy with our online accounts. So, do what you can to maintain your security!  

1)  Check out www.equifaxsecurity2017.com to see if your data was compromised.
2)  Consider enrolling in the free 1-year monitoring provided by Equifax for ALL consumers whether their data was compromised or not.
3) Monitor your credit card and online accounts regularly for unusual charges.
4) Change your passwords, especially on financial accounts.
5) Be extra careful about emails, links, and phone calls.  Equifax will NOT call you.
6) Enable two-factor authentication on online accounts if given the opportunity.
7) File your taxes as soon as you get the needed information; file before a criminal uses your personal information to do this.