The Money Mustache Community
General Discussion => Welcome and General Discussion => Topic started by: Goldilocks on September 08, 2017, 07:58:01 AM
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Pretty new and young here, so I'm looking to people more experienced for information.
What will you be doing about this? Any advice or things to watch out for?
Thanks!
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This is definitely going to be interesting. The sad fact is unless you somehow operate completely outside of the financial system, which is essentially impossible, the "Big Three" credit bureaus keep some or all of your important information.
And it is laughable that the only thing they are doing is offering a free year of their credit monitoring service, as if I am going to instantly trust that it works properly...
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Not to mention these guys just have to sit and wait a year and lull people into a false sense of security...
Posting to follow. Any advice for people who might have been affected? Since this community probably has more investments/savings/better credit than most, I'm curious what others are doing?
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I am thinking of "freezing" my credit access. I don't have anything that I need to sign up for in terms of credit and no huge purchases in the coming future. But I have to research how that is done and make sure not too onerous. Be curious if anyone else out there has done this?
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Posting to follow. I'm worried about this.
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Just researching my options in my home state - this article from 2015 seems to sum it up pretty well. Wish I had read it back then. The credit monitoring service they are offering only helps after the fact...
http://www.masspirg.org/news/maf/new-report-consumers-should-get-security-freezes-next-data-breach
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I am thinking of "freezing" my credit access. I don't have anything that I need to sign up for in terms of credit and no huge purchases in the coming future. But I have to research how that is done and make sure not too onerous. Be curious if anyone else out there has done this?
It's supposed to be pretty straightforward, though they are allowed to charge you money for that "service" in some states. If that is the case, apparently the fee can be waived if you get a police report for identity theft. See:
https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/6ysxxf/how_to_tell_if_you_got_equifaxd_and_what_to_do/
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PTF
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I froze our credit two years ago after my information was stolen and used to file a return for a fake tax refund. Since that time, our data has been breached at least one other time, if not more (that we know about). While resolving my issue two years ago I talked with our State Attorney General's office, and freezing your credit (which in effect takes your credit report out of circulation unless or until you release it) is probably your best option. Even at the Attorney General's office they pretty much say it's not a matter of "if" you'll get hacked, it's "when."
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I froze our credit two years ago after my information was stolen and used to file a return for a fake tax refund. Since that time, our data has been breached at least one other time, if not more (that we know about). While resolving my issue two years ago I talked with our State Attorney General's office, and freezing your credit (which in effect takes your credit report out of circulation unless or until you release it) is probably your best option. Even at the Attorney General's office they pretty much say it's not a matter of "if" you'll get hacked, it's "when."
I'm thinking of freezing my credit, but does this also affect things like an apartment complex looking up your credit history? I highly doubt I will be taking any loans out, but I may rent a new place in a year. How long does it take to make changes (freeze/unfreeze)?
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This is probably the 6th or 7th breach I've been of victim of. Honestly, at this point, I just don't care. I have credit monitoring for each of the breaches. I have it through AAA too. I use Mint so I check on my account regularly and would see if there were any fraudulent purchases. I monitor my credit score through Mint and can see if something happens where it takes a plunge. I just can't be bothered to freak out anymore.
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Found this going around the internet. I've looked at most of it and it looks legit as far as I can tell. We can use this thread to finish fact checking it and make any updates.
Read this whole post before you take any action.
Go here: https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com/ and click on the "Potential Impact" link on the bottom left to see if you've been affected. It'll ask for your last name and the last 6 digits of your social security number.
If so, you'll be given a link and an enrollment date for a year of identify theft protection on Equifax's dime.
Be aware though, if you take this offer, you waive your right so sue them or participate (or receive an award from) a class action lawsuit.
https://trustedidpremier.com/static/terms
“By consenting to submit Your Claims to arbitration, You will be forfeiting Your right to bring or participate in any class action (whether as a named plaintiff or a class member) or to share in any class action awards, including class claims where a class has not yet been certified, even if the facts and circumstances upon which the Claims are based already occurred or existed.”
Also - this free credit monitoring is only for 1 year. After that you will be charged for continued monitoring. Since the breach most likely included not only your SSN but other identifying information, there is no need for the thieves to use this data in 1 year. Or 5 years. You will be at risk from this breach for a long, long time.
Note that this is not a service to repair your credit should your identity be stolen - this is only a monitoring service, which will not stop identity fraud.
What many experts are now advising is to put a freeze on your credit. Here’s how to do this at all 3 bureaus.
Information on how to freeze with all 3 agencies.
https://www.freeze.equifax.com/Freeze/jsp/SFF_PersonalIDInfo.jsp
https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze/place-credit-freeze
https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html
It will cost you $5-$10 per freeze, and you will be provided with a PIN to unfreeze your credit should you want someone to pull it (say you’re applying for a mortgage, buying a car, and so on).
You can also put a fraud alert on your accounts for 90 days: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0275-place-fraud-alert
Yes, I've checked Snopes, no this isn't a hoax, yes it really sucks for anyone affected. If you have been affected, keep a damned close eye on your credit reports.
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Does freezing your credit disable your existing credit cards?
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Does freezing your credit disable your existing credit cards?
Nope. It stops agencies from pulling your credit to determine if it would be favorable to open a new account, loan you money, let you rent, etc. Existing things should be fine.
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In for the follow
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I love how Equifax set up a separate web site, just like a phisher would do. If you're worried, start from equifax.com, they have a link on their front page.
I'm going to pull a free credit report (it's been over a year for me) to check for any suspicious activity, and freeze my credit. The FTC has pages on doing both of those things:
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0155-free-credit-reports (https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0155-free-credit-reports)
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0497-credit-freeze-faqs#place (https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0497-credit-freeze-faqs#place)
Freezing your credit means that people can't pull your credit report (renting an apartment, signing up for utilities, getting a car loan or new card). It has no affect on your current accounts. When you get a freeze, the agencies will send you a PIN so that you can unfreeze and refreeze at will if you need to let someone pull your report.
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So I freeze my credit, it's like an on-off switch? Like any time I want to apply for new credit (or something that requires a report, like an apartment), I just unfreeze it, apply for credit, and then re-freeze it?
If we've been effected, we'd basically have to do this for the rest of our lives, right?
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Since I very rarely have to have my credit pulled, and it said I was affected, I froze my credit. Time will tell how big of a hassle this will be, I suppose!
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I am thinking of "freezing" my credit access. I don't have anything that I need to sign up for in terms of credit and no huge purchases in the coming future. But I have to research how that is done and make sure not too onerous. Be curious if anyone else out there has done this?
After the third hack in a year (we got hit hard with the insurance company / Anthem hack), we finally decided to freeze our credit for 3 years.
It's been fine. It was a pain when we decided to refinance the house (had to unfreeze and refreeze).
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So I freeze my credit, it's like an on-off switch? Like any time I want to apply for new credit (or something that requires a report, like an apartment), I just unfreeze it, apply for credit, and then re-freeze it?
If we've been effected, we'd basically have to do this for the rest of our lives, right?
yes, it only takes minutes to do and extremely easy.
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So I freeze my credit, it's like an on-off switch? Like any time I want to apply for new credit (or something that requires a report, like an apartment), I just unfreeze it, apply for credit, and then re-freeze it?
If we've been effected, we'd basically have to do this for the rest of our lives, right?
All three major credit bureaus let you do a temporary global lift which let anyone access your report for up to 30 days, then automatically refreezes. Typically this will be half the cost of doing a unfreeze then refreeze cycle.
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I am thinking of "freezing" my credit access. I don't have anything that I need to sign up for in terms of credit and no huge purchases in the coming future. But I have to research how that is done and make sure not too onerous. Be curious if anyone else out there has done this?
JUST DO IT.
I've done this several years ago and it was a little bit of a hassle, but no more than applying for a credit card or something. Unlocking your credit takes minutes and can be done online.
People are lazy, and the vast majority will ignore this advice, to their detriment.
I've warned all of my friends / family to do this, and I suspect very few of them have actually done this. It's a shame. It will cause a ton more work when they do get affected by ID theft.
I can't imagine NOT having my credit locked...it's that great!
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The credit agencies should be required, by law, to provide continuous access to your own data, controls to provide/prevent access by others, and monitoring services free of charge. And that's my opinion even sans their inability to keep our confidential information... confidential.
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The credit agencies should be required, by law, to provide continuous access to your own data and monitoring services free of charge. And that's my opinion even sans their inability to keep our confidential information... confidential.
Agree 10000%.
Not only that, freezing your credit should be free as well. I paid money to freeze my credit, and unfreeze it a few times, it was a small price to pay for peace of mind, but it should be free!!
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Do you have to pay again every time you want to unlock your credit?
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The credit agencies should be required, by law, to provide continuous access to your own data and monitoring services free of charge. And that's my opinion even sans their inability to keep our confidential information... confidential.
Agree 10000%.
Not only that, freezing your credit should be free as well. I paid money to freeze my credit, and unfreeze it a few times, it was a small price to pay for peace of mind, but it should be free!!
hah, jinx (I edited while you were replying, heh)
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I just froze my credit and it was free for all three. Took about 2 minutes each.
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Do you have to pay again every time you want to unlock your credit?
Yes, about $5, but cheap price to pay. Unless you are a victim of ID theft in which case it would be totally free. I suggest you freeze your credit BEFORE you become a victim... it's not fun to fight ID theft.
I used to pay monthly credit monitoring which is far more expensive than unlocking my credit every once in a great while.
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I just froze my credit and it was free for all three. Took about 2 minutes each.
What? How? Is this new?
EDIT - you may live in one of 9 states where freezing credit is free: http://blog.credit.com/2015/12/9-states-that-let-you-freeze-your-credit-for-free-132672/
EDIT 2: it looks like you're in North Carolina: 7. North Carolina
Requesting a security freeze online is free, but requesting a freeze by phone or mail costs $3 with Equifax or TransUnion. “Experian elects to not charge a fee for North Carolina consumers regardless of contact method,” wrote Kristine Snyder, an Experian spokeswoman, by email.
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I haven't looked at my full credit report in over a year (only credit score through credit karma/sesame and my CC platforms). Should I run a full credit report from the bureaus first before freezing my credit?
Being at work right now, I was thinking of doing all that tonight or this weekend.
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I just froze my credit and it was free for all three. Took about 2 minutes each.
What? How? Is this new?
EDIT - you may live in one of 9 states where freezing credit is free: http://blog.credit.com/2015/12/9-states-that-let-you-freeze-your-credit-for-free-132672/
EDIT 2: it looks like you're in North Carolina: 7. North Carolina
Requesting a security freeze online is free, but requesting a freeze by phone or mail costs $3 with Equifax or TransUnion. “Experian elects to not charge a fee for North Carolina consumers regardless of contact method,” wrote Kristine Snyder, an Experian spokeswoman, by email.
Interesting! Had no idea. I'm actually moving to South Carolina tomorrow, which is also free. I wonder if I have to redo it? Maybe I should have waited a day but I doubt it matters.
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All three major credit bureaus let you do a temporary global lift which let anyone access your report for up to 30 days, then automatically refreezes. Typically this will be half the cost of doing a unfreeze then refreeze cycle.
I suppose this temporary global lift is easy to find on their websites?
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I haven't looked at my full credit report in over a year (only credit score through credit karma/sesame and my CC platforms). Should I run a full credit report from the bureaus first before freezing my credit?
Being at work right now, I was thinking of doing all that tonight or this weekend.
you can run your credit report at any time.
I also get my credit scores via my credit cards, like Discover card, citibank, etc...
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All three major credit bureaus let you do a temporary global lift which let anyone access your report for up to 30 days, then automatically refreezes. Typically this will be half the cost of doing a unfreeze then refreeze cycle.
I suppose this temporary global lift is easy to find on their websites?
Extremely easy. Google it.
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you can run your credit report at any time.
I also get my credit scores via my credit cards, like Discover card, citibank, etc...
Ok great, so in other words, even after you freeze your credit, you can still request a report?
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Could a mod make this a sticky for a while?
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you can run your credit report at any time.
I also get my credit scores via my credit cards, like Discover card, citibank, etc...
Ok great, so in other words, even after you freeze your credit, you can still request a report?
Yes, it only prevents others from running your credit for the purposes of opening new credit lines. Google this and you'll see more details.
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Can someone explain what freezing your credit will do, and, perhaps more importantly, what it won't do? Assuming you're not planning any large purchases or opening any new credit lines, does it not affect your day to day life? Other than your credit, what else do we need to be on the look out for with regards to identity theft?
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Can someone explain what freezing your credit will do, and, perhaps more importantly, what it won't do? Assuming you're not planning any large purchases or opening any new credit lines, does it not affect your day to day life? Other than your credit, what else do we need to be on the look out for with regards to identity theft?
Tons of info out there, read this: http://clark.com/personal-finance-credit/credit-freeze-and-thaw-guide/
I also put together a cheat sheet / guide on how to protect your credit and ID: https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/freezing-your-credit-and-a-half-dozen-other-tips-to-protect-your-identity/
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Could a mod make this a sticky for a while?
I've put a cheat sheet on how to protect yourself: https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/freezing-your-credit-and-a-half-dozen-other-tips-to-protect-your-identity/
It incorporates the key information from this thread and all of my other tips as well, based on my experiences helping a victim of credit fraud fight the scammers and protect themselves.
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The whole thing is such a shit show.
Equifax website has been mostly down this morning. I froze credit on all 3 this morning. Took about 10 minutes each as load times were longer (everyone and their mother is doing a freeze seems like).
Tried the free annual credit report offered by Uncle Sam and only 1 worked; others did not generate.
Where is Congress!?! How is this not a national security issue? Hope they're put out of business and exces get jail time.
Good read:
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2017/09/breach-at-equifax-may-impact-143m-americans/
Freeze 101
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2015/06/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-embrace-the-security-freeze/
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This will also have a huge impact during tax filing time; imagine all the fake filings. A credit freeze won't stop that; the recommendation of filing early is BS.
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The whole thing is such a shit show.
Equifax website has been mostly down this morning. I froze credit on all 3 this morning. Took about 10 minutes each as load times were longer (everyone and their mother is doing a freeze seems like).
Tried the free annual credit report offered by Uncle Sam and only 1 worked; others did not generate.
Where is Congress!?! How is this not a national security issue? Hope they're put out of business and exces get jail time.
Good read:
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2017/09/breach-at-equifax-may-impact-143m-americans/
Freeze 101
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2015/06/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-embrace-the-security-freeze/
Blame lobbyists. They line the pockets of congress to provide easy credit for the consumerism society we live in. This is absolutely a ridiculously lax system, just like the caller ID system that allows tons of scam phone calls. They were NEVER designed with security in mind, and we as consumers get to pay for it now.
Those running the asylum have gotten away with it until now. It's time they are held responsible for this mess!
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This will also have a huge impact during tax filing time; imagine all the fake filings. A credit freeze won't stop that; the recommendation of filing early is BS.
My post on how to protect yourself includes tips on tax protection: https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/freezing-your-credit-and-a-half-dozen-other-tips-to-protect-your-identity/
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In our crappy state of Washington, it costs $10 per agency to freeze your credit and the same price to temporarily thaw then refreeze it. So for my wife and I, it costs $60 to freeze our credit. During the year if we change car insurance or want to rent a house, apply for a credit card, open a checking account, it costs $20 each time (for joint accounts).
This is probably a major score for Equifax (driving people to freeze their credit and increase Equifax revenues by about $200,000,000 a year at least)
What a complete scam.
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So what if you lose your PIN? Looks you can request a replacement, but what information do you need to provide in order to get a replacement, particularly that isn't part of the data hack?
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So what if you lose your PIN? Looks you can request a replacement, but what information do you need to provide in order to get a replacement, particularly that isn't part of the data hack?
Don't lose your PIN.
See my thread on ID protection, and how to protect your PIN.
Protect your PIN like it's any other vital information. I'm sure there's a way to prove your ID and get a new PIN if you lose your PIN, but I'm sure it's a huge hassle.
Bottom line, don't lose your PIN!! You have other vital information to protect, use that same approach with your PIN. Put it in an encrypted container in the cloud, print it out and put it in your safe deposit box, home safe, etc.
I place my PIN in the same ultra secure location as my bank account web log-in's, credit card web-log-in's, and any other vital information I need to keep safe and secure.
You need to be responsible for your security.
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well, at least it was only financial information that was stolen, not medical info from the hospital or insurance...oh wait.
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well, at least it was only financial information that was stolen, not medical info from the hospital or insurance...oh wait.
My health care data was hacked via the Anthem theft in 2015.
Anyone who lives under the illusion that their data is safe and secure is delusional. Protect yourself now. Read my thread on how to protect yourself: https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/welcome-to-the-forum/freezing-your-credit-and-a-half-dozen-other-tips-to-protect-your-identity/
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In our crappy state of Washington, it costs $10 per agency to freeze your credit and the same price to temporarily thaw then refreeze it. So for my wife and I, it costs $60 to freeze our credit. During the year if we change car insurance or want to rent a house, apply for a credit card, open a checking account, it costs $20 each time (for joint accounts).
This is probably a major score for Equifax (driving people to freeze their credit and increase Equifax revenues by about $200,000,000 a year at least)
What a complete scam.
How soon until the class action lawsuit?
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In our crappy state of Washington, it costs $10 per agency to freeze your credit and the same price to temporarily thaw then refreeze it. So for my wife and I, it costs $60 to freeze our credit. During the year if we change car insurance or want to rent a house, apply for a credit card, open a checking account, it costs $20 each time (for joint accounts).
This is probably a major score for Equifax (driving people to freeze their credit and increase Equifax revenues by about $200,000,000 a year at least)
What a complete scam.
How soon until the class action lawsuit?
Good point. I'm going to google class action lawyers and see if any will take up this case. I'm sure they will smell money, and hopefully it will results in free credit freezes and better consumer protection.
edit: Some have already beaten us to the punch: https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/wjjv99/class-action-lawyers-say-equifax-cant-prevent-you-from-suing-them
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In our crappy state of Washington, it costs $10 per agency to freeze your credit and the same price to temporarily thaw then refreeze it. So for my wife and I, it costs $60 to freeze our credit. During the year if we change car insurance or want to rent a house, apply for a credit card, open a checking account, it costs $20 each time (for joint accounts).
This is probably a major score for Equifax (driving people to freeze their credit and increase Equifax revenues by about $200,000,000 a year at least)
What a complete scam.
Ferguson is too busy pushing his own political agenda.
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In our crappy state of Washington, it costs $10 per agency to freeze your credit and the same price to temporarily thaw then refreeze it. So for my wife and I, it costs $60 to freeze our credit. During the year if we change car insurance or want to rent a house, apply for a credit card, open a checking account, it costs $20 each time (for joint accounts).
This is probably a major score for Equifax (driving people to freeze their credit and increase Equifax revenues by about $200,000,000 a year at least)
What a complete scam.
I believe Equifax will pay for this via a class action lawsuit, and hopefully stronger consumer protections will result. You still must contact your attorney general, your senators / congressmen, to complain and get them to provide free credit freezes for residents of your state. You must act loudly and rapidly.
I contacted my local attorney general, senators, and plan to do a lot more phone calls / emails (I also contacted a class action lawyer as well). This is simply unacceptable state of lax consumer privacy and protection right now.
The credit agencies are using our data to make money on us, and charging us to protect it. Simply unacceptable!!
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So what if you lose your PIN? Looks you can request a replacement, but what information do you need to provide in order to get a replacement, particularly that isn't part of the data hack?
Don't lose your PIN.
See my thread on ID protection, and how to protect your PIN.
Protect your PIN like it's any other vital information. I'm sure there's a way to prove your ID and get a new PIN if you lose your PIN, but I'm sure it's a huge hassle.
Bottom line, don't lose your PIN!! You have other vital information to protect, use that same approach with your PIN. Put it in an encrypted container in the cloud, print it out and put it in your safe deposit box, home safe, etc.
I place my PIN in the same ultra secure location as my bank account web log-in's, credit card web-log-in's, and any other vital information I need to keep safe and secure.
You need to be responsible for your security.
It is a slow but not especially painful process. My identity was stolen a few years ago and in my panic to freeze my accounts my web browser decided not to render the Experian PDF that contained the PIN. In order to thaw my accounts a year later I had to mail them copies of my drivers' license and social security card, as well as a utility bill. Oh, and like triple the ordinary thaw fee, IIRC.
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So what if you lose your PIN? Looks you can request a replacement, but what information do you need to provide in order to get a replacement, particularly that isn't part of the data hack?
Don't lose your PIN.
See my thread on ID protection, and how to protect your PIN.
Protect your PIN like it's any other vital information. I'm sure there's a way to prove your ID and get a new PIN if you lose your PIN, but I'm sure it's a huge hassle.
Bottom line, don't lose your PIN!! You have other vital information to protect, use that same approach with your PIN. Put it in an encrypted container in the cloud, print it out and put it in your safe deposit box, home safe, etc.
I place my PIN in the same ultra secure location as my bank account web log-in's, credit card web-log-in's, and any other vital information I need to keep safe and secure.
You need to be responsible for your security.
It is a slow but not especially painful process. My identity was stolen a few years ago and in my panic to freeze my accounts my web browser decided not to render the Experian PDF that contained the PIN. In order to thaw my accounts a year later I had to mail them copies of my drivers' license and social security card, as well as a utility bill. Oh, and like triple the ordinary thaw fee, IIRC.
Good to know. I had to do that for my relative who was victim of ID theft as well. Send copies of Driver license, utility bill, etc...
Triple to ordinary thaw fee... ugh... better not to lose it in the first place. Just a hassle for everyone involved.
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Another small victory for crypto technology like Bitcoin and Ethereum. We cannot "trust" a central authority to store information and not release it thru incompetance or greed.
I know from experience working in the IT field for many years, the lowest paid professions in tech are usually the people who handle the hardware and software that stores the data. You would think companies would attract the most compentant (and highly paid) to secure their data, but the majority do not. It is usually the first department that gets cuts, layoffs, outsourcing, etc because they are looked at as a cost center and most people running these companies are not technologically savy so they do not understand the potential future reprocussions. We are going to see this over and over and over again.
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Anyone else having trouble freezing their accounts? Experian and Equifax were fine, but TransUnion is giving me trouble.
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Anyone else having trouble freezing their accounts? Experian and Equifax were fine, but TransUnion is giving me trouble.
TransUnion was giving me trouble earlier in the morning but then I was able to get through around 1pm ET. Just keep trying, I'm sure they're completely slammed right now.
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Anyone else having trouble freezing their accounts? Experian and Equifax were fine, but TransUnion is giving me trouble.
Transunion is giving me trouble too. I'm sure they were not prepared for this kind of volume and their Servers are overwhelmed. Chances are "the bad guys" won't be doing anything with your data this weekend, so waiting a day or two probably won't hurt..... just don't forget to do it.
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TransUnion is free in NM, I did it over the phone and it only took a few minutes with the automated system. Experian took a bit longer as I had to pay $10+tax for it. Equifax I did via the website and it was very quick. I'll have to have my wife do the same so that's another $20. As someone else stated, pretty shitty that you have to pay for the privilege of restricting access to your personal information that these companies have sucked up and profit from. Perhaps just like having to provide annual free credit reports this will prompt them to start providing freezing/unfreezing for free.
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I followed Krebs' advice on freezing my credit years ago with the 4 largest credit bureaus. Yes, do all 4, not 3, don't forget about Innovis. I don't churn cards and very rarely need to do anything that hits the credit reports, so I've had absolutely zero negative impact from doing the freeze.
Just do it!
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Another small victory for crypto technology like Bitcoin and Ethereum. We cannot "trust" a central authority to store information and not release it thru incompetance or greed.
I know from experience working in the IT field for many years, the lowest paid professions in tech are usually the people who handle the hardware and software that stores the data. You would think companies would attract the most compentant (and highly paid) to secure their data, but the majority do not. It is usually the first department that gets cuts, layoffs, outsourcing, etc because they are looked at as a cost center and most people running these companies are not technologically savy so they do not understand the potential future reprocussions. We are going to see this over and over and over again.
Uh. Yeah, because there haven't been issues with security in the cryptocurrency markets... Also kind of weird you're comparing a currency to a bureau that tracks information. You don't think those guys will start tracking credit issued in cryptocurrencies if that ever becomes a thing?
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I just signed up with a law firm for a class action suit against Equifax. Well, not so much signed up but just submitted my information and a statement of how we have been affected. I did mention that it is unconscionable conduct for Equifax to profit off of this by receiving money from people who get scared and decide to pay Equifax to freeze their credit.
I am not holding out much hope (probably easier to get Trump to buy non gold plated furniture than to get a company to give up money).
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I followed Krebs' advice on freezing my credit years ago with the 4 largest credit bureaus. Yes, do all 4, not 3, don't forget about Innovis. I don't churn cards and very rarely need to do anything that hits the credit reports, so I've had absolutely zero negative impact from doing the freeze.
Just do it!
Innovis
https://www.innovis.com/personal/securityFreeze
It was free and they said they would mail me a PIN, as did Experian. Equifax I received the PIN in a PDF from the website and TransUnion I setup my own over the phone.
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Here is the link for Washington state Attorney General consumer complaint form:
https://fortress.wa.gov/atg/formhandler/ago/ComplaintForm.aspx
Do not be a sheep and let Equifax get away with collecting millions of dollars in freeze credit fees just because they made you scared with their lax security.
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I hope no one is really expecting anything to come from 143M people suing equifax... A few dollars each and hopefully much better security/consumer protections when incidents DO happen is all that can come of it. All that can really be hoped for is them to refund any and all money made from the freezing that is about to happen.
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I followed Krebs' advice on freezing my credit years ago with the 4 largest credit bureaus. Yes, do all 4, not 3, don't forget about Innovis. I don't churn cards and very rarely need to do anything that hits the credit reports, so I've had absolutely zero negative impact from doing the freeze.
Just do it!
Innovis
https://www.innovis.com/personal/securityFreeze
It was free and they said they would mail me a PIN, as did Experian. Equifax I received the PIN in a PDF from the website and TransUnion I setup my own over the phone.
Who the F is innovis???
So is this going to cost two of us $80 for 2 people now?
Im really pissed about all this.
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Who the F is innovis???
So is this going to cost two of us $80 for 2 people now?
Im really pissed about all this.
Good. You should be. Now while you are pissed and motivated, contact your state and let them know you want this changed.
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Word online also
"... consumers should hold off on accepting #Equifax credit monitoring — could stop victims from joining class action lawsuits"
And the guy who ran their security department made near $3 million last year
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/08/equifax-security-exec-john-kelley-earned-2-point-8-million-in-2016.html
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I followed Krebs' advice on freezing my credit years ago with the 4 largest credit bureaus. Yes, do all 4, not 3, don't forget about Innovis. I don't churn cards and very rarely need to do anything that hits the credit reports, so I've had absolutely zero negative impact from doing the freeze.
Just do it!
Innovis
https://www.innovis.com/personal/securityFreeze
It was free and they said they would mail me a PIN, as did Experian. Equifax I received the PIN in a PDF from the website and TransUnion I setup my own over the phone.
Who the F is innovis???
So is this going to cost two of us $80 for 2 people now?
Im really pissed about all this.
Innovis was free to place a security freeze on. There's also a 5th consumer reporting agency that I had never heard of before, PRBC. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRBC it looks like they operate differently as they rely on self-reporting things like paying a cell phone bill or rent on time each month for those people that don't have traditional credit accounts.
This just furthers my desire to have no credit score. Unfortunately since saving up $250-300k to buy a house for cash is a bit unrealistic right now I'll be taking out a mortgage at some point so I don't want to cancel all my old unused credit card accounts just yet.
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I followed Krebs' advice on freezing my credit years ago with the 4 largest credit bureaus. Yes, do all 4, not 3, don't forget about Innovis. I don't churn cards and very rarely need to do anything that hits the credit reports, so I've had absolutely zero negative impact from doing the freeze.
Just do it!
Thanks!! At least innovis appears to be free to file credit freeze, as it ought to be for all!!!
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Word online also
"... consumers should hold off on accepting #Equifax credit monitoring — could stop victims from joining class action lawsuits"
And the guy who ran their security department made near $3 million last year
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/08/equifax-security-exec-john-kelley-earned-2-point-8-million-in-2016.html
That's criminal. He needs to return all of his compensation ASAP.
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Innovis was free to place a security freeze on. There's also a 5th consumer reporting agency that I had never heard of before, PRBC. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRBC it looks like they operate differently as they rely on self-reporting things like paying a cell phone bill or rent on time each month for those people that don't have traditional credit accounts.
This just furthers my desire to have no credit score. Unfortunately since saving up $250-300k to buy a house for cash is a bit unrealistic right now I'll be taking out a mortgage at some point so I don't want to cancel all my old unused credit card accounts just yet.
Good lord. I'm waiting for the news that hackers / criminals in the black market are running a hidden credit scoring business on which consumers have the best credit score and best to commit fraud with. This whole system is a sham and needs to be rebuilt with security and consumer privacy in mind. All consumers are out of the loop on this and it's totally unacceptable.
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https://texasattorneygeneral.gov/cpd/file-a-consumer-complaint
Here's the link for TX attorney general's office to ask for help getting credit freeze fees waived.
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Place to complain in Oregon.
https://justice.oregon.gov/consumercomplaints/OnlineComplaints/OnlineComplaintForm/en
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You guys actually doing something and posting links so others can try too is bringing a tear to my eye.
Now if only we could get the other 99.99% of the USA to give a damn. :-(
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From this site:
https://mccunewright.com/equifax-data-breach-lawsuit/
McCune Wright Arevalo LLP is currently investigating a lawsuit against Equifax related to its announcement of a data breach impacting over 143 million Americans. The sensitive information breached includes names, social security numbers, birth dates, addresses, and the numbers of some driver’s licenses. Additionally, Equifax said that credit card numbers for about 209,000 U.S. customers were exposed, as was “personal identifying information” on roughly 182,000 U.S. customers involved in credit report disputes.
Looks like credit card numbers are exposed, along with what the hell anything else one can imagine.
Keep an eye on your credit card transactions folks!!
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This really kind of puts a crimp in the credit card and bank account churn thing that is quite popular on MMM. Because our credit is already frozen (I paid the $30 extortion fee a couple years ago and have paid $70 or so dollars since when I needed thaws) I have not been able to take advantage of these deals.
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Just froze mine at the Big 3 (and the little 4th). Cost me $5 per freeze, so $15 total. I'm not happy that I have to pay to clean up their negligence- and hope legislation and lawsuits that come out of this force the credit agencies to offer this service free to everyone. Thanks for the tip MMM's!
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Logged into Discover today to find out that they offer a free service to check for my social on the dark web as well as let me know of any new accounts being opened up. No idea if this is new or not since I don't log into it that often (I keep track of my credit card on mint.) But does look interesting.
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Logged into Discover today to find out that they offer a free service to check for my social on the dark web as well as let me know of any new accounts being opened up. No idea if this is new or not since I don't log into it that often (I keep track of my credit card on mint.) But does look interesting.
it is fairly new, they also offer the FICO score, which is helpful.
I think credit karma and credit.com offer free monthly credit reports / scores as well. Citibank / Chase and many other credit card issuers / banks now offer this information, which is helpful.
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In CA it does not cost anything to place a freeze at each of the three credit bureaus. While doing so contact each of your existing credit card companies and request new cards to be issued to you so your previous cards are closed. During the last few years so many large companies and even government agencies were targeted by hackers. Most people heard of Target, but HomeDepot, Wells Fargo, Intel, Sony, and even the CA DMV, were all successfully penetrated and had sensitive consumer data stolen. Be proactive fellow Mustachians.
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Am I foolish for not rushing off to freeze my credit? I'm mad and want to sue the hell out of these companies instead of reward them with even more money.
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Am I foolish for not rushing off to freeze my credit? I'm mad and want to sue the hell out of these companies instead of reward them with even more money.
the lawsuit will take years. I suggest you freeze your credit ASAP. It's your battle to fight for now.
The sad thing is you are the one who ends up paying for their mistakes. So only you can protect yourself right now. Equifax doesn't pay the consequences of losing your most private data...not yet any way.
As I stated above, they make money off of your data, and then you have to pay to protect your data. It's the biggest scam in the consumer world but what can you do about it right now? You need to contact your congressmen, attorney general, etc., and make your voice heard loud and clear.
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None of the three major credit bureaus have ever compensated monetarily customers who filed class actions. Protect yourself first, then concern yourself with getting in line to collect. But do not hold your breath. The credit bureaus do not care whatsoever about your situation or the data breaches. Your data is their property and while they use PR spin to feign remorse, these companies do not care about the possible negative repercussions caused by their negligence.
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Am I foolish for not rushing off to freeze my credit? I'm mad and want to sue the hell out of these companies instead of reward them with even more money.
the lawsuit will take years. I suggest you freeze your credit ASAP. It's your battle to fight for now.
The sad thing is you are the one who ends up paying for their mistakes. So only you can protect yourself right now. Equifax doesn't pay the consequences of losing your most private data...not yet any way.
As I stated above, they make money off of your data, and then you have to pay to protect your data. It's the biggest scam in the consumer world but what can you do about it right now? You need to contact your congressmen, attorney general, etc., and make your voice heard loud and clear.
I just submitted a complaint with consumer protection in my State.
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Thanks to this thread I just put in freezes with the three major bureaus. For some reason the first one was free and the other two were not. If I had more brain space I would have investigated it further, but with the baby crying and hungry I just got it done. I might be $20 poorer than I should be, but oh well. When it comes to having a newborn around, sometimes you settle for "good enough".
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This is probably the 6th or 7th breach I've been of victim of. Honestly, at this point, I just don't care. I have credit monitoring for each of the breaches. I have it through AAA too. I use Mint so I check on my account regularly and would see if there were any fraudulent purchases. I monitor my credit score through Mint and can see if something happens where it takes a plunge. I just can't be bothered to freak out anymore.
^^ That.
Upon notification of yet another breech or leak or loss or whatever-they-call-it-this-time of some or all of my personal data, I sigh, pour a stiff drink, consume said stiff drink, and go on with life.
If my credit score starts taking abnormally (it varies based on how much credit I'm using at any moment - normally zero, sometimes a lot if I'm doing property improvements or helping start a business), I'll look into it.
But the saving grace of this stuff is that using one person's identity or credit card? Super easy. Using ten? Still doable. Using 143 million or whatever the count is up to now? Quite, quite difficult. There's simply no way to scale that kind of identity theft.
I used to care about this stuff. It's happened so many times (I seriously don't even count anymore) that I've just stopped caring. The one thing I cared about credit for (getting a mortgage) was at odds with how we ended up purchasing a house, so... just not going to put that much effort into caring anymore.
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Even though paying these clowns not to share MY data galls me.. I figure its a bit like umbrella insurance.. Yeah I'm rich, so if I hurt someone I'll get sued so no way I can have $25k in bodily injury coverage on your auto policy..
We have $0.5M and will probably get additional $1M umbrella policy.. Which of course is way more expensive.
i.e having money costs money.
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In CA it does not cost anything to place a freeze at each of the three credit bureaus. While doing so contact each of your existing credit card companies and request new cards to be issued to you so your previous cards are closed. During the last few years so many large companies and even government agencies were targeted by hackers. Most people heard of Target, but HomeDepot, Wells Fargo, Intel, Sony, and even the CA DMV, were all successfully penetrated and had sensitive consumer data stolen. Be proactive fellow Mustachians.
Yesterday I checked Equifax and it isn't free. Only free if you're the "victim of ID theft." So basically after the fact. Requires a police report for confirmation of ID theft.
https://help.equifax.com/s/article/ka137000000DSDyAAO/What-are-the-security-freeze-fees-in-my-state
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I sent an email to a writer for a news outlet that they should do a story on how Equifax is profiting from their lax security and data breach by charging customers to freeze their credit. He said they were already working on this exact story line and angle and to stay tuned. If they do the story I will post a link.
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This is probably the 6th or 7th breach I've been of victim of. Honestly, at this point, I just don't care. I have credit monitoring for each of the breaches. I have it through AAA too. I use Mint so I check on my account regularly and would see if there were any fraudulent purchases. I monitor my credit score through Mint and can see if something happens where it takes a plunge. I just can't be bothered to freak out anymore.
^^ That.
Upon notification of yet another breech or leak or loss or whatever-they-call-it-this-time of some or all of my personal data, I sigh, pour a stiff drink, consume said stiff drink, and go on with life.
If my credit score starts taking abnormally (it varies based on how much credit I'm using at any moment - normally zero, sometimes a lot if I'm doing property improvements or helping start a business), I'll look into it.
But the saving grace of this stuff is that using one person's identity or credit card? Super easy. Using ten? Still doable. Using 143 million or whatever the count is up to now? Quite, quite difficult. There's simply no way to scale that kind of identity theft.
I used to care about this stuff. It's happened so many times (I seriously don't even count anymore) that I've just stopped caring. The one thing I cared about credit for (getting a mortgage) was at odds with how we ended up purchasing a house, so... just not going to put that much effort into caring anymore.
I guess if you don't mind being a victim of credit fraud then this should be no problem for you.
I've helped a relative through credit fraud and it was no fun. It's especially inconvenient if you're trying to refinance your mortgage, apply for a new loan, even trying to find a new job and having to do a background check where they find out you're late on accounts you didn't even open. Trying to get all of that fixed as quickly as possible without impacting whatever you're trying to do is tough, as fixing these things takes weeks, sometimes more.
The cops don't care about any of this stuff, they will never find the criminals, even as you complete a mountain of paperwork to prove you are who you say, and you didn't open up these alleged accounts. You are on your own on this. If you don't mind taking the hit, then sure, ignore the advice given here and elsewhere. Good luck.
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I guess if you don't mind being a victim of credit fraud then this should be no problem for you.
*shrug* Anyone who has enough information to open accounts in my name probably has more than enough data to successfully convince a credit agency that they're me and to unfreeze things. I was part of the "big one" a few years back that is, literally, a complete history of my life. From applying for a job I didn't end up taking.
There's also something in my life in process that requires a credit check, so I have to leave it unfrozen for now.
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I guess if you don't mind being a victim of credit fraud then this should be no problem for you.
*shrug* Anyone who has enough information to open accounts in my name probably has more than enough data to successfully convince a credit agency that they're me and to unfreeze things. I was part of the "big one" a few years back that is, literally, a complete history of my life. From applying for a job I didn't end up taking.
There's also something in my life in process that requires a credit check, so I have to leave it unfrozen for now.
They would have to have your PIN to unfreeze your credit quickly. They could steal your ID and forge papers to pretend to be you, but I doubt any hacker would go through that much work to do that. It's hard enough to do that with real authentic documents as it is, for someone to go out of their to forge these documents to unfreeze your credit would be a whole 'nother level.
You sound pretty defeatist, that's ok... you're the one who'll be impacted if you don't act. We all choose our paths in life, the easy or the hard way, or the unnecessarily really hard way.
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*shrug* Yeah. As I said, this is probably the 6th or 8th or somethingth time, and this is a lot less data than has been lost from other places. I'm pretty sure at least one breech included health records, I know I've had my entire life history extracted from somewhere or other... this just doesn't bother me that much anymore.
I may put a freeze in after I'm sure that my credit has been pulled, but... no idea when that will be.
I just don't care that much, and "yet another copy of my identify information floating around" doesn't increase the risk much on top of what's already out there.
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Sorry if this was already answered...If I freeze my credit, can I no longer churn cards for travel rewards? I do check Personal Capital every few days, so is that enough?
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In CA it does not cost anything to place a freeze at each of the three credit bureaus. While doing so contact each of your existing credit card companies and request new cards to be issued to you so your previous cards are closed. During the last few years so many large companies and even government agencies were targeted by hackers. Most people heard of Target, but HomeDepot, Wells Fargo, Intel, Sony, and even the CA DMV, were all successfully penetrated and had sensitive consumer data stolen. Be proactive fellow Mustachians.
Yesterday I checked Equifax and it isn't free. Only free if you're the "victim of ID theft." So basically after the fact. Requires a police report for confirmation of ID theft.
https://help.equifax.com/s/article/ka137000000DSDyAAO/What-are-the-security-freeze-fees-in-my-state
I am in CA. Just froze my accounts a few minutes ago - cost me $10 each for experian and transunion, but equifax did not charge me. I'm guessing they realized it'd be a bad idea...
Also froze Innovis, the 4th (little known) credit bureau. That was free.
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Sorry if this was already answered...If I freeze my credit, can I no longer churn cards for travel rewards? I do check Personal Capital every few days, so is that enough?
The freeze lets you be proactive, whereas monitoring is reactive (when something does happen)
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Is there a way to demand a complete delete of your data at the credit bureaus?
Got the house, minimal credit cards, what do I need those MF for?
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Is there a way to demand a complete delete of your data at the credit bureaus?
Got the house, minimal credit cards, what do I need those MF for?
If you get rid of all credit, i.e. close all credit card accounts and payoff your mortgage then after a few years you will have no credit score. However, I don't think there's anyways to keep these companies from collecting your information. Not to mention the myriad other companies that collect your information from other sources (marketing firms, etc.)
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In CA it does not cost anything to place a freeze at each of the three credit bureaus. While doing so contact each of your existing credit card companies and request new cards to be issued to you so your previous cards are closed. During the last few years so many large companies and even government agencies were targeted by hackers. Most people heard of Target, but HomeDepot, Wells Fargo, Intel, Sony, and even the CA DMV, were all successfully penetrated and had sensitive consumer data stolen. Be proactive fellow Mustachians.
Yesterday I checked Equifax and it isn't free. Only free if you're the "victim of ID theft." So basically after the fact. Requires a police report for confirmation of ID theft.
https://help.equifax.com/s/article/ka137000000DSDyAAO/What-are-the-security-freeze-fees-in-my-state
There are ways around it, talk to a manager at the POS credit bureau and get them to place freeze. I've been placing freezes since 1990 and never paid once. Also I never had police reports either. YMMV.
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Is there a way to demand a complete delete of your data at the credit bureaus?
Got the house, minimal credit cards, what do I need those MF for?
If you get rid of all credit, i.e. close all credit card accounts and payoff your mortgage then after a few years you will have no credit score. However, I don't think there's anyways to keep these companies from collecting your information. Not to mention the myriad other companies that collect your information from other sources (marketing firms, etc.)
If removing all credit is a concern, you can always try to go off the grid. Close all accounts (mortgage, credit cards, loans, savings, checking, et al) and then, easier said than done, strictly use cash. You can buy land and even a tiny home, but chances are you will still need to register with the utilities company; sadly, this usually requires a credit card of checking account. All of your pre-existing information will still exist in the databases of various credit bureaus and companies that profit from marketing your personal data. I would imagine a better alternative would be to do the first part and then, move to another country and use cash only there.
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Experian appears to have shut down their online freeze option.
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Experian appears to have shut down their online freeze option.
Well shit.
I was just getting husband to come around to the idea. We're both "likely affected".
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In our crappy state of Washington, it costs $10 per agency to freeze your credit and the same price to temporarily thaw then refreeze it. So for my wife and I, it costs $60 to freeze our credit. During the year if we change car insurance or want to rent a house, apply for a credit card, open a checking account, it costs $20 each time (for joint accounts).
This is probably a major score for Equifax (driving people to freeze their credit and increase Equifax revenues by about $200,000,000 a year at least)
What a complete scam.
How soon until the class action lawsuit?
You're too late.
One already filed in Oregon Federal court, remains to be seen if will be certifed, what effect it might have on the credit reporting industry and if there will be any benefit to victims (other than a discount coupon or some other settlement bullshit).
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n/m
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Is there a way to demand a complete delete of your data at the credit bureaus?
Got the house, minimal credit cards, what do I need those MF for?
They don't work for you, in case you hadn't noticed. You sound like a dangerous radical.
It is only your data in the sense that it is your responsibilty to accept the consequences if it is misused.
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Here is the link for Washington state Attorney General consumer complaint form:
https://fortress.wa.gov/atg/formhandler/ago/ComplaintForm.aspx
Do not be a sheep and let Equifax get away with collecting millions of dollars in freeze credit fees just because they made you scared with their lax security.
thanks for the link. complaint submitted.
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https://api.cointelegraph.com/amp/v1/news/equifax-hackers-demanding-26-mln-in-bitcoin-or-else
Whee. The hackers demanded 600BTC (~$2.6M) or they'll make the data public.
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Looks like Equifax is an even bigger mess than we thought. This is criminally bad security they've got.
https://twitter.com/webster/status/906346071210778625
Equifax security freeze PINs are worse than I thought. If you froze your credit today 2:15pm ET for example, you'd get PIN 0908171415.
That's right, Equifax assigns a PIN by the time you ask for the freeze. Which means it'll be incredibly easy to brute force your PIN (assuming they can get the hash, which based on their terrible security so far seems high).
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I feel like a genius right now for freezing all my credit reports two years ago. Way to go, me!
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Oh FFS!!!!!
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I agree, Exflyboy, FFS.
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I agree, Exflyboy, FFS.
+1
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Looks like Equifax is an even bigger mess than we thought. This is criminally bad security they've got.
https://twitter.com/webster/status/906346071210778625
Equifax security freeze PINs are worse than I thought. If you froze your credit today 2:15pm ET for example, you'd get PIN 0908171415.
That's right, Equifax assigns a PIN by the time you ask for the freeze. Which means it'll be incredibly easy to brute force your PIN (assuming they can get the hash, which based on their terrible security so far seems high).
Jeezus.... they need to can the entire IT / security department and start all over... incompetent fools!!
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Here is TransUnion's list of credit freeze costs by state for the three main credit bureaus TransUnion, Equifax, Experian (as others posted upthread, the lesser fourth bureau Innovis will let you freeze/thaw/refreeze for free):
https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze/place-credit-freeze
I have read that you should NOT use the https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com site to check if you are affected by the breach. The site is said to NOT be secure, it provides a different answer if you check the same info twice, and it will give answers even if you put in garbage info.
When I went to the website to verify this, the first thing that came up was Firefox's warning:
Your connection is not secure
The owner of www.equifaxsecurity2017.com has configured their website improperly. To protect your information from being stolen, Firefox has not connected to this website.
After choosing to go ahead anyway, I entered the last name "Abcdefghijkl" (not my actual last name, haha) and the SSN last six digits of 939393. Good news, it's not affected by the breach!
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They've included a statement that signing up for monitoring won't affect your rights...
"2). NO WAIVER OF RIGHTS FOR THIS CYBER SECURITY INCIDENT
In 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."
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Past experience says any class action lawsuit will end up being meaningless for 99.9999% of us (like most class action lawsuits, where the lawyers get rich and the consumers get nothing). As an example, my data was compromised from the Home Depot hack several years ago. After the lawsuit/settlement, I was told I could apply for compensation up to 2-3 hours of my time spent cleaning up the mess (canceling compromised credit cards, freezing credit, etc.). I dutifully filed a claim saying I had spent 2 hours dealing with the mess, which was promptly denied because I did not provide "documentation or proof" that I had spent that amount of time. WTF, as if anyone could prove such a thing. Sure, let me just issue a subpoena to my ISP for records demonstrating how much time I was on the credit card website canceling and requesting new cards and changing my numbers on all my online bill payments...
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https://api.cointelegraph.com/amp/v1/news/equifax-hackers-demanding-26-mln-in-bitcoin-or-else
Whee. The hackers demanded 600BTC (~$2.6M) or they'll make the data public.
There's no reasonable reason to pay the ransom as there is no way to provide assurance that the stolen data is destroyed and will never be mis-used. They are very unlikely to publicly release the majority of the data, as it would be much more valuable to the hackers to sell the secret data.
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https://api.cointelegraph.com/amp/v1/news/equifax-hackers-demanding-26-mln-in-bitcoin-or-else
Whee. The hackers demanded 600BTC (~$2.6M) or they'll make the data public.
That link also indicates that Equifax execs may be guilty of insider trading:
This hack has created a stir, especially after it was revealed (https://cointelegraph.com/news/equifax-hack-3-investors-sold-18-mln-shares-in-unclear-transaction) that three Equifax executives sold almost $18 mln in stock just before news of the hack was made public.
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Past experience says any class action lawsuit will end up being meaningless for 99.9999% of us (like most class action lawsuits, where the lawyers get rich and the consumers get nothing). As an example, my data was compromised from the Home Depot hack several years ago. After the lawsuit/settlement, I was told I could apply for compensation up to 2-3 hours of my time spent cleaning up the mess (canceling compromised credit cards, freezing credit, etc.). I dutifully filed a claim saying I had spent 2 hours dealing with the mess, which was promptly denied because I did not provide "documentation or proof" that I had spent that amount of time. WTF, as if anyone could prove such a thing. Sure, let me just issue a subpoena to my ISP for records demonstrating how much time I was on the credit card website canceling and requesting new cards and changing my numbers on all my online bill payments...
I think it should be possible to get Equifax on the hook for covering all costs of credit freeze/thaw for each stolen SSN for life. I have no expenctation that a deserved monetary compensation would be provided to the victims.
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There's no reasonable reason to pay the ransom as there is no way to provide assurance that the stolen data is destroyed and will never be mis-used. They are very unlikely to publicly release the majority of the data, as it would be much more valuable to the hackers to sell the secret data.
Well, we should know how things turned out by the end of the week!
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Have any of you locked your accounts? I just freeze but wondering if anyone has tried it and with any success?
https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze/place-credit-freeze2
Lastly, how many of you obtained police reports? When you did what did you explain to the officer for them to complete the report? Share your experiences. I know some of the bureaus require it but I've never filed one for my state of CA and still placed freezes.
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Experian appears to have shut down their online freeze option.
I just froze mine on Experian online. No issues.
I tried again and no dice.
Tried calling and selecting phone and it auto states has to be mailed in (no personal info input)
As of today the Equifax online free submission page works
https://www.freeze.equifax.com/Freeze/jsp/SFF_PersonalIDInfo.jsp
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Sobezen- I recommend deleting the time stamp of your transaction with equifax, since it turns out that's all they use to formulaically generate the PINs. Maybe I'm paranoid, but I'd hate for my PIN to be out there and someone to figure out who I was based on my info on the forums.
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Good point Bracken_Joy. T hanks. I am all for prudent paranoia. Did you also place freezes with the other bureaus? Did you do it online or by phone? And were you able to obtain a police report so you would not be required to pay the inane $10 per bureau? Thanks!
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Sobezen- I recommend deleting the time stamp of your transaction with equifax, since it turns out that's all they use to formulaically generate the PINs. Maybe I'm paranoid, but I'd hate for my PIN to be out there and someone to figure out who I was based on my info on the forums.
Ugh - that's mine :( I deleted the original post and messaged the posters who quoted it to edit/remove it. Worst case maybe I can have a mod edit it...
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Good point Bracken_Joy. T hanks. I am all for prudent paranoia. Did you also place freezes with the other bureaus? Did you do it online or by phone? And were you able to obtain a police report so you would not be required to pay the inane $10 per bureau? Thanks!
Online, all four (innova or whatever it is was free). Equifax was free for DH, I did his a couple days after mine (mine was not free). Otherwise yes, $10 per, so $50 for the two of us total. No police report, because no crime has yet been committed.
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Here is TransUnion's list of credit freeze costs by state for the three main credit bureaus TransUnion, Equifax, Experian (as others posted upthread, the lesser fourth bureau Innovis will let you freeze/thaw/refreeze for free):
https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze/place-credit-freeze
I have read that you should NOT use the https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com site to check if you are affected by the breach. The site is said to NOT be secure, it provides a different answer if you check the same info twice, and it will give answers even if you put in garbage info.
When I went to the website to verify this, the first thing that came up was Firefox's warning:
Your connection is not secure
The owner of www.equifaxsecurity2017.com has configured their website improperly. To protect your information from being stolen, Firefox has not connected to this website.
After choosing to go ahead anyway, I entered the last name "Abcdefghijkl" (not my actual last name, haha) and the SSN last six digits of 939393. Good news, it's not affected by the breach!
Your Equifax "PIN" is also just the timestamp of your request. So all of you telling me that you just froze your credit, I know that the first digits of your incredibly complicated PIN are probably 09082017, 09092017, 09102017, 09112017....
Most likely their security was breached because they made "password" the password to their database.
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PTF
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Experian appears to have shut down their online freeze option.
I just froze mine on Experian online. No issues.
I tried again and no dice.
Tried calling and selecting phone and it auto states has to be mailed in (no personal info input)
As of today the Equifax online free submission page works
https://www.freeze.equifax.com/Freeze/jsp/SFF_PersonalIDInfo.jsp
Tried this at various times today, and took about 6 attempts to get it done. That being said, there was no charge for either of us to place a credit freeze. Perhaps the spotty success had to do with getting rid of the requirement to pay (we are in a state that allows them to charge us)
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Here is TransUnion's list of credit freeze costs by state for the three main credit bureaus TransUnion, Equifax, Experian (as others posted upthread, the lesser fourth bureau Innovis will let you freeze/thaw/refreeze for free):
https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze/place-credit-freeze
I have read that you should NOT use the https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com site to check if you are affected by the breach. The site is said to NOT be secure, it provides a different answer if you check the same info twice, and it will give answers even if you put in garbage info.
When I went to the website to verify this, the first thing that came up was Firefox's warning:
Your connection is not secure
The owner of www.equifaxsecurity2017.com has configured their website improperly. To protect your information from being stolen, Firefox has not connected to this website.
After choosing to go ahead anyway, I entered the last name "Abcdefghijkl" (not my actual last name, haha) and the SSN last six digits of 939393. Good news, it's not affected by the breach!
Your Equifax "PIN" is also just the timestamp of your request. So all of you telling me that you just froze your credit, I know that the first digits of your incredibly complicated PIN are probably 09082017, 09092017, 09102017, 09112017....
Most likely their security was breached because they made "password" the password to their database.
Nope the Equifax PIN does not equal the time stamp for me. Maybe for others but it is not even remotely close.
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^ They changed it over the weekend. I read online you can request a new PIN. Assume they'll mail it if you call in.
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Good point Bracken_Joy. T hanks. I am all for prudent paranoia. Did you also place freezes with the other bureaus? Did you do it online or by phone? And were you able to obtain a police report so you would not be required to pay the inane $10 per bureau? Thanks!
Online, all four (innova or whatever it is was free). Equifax was free for DH, I did his a couple days after mine (mine was not free). Otherwise yes, $10 per, so $50 for the two of us total. No police report, because no crime has yet been committed.
@Bracken_Joy: Even after a crime has been committed and someone went to a shopping spree using your credit cards, or an assumed identify, the police cannot confirm the events, parties involved, nor can they really investigate it after drafting a report. So I am extremely skeptical why credit bureaus require a police report. What good does a police report serve the credit bureaus? To me obtaining a police report is yet another illogical requirement created by the bureaus.
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Good point Bracken_Joy. T hanks. I am all for prudent paranoia. Did you also place freezes with the other bureaus? Did you do it online or by phone? And were you able to obtain a police report so you would not be required to pay the inane $10 per bureau? Thanks!
Online, all four (innova or whatever it is was free). Equifax was free for DH, I did his a couple days after mine (mine was not free). Otherwise yes, $10 per, so $50 for the two of us total. No police report, because no crime has yet been committed.
@Bracken_Joy: Even after a crime has been committed and someone went to a shopping spree using your credit cards, or an assumed identify, the police cannot confirm the events, parties involved, nor can they really investigate it after drafting a report. So I am extremely skeptical why credit bureaus require a police report. What good does a police report serve the credit bureaus? To me obtaining a police report is yet another illogical requirement created by the bureaus.
Oh absolutely. Doesn't mean they don't require it for a free freeze though.
I did just write equifax to request a new PIN and ask for a refund of my $10 though. We'll see if anything comes of it.
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Oh absolutely. Doesn't mean they don't require it for a free freeze though.
I did just write equifax to request a new PIN and ask for a refund of my $10 though. We'll see if anything comes of it.
Keep us posted.
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I know people are worried about the 1 year only of credit monitoring, but I will add a silver lining to a cloud that gets darker the longer I type.
I have had free credit monitoring for the last 3 years and this is going to be the 4th year in a row. Most likely, another company will loose your data fairly quickly after the year is up (or before!?) and you will get another complimentary year of free monitoring. So far, my credit has been lost by my college, my apartment complex parent company, my bank, and now Equifax.
After the first breach, my data was out there. No coming back from that. So each additional time doesn't bother me too much because I get free monitoring and I've already got the freeze worked out. I suggest everyone live like the data is out there for the rest of your life. This is reality. I work in data security for a pretty big company that does security for a lot of major firms you may know in the states and the idea of online security makes me giggle. There is no security. You have no private information if you have given it out to anyone. Including the government.
My advice: take this opportunity to read about how to protect your credit and live with the results forever. Memorize another PIN so that you can freeze and unfreeze your credit as necessary, but don't go back to this free moment when you can apply for credit on a whim.
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So question. I was reading an article that indicated that, using SSN and such, it's possible for drivers licenses and/or doctors visits in your name. Then any resultant speeding tickets or med reconciliation issues would be on you. 1- any truth to this? 2- how do you detect if it happens? 3- any way to prevent this aspect of it?
Since those aren't tied to credit, I don't see that security freezes would have any bearing on them.
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You can request schools, hospitals, businesses, and even other institutions to use an alternative number instead of your social security number as an identifier. It is not a legal requirement for many businesses and institutions to use your SS for identification. YMMV.
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Looks like Equifax is an even bigger mess than we thought. This is criminally bad security they've got.
https://twitter.com/webster/status/906346071210778625
Equifax security freeze PINs are worse than I thought. If you froze your credit today 2:15pm ET for example, you'd get PIN 0908171415.
That's right, Equifax assigns a PIN by the time you ask for the freeze. Which means it'll be incredibly easy to brute force your PIN (assuming they can get the hash, which based on their terrible security so far seems high).
lol - who the hell's in charge of data/cyber security there? And here I thought that as private companies in a competitive marketplace, the credit bureaus would have the incentive to do the best job protecting our data that they possibly could.
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https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/12/your-money/equifax-fee-waiver.html?mcubz=3
Equifax, Bowing to Public Pressure, Drops Credit-Freeze Fees for 30 Days...
Does anyone know if we'll get refunds? What a joke all this is
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https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/12/your-money/equifax-fee-waiver.html?mcubz=3
Equifax, Bowing to Public Pressure, Drops Credit-Freeze Fees for 30 Days...
Does anyone know if we'll get refunds? What a joke all this is
I submitted a freeze over the phone with Equifax but they haven't charged my debit card yet. I did it online for my wife last night and there was no charge. Experian still charged both of us $10.50. TransUnion is free in our state and Innovis doesn't charge at all.
Hopefully this event prompts all of the credit bureaus to eliminate these fees.
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Equifax is bowing to public pressure? Bend more. Shouldn't Equifax take more responsibility for the security breach and offer complimentary freezes and credit monitoring service for at least three years or more? As others stated this entire situation is a pathetic joke on us the public.
Also it is amazing the other credit monitoring "services" are not legally required to provide complimentary account freezes whenever one of the bureaus security is breached. I've been writing to local officials and Senators for 20+ years and consumer protection remains a joke.
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Has anyone send a bit or byte of information to any of the credit bureaus?
I think it unlikely.
They, along with the reporting companies are the ones guilty of data theft.
They merely collected the info for the convenience of the later hackers.
Disclosure, I get credit checks several times a year for my job. The fact that I therefore don't have to keep all that data available on request is a convenience for me.
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Online links error when I try to use them after giving a credit card.
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Most likely their security was breached because they made "password" the password to their database.
And you thought you were speaking tongue-in-cheek...
http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/equifax-used-admin-for-the-login-and-password-of-a-non-us-website/ar-AArVYHu
Scores of accounts on Equifax (EFX)'s website in Argentina allegedly were protected by the same generic username and password: "admin."
Researchers at Hold Security, a Milwaukee-based cybersecurity firm, found that after some guesswork, they were able to uncover personal employee information housed on Equifax's South American site, including names, emails, and Social Security equivalents of over 100 individuals.
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Most likely their security was breached because they made "password" the password to their database.
And you thought you were speaking tongue-in-cheek...
http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/equifax-used-admin-for-the-login-and-password-of-a-non-us-website/ar-AArVYHu
Scores of accounts on Equifax (EFX)'s website in Argentina allegedly were protected by the same generic username and password: "admin."
Researchers at Hold Security, a Milwaukee-based cybersecurity firm, found that after some guesswork, they were able to uncover personal employee information housed on Equifax's South American site, including names, emails, and Social Security equivalents of over 100 individuals.
holy @#@#$!! Some people there needs to spend some time in prison for this.
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I left a message with the New Mexico Attorney General's office last week regarding my displeasure at having to pay the credit bureaus for the privilege of them not selling my information to anyone who requests it. I just got a call back and spoke to an attorney there who is working on the matter. He stated the obvious that probably every single state attorney general is looking into this (plus the federal and various federal agencies) and that they are compiling all of these comments. I mentioned that they should update the state website to reflect that Innovis and Chex Systems are essentially credit bureaus as well and 99% of people aren't aware that they can request a security freeze with them as well.
Hopefully these companies will soon making freezing and unfreezing your credit report completely free. I suspect we'll see some regulation or law to that effect. Hopefully soon as I'm unhappy giving Experian $20.00+tax.
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I left a message with the New Mexico Attorney General's office last week regarding my displeasure at having to pay the credit bureaus for the privilege of them not selling my information to anyone who requests it. I just got a call back and spoke to an attorney there who is working on the matter. He stated the obvious that probably every single state attorney general is looking into this (plus the federal and various federal agencies) and that they are compiling all of these comments. I mentioned that they should update the state website to reflect that Innovis and Chex Systems are essentially credit bureaus as well and 99% of people aren't aware that they can request a security freeze with them as well.
Hopefully these companies will soon making freezing and unfreezing your credit report completely free. I suspect we'll see some regulation or law to that effect. Hopefully soon as I'm unhappy giving Experian $20.00+tax.
Great to hear that you made a call. I have emailed and made calls. Unfortunately it seems they are overwhelmed and have not returned my calls, and only form email replies to my emails. I'm going to keep trying.
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I left a message with the New Mexico Attorney General's office last week regarding my displeasure at having to pay the credit bureaus for the privilege of them not selling my information to anyone who requests it. I just got a call back and spoke to an attorney there who is working on the matter. He stated the obvious that probably every single state attorney general is looking into this (plus the federal and various federal agencies) and that they are compiling all of these comments. I mentioned that they should update the state website to reflect that Innovis and Chex Systems are essentially credit bureaus as well and 99% of people aren't aware that they can request a security freeze with them as well.
Hopefully these companies will soon making freezing and unfreezing your credit report completely free. I suspect we'll see some regulation or law to that effect. Hopefully soon as I'm unhappy giving Experian $20.00+tax.
As a fellow 505er, thanks! I'll look into placing my own call as well. It seems like free credit freezes and thaws should be a pretty low bar for any US state.
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Does anyone want to post some template verbiage that I can use to register a complaint to my attorney general? I'd love to lodge a complaint, and encourage others to as well, but I think people will be a lot more inclined if we can make it easier. I'm pissed off enough to spend 5 minutes finding the correct site and putting my 2 cents in, but I don't really have the time to think up an entire write up that would properly articulate my anger.
I know several other people have posted links to their attorney general and other places to register complaints in their state. Some template verbiage and all those links collected in one place would be a great resource that would get a lot of people firing off complaints.
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I was trying to think of some good legal means for this, our state AG seems like a good place to start. Our AG is wanting to run for Lieutenant Governor->Governor so this could be some good red meat for him.
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Does anyone want to post some template verbiage that I can use to register a complaint to my attorney general? I'd love to lodge a complaint, and encourage others to as well, but I think people will be a lot more inclined if we can make it easier. I'm pissed off enough to spend 5 minutes finding the correct site and putting my 2 cents in, but I don't really have the time to think up an entire write up that would properly articulate my anger.
I know several other people have posted links to their attorney general and other places to register complaints in their state. Some template verbiage and all those links collected in one place would be a great resource that would get a lot of people firing off complaints.
Here's something you can use.
Following the recent data breach at Equifax, I like many Americans decided to place a security freeze on my credit report. I learned that most of the credit bureaus charge $5-10 for this service and then charge additional fees to later unfreeze your credit report if you are applying for a loan. Equifax has temporarily suspended charging for this service but I would like your office to push for eliminating these fees at all credit bureaus. We are being charged to secure our personal information that is collected by these third parties which they profit handsomely from. Just as all of the credit bureaus are now required to provide free annual credit reports, I believe they should be required to provide free security freezes/unfreezes.
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@Michael in ABQ: Helpful template. Hopefully more people contact in writing their AG and heck even their Senator and governor to do something about this credit bureau debacle.
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Does anyone want to post some template verbiage that I can use to register a complaint to my attorney general? I'd love to lodge a complaint, and encourage others to as well, but I think people will be a lot more inclined if we can make it easier. I'm pissed off enough to spend 5 minutes finding the correct site and putting my 2 cents in, but I don't really have the time to think up an entire write up that would properly articulate my anger.
I know several other people have posted links to their attorney general and other places to register complaints in their state. Some template verbiage and all those links collected in one place would be a great resource that would get a lot of people firing off complaints.
Here's something you can use.
Following the recent data breach at Equifax, I like many Americans decided to place a security freeze on my credit report. I learned that most of the credit bureaus charge $5-10 for this service and then charge additional fees to later unfreeze your credit report if you are applying for a loan. Equifax has temporarily suspended charging for this service but I would like your office to push for eliminating these fees at all credit bureaus. We are being charged to secure our personal information that is collected by these third parties which they profit handsomely from. Just as all of the credit bureaus are now required to provide free annual credit reports, I believe they should be required to provide free security freezes/unfreezes.
It might be worth pointing out in that template that "As I do not do business directly with Equifax and similar credit bureaus, I am unable to exercise dollar voting to indicate my approval or disapproval of their business practices. I have effectively no recourse beyond litigation to correct a wrong done by this company."
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@Michael in ABQ: Helpful template. Hopefully more people contact in writing their AG and heck even their Senator and governor to do something about this credit bureau debacle.
Though I disagree with her on most things, Sen. Elizabeth Warren introduced legislation to make freezing your credit free.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-equifax-cyber-warren/u-s-senator-warren-introduces-equifax-bill-launches-industry-probe-idUSKCN1BQ16B
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So question. I was reading an article that indicated that, using SSN and such, it's possible for drivers licenses and/or doctors visits in your name. Then any resultant speeding tickets or med reconciliation issues would be on you. 1- any truth to this? 2- how do you detect if it happens? 3- any way to prevent this aspect of it?
Since those aren't tied to credit, I don't see that security freezes would have any bearing on them.
Your comment shows why the Equifax breach is far different from any previous breach in history: the Equifax breach is not really about credit at all. Your birthday, SS#, drivers license will never change! So unlike previous breaches, such as Target, where credit cards were exposed, there is no simple and permanent solution such as canceling your credit card. You can't cancel your SS# or birthday! While a credit freeze is an absolute must, it will not stop a determined thief from stealing your cell #, or impersonating you to clean out your bank accounts, or to use your id to commit crimes in your name.
This is a disaster and it is unrelated to credit.
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@Michael in ABQ: Helpful template. Hopefully more people contact in writing their AG and heck even their Senator and governor to do something about this credit bureau debacle.
Though I disagree with her on most things, Sen. Elizabeth Warren introduced legislation to make freezing your credit free.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-equifax-cyber-warren/u-s-senator-warren-introduces-equifax-bill-launches-industry-probe-idUSKCN1BQ16B
In NC, the state has made it free for NC citizens at all three companies. It is uncertain if this free service is temporary or permanent.
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So question. I was reading an article that indicated that, using SSN and such, it's possible for drivers licenses and/or doctors visits in your name. Then any resultant speeding tickets or med reconciliation issues would be on you. 1- any truth to this? 2- how do you detect if it happens? 3- any way to prevent this aspect of it?
Since those aren't tied to credit, I don't see that security freezes would have any bearing on them.
Your comment shows why the Equifax breach is far different from any previous breach in history: the Equifax breach is not really about credit at all. Your birthday, SS#, drivers license will never change! So unlike previous breaches, such as Target, where credit cards were exposed, there is no simple and permanent solution such as canceling your credit card. You can't cancel your SS# or birthday! While a credit freeze is an absolute must, it will not stop a determined thief from stealing your cell #, or impersonating you to clean out your bank accounts, or to use your id to commit crimes in your name.
This is a disaster and it is unrelated to credit.
This is why I signed up for identity theft insurance/monitoring/repair from a provider, in addition to freezing my credit. I felt these providers were kind of sketchy in the past, but I signed up for one and was decently impressed with what all they do.
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@Michael in ABQ: Helpful template. Hopefully more people contact in writing their AG and heck even their Senator and governor to do something about this credit bureau debacle.
Though I disagree with her on most things, Sen. Elizabeth Warren introduced legislation to make freezing your credit free.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-equifax-cyber-warren/u-s-senator-warren-introduces-equifax-bill-launches-industry-probe-idUSKCN1BQ16B
Very nice. I also like this article: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-equifax-cyber-creditkarma/credit-karma-to-launch-free-id-monitoring-following-equifax-hack-idUSKCN1BQ2CJ
This industry is in need of a major overhaul.
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I concur! The regulations involving the credit bureaus and any company that collects your professional data needs to be overhauled. This most recent breach highlights numerous flawswithin the industry. Everything from the internal security systems, infrastructure, public relations, insider trading, and of course terrible management/leadership.
Were others even aware two senior executives actually QUIT after selling sizeable share quantities? One individual happened to be responsible for Equifaxs "security". I don't have her name because she is attempting to actively scrub her online history. I will post more details shortly.
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I concur! The regulations involving the credit bureaus and any company that collects your professional data needs to be overhauled. This most recent breach highlights how the numerous flaws. Everything from the internal security systems, infrastructure, public relations, insider trading, and of course terrible management/leadership.
Were others even aware two senior executives actually QUIT after selling sizeable share quantities? One individual happened to be responsible for Equifaxs "security". I don't have her name because she is attempting to actively scrub her online history. I will post more details shortly.
Susan Mauldin.
https://it.slashdot.org/story/17/09/15/1910200/equifax-ceo-hired-a-music-major-as-the-companys-chief-security-officer
https://it.slashdot.org/story/17/09/16/0244211/equifax-cso-retires-known-bug-was-left-unpatched-for-nearly-five-months
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Indeed this is the highly qualified and ethical person who quit. Cannot imagine why she feels the need to scrub her online identity.
https://secure.marketwatch.com/story/equifax-ceo-hired-a-music-major-as-the-companys-chief-security-officer-2017-09-15
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Indeed this is the highly qualified and ethical person who quit. Cannot imagine why she feels the need to scrub her online identity.
https://secure.marketwatch.com/story/equifax-ceo-hired-a-music-major-as-the-companys-chief-security-officer-2017-09-15
At least we can take solace in the fact that she's going to have to face the music (and is clearly in a lot of treble).
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Indeed this is the highly qualified and ethical person who quit. Cannot imagine why she feels the need to scrub her online identity.
https://secure.marketwatch.com/story/equifax-ceo-hired-a-music-major-as-the-companys-chief-security-officer-2017-09-15
At least we can take solace in the fact that she's going to have to face the music (and is clearly in a lot of treble).
*rim shot*
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I guess this shouldn't be surprising after we've learned how poor their security practices are.
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/09/19/552124551/equifax-confirms-another-security-incident
After the revelation that a cybersecurity breach at the international credit reporting agency Equifax exposed personal information of 143 million people, the company has confirmed an additional security incident with a payroll-related service in the months prior. It says the two are unrelated.
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I guess this shouldn't be surprising after we've learned how poor their security practices are.
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/09/19/552124551/equifax-confirms-another-security-incident
After the revelation that a cybersecurity breach at the international credit reporting agency Equifax exposed personal information of 143 million people, the company has confirmed an additional security incident with a payroll-related service in the months prior. It says the two are unrelated.
Do they think it's helping to say that the two are unrelated?
"We had a second breach... But don't worry, it wasn't related to the major hack - we had TWO exploitable holes!"
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Do you think buying some of their stock would be a good idea?
They've been around for a long time, I don't think that this will be the end of them.
The higher up workers may have sold all of theirs thinking it will continue to go lower, but all I see is a rather solid history stock that's on sale.
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Do you think buying some of their stock would be a good idea?
They've been around for a long time, I don't think that this will be the end of them.
The higher up workers may have sold all of theirs thinking it will continue to go lower, but all I see is a rather solid history stock that's on sale.
Apart from the point that buying any individual stocks is much riskier than buying an index fund of course.
But generally the last thing I would want to do is to buy part of a company that I would love to see go down in flames along with the rest of the credit reporting company scams.
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Do you think buying some of their stock would be a good idea?
They've been around for a long time, I don't think that this will be the end of them.
The higher up workers may have sold all of theirs thinking it will continue to go lower, but all I see is a rather solid history stock that's on sale.
Apart from the point that buying any individual stocks is much riskier than buying an index fund of course.
But generally the last thing I would want to do is to buy part of a company that I would love to see go down in flames along with the rest of the credit reporting company scams.
Buying their stock would be a gamble. The price could go right back up, or they could be hit with enough fines, penalties, lawsuits, and other cleanup costs to bring the price down for years, send them bankrupt, or encourage another of the credit bureaus to make a takeover at a per-share price even lower than it is currently. I'm sticking with indexes.
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Not sure if the risk is worth it if you are seriously considering buying the security. I'd short it in the short term there is literally no way this company is going to quickly triage let alone, repair the considerable damage. For Equifax this is a colossal clusterfuck and PR nightmare. Just my ten cents.
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Has anyone received their Chexsystems PIN through US mail?
Their call agents seem to be based in India and are very under trained. Called them and was an eye opening and terrifying experience.
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Something else I haven't seen discussed is increasing the penalties for those who commit identity theft. Does anyone know what the "standard" prison term is for that? I'll be shocked if its something like 25 years or 35 years (which it should be)
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Not to pile on with a 2nd link today, but this is becoming comically bad. Honestly, if they're run this poorly, the government probably needs to step in and dissolve the company.
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2017/09/equifax-directs-breach-victims-to-fake-notification-site/?amp=1
In a tweet on Tuesday afternoon, an Equifax representative using the name Tim wrote: "Hi! For more information about the product and enrollment, please visit: securityequifax2017.com." The message came in response to a question about free credit monitoring Equifax is offering victims. The site is a knock-off of the official Equifax breach notification site, equifaxsecurity2017.com. A security researcher created the imposter site to demonstrate how easy it is to confuse a legitimate name with a bogus one. The Equifax tweet suggests that even company representatives can be easily fooled. The tweet was deleted late Wednesday morning, more than 18 hours after it went live.
It turns out Equifax has linked to the same fake domain since at least September 9, as evidenced by tweets here, here, and here. Unlike Tuesday's tweet, the September 9 tweets remained live when this post was going live, but were taken down shortly after that.
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Equifax is a hilarious institution. Too bad they knew so much about me.
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Equifax is a hilarious institution. Too bad they knew so much about me.
Yeah about as hilarious as cancer!
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I think we should call for legislation that would make credit reporting agencies liable for credit obtained with a stolen identity. Require that the credit reporting agency confirm that the application for new credit was authorized by the person identified in the credit report before providing the report to their customer (the lender). Prohibit credit reporting agencies from charing a fee to the person identified in the credit report. Basically freeze everyone's credit by default and provide free case by case thaws.
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Froze my Equifax ($0) and Experian ($5) today.
Tried to freeze my Transunion, made an account, filled out the form, clicked submit, then got an error telling me there wasn't enough information in my report to confirm my identity?! Gave me a phone number to call. Haven't done it yet.
Anyone else experience this? They've been pretty shady about trying to get people to sign up for the identify monitoring program. Wonder if this is part of the scam...get me on the phone and try to sell me.
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Froze my Equifax ($0) and Experian ($5) today.
Tried to freeze my Transunion, made an account, filled out the form, clicked submit, then got an error telling me there wasn't enough information in my report to confirm my identity?! Gave me a phone number to call. Haven't done it yet.
Anyone else experience this? They've been pretty shady about trying to get people to sign up for the identify monitoring program. Wonder if this is part of the scam...get me on the phone and try to sell me.
I had one of them give me problems online. Called them up and was able to do it over the phone no problem. No different info was given so who knows how they work exactly...
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Froze my Equifax ($0) and Experian ($5) today.
Tried to freeze my Transunion, made an account, filled out the form, clicked submit, then got an error telling me there wasn't enough information in my report to confirm my identity?! Gave me a phone number to call. Haven't done it yet.
Anyone else experience this? They've been pretty shady about trying to get people to sign up for the identify monitoring program. Wonder if this is part of the scam...get me on the phone and try to sell me.
Yes and when I called them they told me to go back to that very same website and apply for the freeze. Let's just say I lost my temper to put it mildly... After about the 20th try over a 10 day period, the website finally accepted my information and said it did the freeze.
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Yes and when I called them they told me to go back to that very same website and apply for the freeze. Let's just say I lost my temper to put it mildly... After about the 20th try over a 10 day period, the website finally accepted my information and said it did the freeze.
Unbelievable!
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Is it true that Equifax is now allowing freeze/unfreeze for life at $zero cost?
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Is it true that Equifax is now allowing freeze/unfreeze for life at $zero cost?
Starting at the end of January:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-27/equifax-will-offer-free-credit-freezes-for-life-new-ceo-says
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Is it true that Equifax is now allowing freeze/unfreeze for life at $zero cost?
I just froze mine this week. It was no cost. Experian charged me $5. Located in Ohio.
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Is it true that Equifax is now allowing freeze/unfreeze for life at $zero cost?
Starting at the end of January:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-27/equifax-will-offer-free-credit-freezes-for-life-new-ceo-says
Has anyone learned if the other credit bureaus are following Equifax?
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I only just learned about this today after my bank's fraud department asked me to come to a branch with a photo ID as someone had tried to access my bank account using my personal information; credit card number, SSN, telephone number, address. Luckily they didn't let them in and they sent out a new credit card. I have frozen both mine and my wife's credit at all 3 credit bureaus and registered for the Equifax "Trusted ID" thing. I also called Vanguard and another bank I am with to let them know and to set up any additional security measures.
Is there anything else anyone would suggest I do? I already keep close tabs on my bank accounts and credit card transactions but this is pretty scary that someone had that information and called my bank trying to access my account!
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I only just learned about this today after my bank's fraud department asked me to come to a branch with a photo ID as someone had tried to access my bank account using my personal information; credit card number, SSN, telephone number, address. Luckily they didn't let them in and they sent out a new credit card. I have frozen both mine and my wife's credit at all 3 credit bureaus and registered for the Equifax "Trusted ID" thing. I also called Vanguard and another bank I am with to let them know and to set up any additional security measures.
Is there anything else anyone would suggest I do? I already keep close tabs on my bank accounts and credit card transactions but this is pretty scary that someone had that information and called my bank trying to access my account!
I’m impressed they stopped it. I wonder how they knew...I don’t think they ask for anything else. That is really scary. What’s really scary is that info is in many folks hands. This Equifax thing is going to spiral out of control. I would suggest also calling your reps in Congress and telling them your story.
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I have a credit freeze with all agencies. I use an IRS pin so nobody can e-file a return under my name. I use multi-factor authentication on all my key accounts and my email.
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So sad on so many levels but educational and true.
https://youtu.be/mPjgRKW_Jmk
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Equifax CEO to Congress: Not Sure We Are Encrypting Data
https://www.wsj.com/articles/equifax-ceo-to-congress-not-sure-we-are-encrypting-data-1510180486
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Equifax CEO to Congress: Not Sure We Are Encrypting Data
https://www.wsj.com/articles/equifax-ceo-to-congress-not-sure-we-are-encrypting-data-1510180486
This numbnuts has been working there since 2010, per LinkedIn.
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https://www.vox.com/business-and-finance/2018/5/10/17337260/equifax-data-breach-passports
In a reversal of its previous denials, Equifax last week admitted that passports were involved in the data breach that exposed the data of millions of its customers. The credit reporting agency last September revealed that a data breach had left the personal information of about half of the American population exposed. In February, the company insisted that all that stolen data didn’t include passport numbers.
Except it did. The company in a recent regulatory filing slipped in the detail that more than 56,000 documents had been compromised in the breach, including passports.
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https://www.vox.com/business-and-finance/2018/5/10/17337260/equifax-data-breach-passports
In a reversal of its previous denials, Equifax last week admitted that passports were involved in the data breach that exposed the data of millions of its customers. The credit reporting agency last September revealed that a data breach had left the personal information of about half of the American population exposed. In February, the company insisted that all that stolen data didn’t include passport numbers.
Except it did. The company in a recent regulatory filing slipped in the detail that more than 56,000 documents had been compromised in the breach, including passports.
UGHHHHHHH. Thank you for bumping this with updates. Sucks utterly, but good to know.
Any way to find out yet if our passport was one of them?