Author Topic: Equifax Breach PSA  (Read 2428 times)

Cole

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 91
Equifax Breach PSA
« on: September 08, 2017, 06:31:29 AM »
Equifax released a statement yesterday saying they were breached on July 29th and up to 143 million were affected. This breach includes names, SSN, DOB, addresses, and drivers license info.

Opinion: The current Equifax sites that let you check to see if you were affected appear to require 6 digits of your SSN which could potentially put you at more risk. Also, in the Trustedidpremier they are offering free for a year you sign away your right to sue Equifax. On top of all of this 3 top execs sold shares in the company of around 2 million total before they publicly released information about this breach.

My View: I would wait a few days to see what happens and do some more research into trustedidpremier before signing away your right to sue.

I only intended this post to inform you. Please stay extra aware of what is going on with your financial institutions.


Yankuba

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1356
  • Location: Long Island, NY
Re: Equifax Breach PSA
« Reply #1 on: September 08, 2017, 08:01:02 AM »
Scary stuff

It's not a bad idea to freeze your credit with the three bureaus to prevent fraudsters from taking credit in your name. You need to unfreeze the credit if you want a mortgage, car loan or new credit card, but it's all online and easy to do.

DarkandStormy

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1498
  • Age: 34
  • Location: Midwest, USA
Re: Equifax Breach PSA
« Reply #2 on: September 08, 2017, 08:43:20 AM »
Gawd.  I was given free two year monitoring service from Equifax last year because a medical group I visited had all their medical records hacked.  Now this.  Can't freaking win!

Reading reports executives sold off large quantities of shares in between finding out in late July and yesterday's public revelation.

GuitarStv

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 23129
  • Age: 42
  • Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Re: Equifax Breach PSA
« Reply #3 on: September 12, 2017, 07:45:59 AM »
I've been trying to figure out if this is something that I should be concerned about as a Canadian.  The Equifax website seems to be devoid of any useful information.

Travis

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4219
  • Location: California
Re: Equifax Breach PSA
« Reply #4 on: September 12, 2017, 08:18:40 AM »
Gawd.  I was given free two year monitoring service from Equifax last year because a medical group I visited had all their medical records hacked.  Now this.  Can't freaking win!


I've had offers for free credit monitoring since 2007 almost nonstop thanks to hacks or incompetent protection of data at the VA and Office of Personnel Management.

Tuskalusa

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 442
Re: Equifax Breach PSA
« Reply #5 on: September 12, 2017, 08:21:52 AM »
Does anyone here use Lifelock?  I'm considering this service, as I was impacted, and I'm not particularly interested in giving up my rights just to take advantage of a free service from Eqiifax.

Would love thoughts from others about fraud protection options.

Yankuba

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1356
  • Location: Long Island, NY
Re: Equifax Breach PSA
« Reply #6 on: September 12, 2017, 09:09:41 AM »
Does anyone here use Lifelock?  I'm considering this service, as I was impacted, and I'm not particularly interested in giving up my rights just to take advantage of a free service from Eqiifax.

Would love thoughts from others about fraud protection options.

I signed up after I was concerned that I was a victim of identity theft. After a couple of years of not receiving any negative alerts I downgraded to the cheap version of LifeLock ($9 per month).

I was disappointed that when I opened a new bank account with a major US national bank I did not get an alert even though LifeLock said they monitor bank account openings. They did send me an alert when my bank made some innocuous change to my account.

Freezing credit and setting up email/text alerts for all transactions in financial accounts is a lot more powerful than LifeLock, but for $9 a month it's not the worst expense in the world.

Yankuba

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1356
  • Location: Long Island, NY
Re: Equifax Breach PSA
« Reply #7 on: September 12, 2017, 09:15:29 AM »
Does anyone here use Lifelock?  I'm considering this service, as I was impacted, and I'm not particularly interested in giving up my rights just to take advantage of a free service from Eqiifax.

Would love thoughts from others about fraud protection options.

Some older posts on LifeLock, generally unfavorable:

https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=168537
https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=164759

S.S.

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 62
  • Location: CA
Re: Equifax Breach PSA
« Reply #8 on: September 12, 2017, 10:17:35 AM »
I'm really surprised this isn't a more popular thread.  This was a MAJOR breach.  The credit bureaus know everything about us- birth dates, SSNs, addresses, former places of employment, etc., basically every piece of information someone would need to destroy your life, served on a silver platter.

Aside from the obvious threat of an identity thief opening lines of credit in my name, my ultimate concern of course is someone knowing enough stuff about me from this breach to con his way into emptying my bank account or my husband's TSP (401k for government employees).

Yesterday, I took the pains to freeze mine and my husband's credit in light of this news.  I went to try to freeze my 4-yr old's credit since he is the most vulnerable to an attack and was told I would need to mail copies of my son's BC, SS card, and other extremely sensitive docs to some random PO box before they would honor my request.  Umm... how about no?

Urgent question: Has anyone managed to figure a way around this and successfully freeze your minor children's credit?  What about at least setting up a fraud alert?

I was extremely upset that I couldn't even set up a freaking fraud alert for my kid without having to "verify my identity" with these docs, as they put it.  Who ELSE would set up a fraud alert for a child except the parents??  Is identity theft even a concern in this instance???

Yankuba

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1356
  • Location: Long Island, NY
Re: Equifax Breach PSA
« Reply #9 on: September 12, 2017, 10:27:38 AM »
I'm really surprised this isn't a more popular thread.  This was a MAJOR breach.  The credit bureaus know everything about us- birth dates, SSNs, addresses, former places of employment, etc., basically every piece of information someone would need to destroy your life, served on a silver platter.

Aside from the obvious threat of an identity thief opening lines of credit in my name, my ultimate concern of course is someone knowing enough stuff about me from this breach to con his way into emptying my bank account or my husband's TSP (401k for government employees).

Yesterday, I took the pains to freeze mine and my husband's credit in light of this news.  I went to try to freeze my 4-yr old's credit since he is the most vulnerable to an attack and was told I would need to mail copies of my son's BC, SS card, and other extremely sensitive docs to some random PO box before they would honor my request.  Umm... how about no?

Urgent question: Has anyone managed to figure a way around this and successfully freeze your minor children's credit?  What about at least setting up a fraud alert?

I was extremely upset that I couldn't even set up a freaking fraud alert for my kid without having to "verify my identity" with these docs, as they put it.  Who ELSE would set up a fraud alert for a child except the parents??  Is identity theft even a concern in this instance???

There are several posts on the breach but this thread is the most unpopular

bwall

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1220
Re: Equifax Breach PSA
« Reply #10 on: September 12, 2017, 11:10:10 AM »
I think that it is criminal negligence. Someone needs to go to jail.

Here's why:

I didn't ask them to store my info and create my credit profile. They did this on their own volition and they do this for profit--not as a public service.

But, who bears the cost of this breach? Me, the *non consumer* of their service. The bank is the actual consumer of their service, but don't look to them to pay anything.

Depressing, b/c I know it won't happen......