[conspire] Fwd: Equifax data theft - this is a big deal

[Elise Scher]

My friend is not so technical. But does she have a valid concern?

Elise Scher
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Susan Landes <intheflow88 at hotmail.com>
Date: Sat, Sep 9, 2017 at 7:20 PM
Subject: Equifax data theft - this is a big deal
To: Susan Landes <intheflow88 at hotmail.com>


Equifax reported a cyber theft yesterday - 143 Million people in the US (
that's roughly half!) have had their name, social security number and birth
date stolen.  This is huge - that is enough information to take loans out
in your name, open credit card accounts, even break into your online
banking and transfer money out of your account while you sleep.  And the
risk never ends - the cyber thieves can use the information ten years from
now as easily as tomorrow.  Because of the permanence of this threat,
offers of 90 day fraud alert and 1 year of credit monitoring are woefully
inadequate.

Every adult and every child with a bank account needs to go to
www.equifaxsecurity2017.com and check if their information has been
compromised.  If it has, you have my sympathy: this is going to be a life
long battle for you.  It won't end until you get a new social security
number.  I recommend that you do three things immediately.  First, contact
Equifax, Experian and TransUnion and place a freeze on credit reports.
This may cost $10 a bureau.  From this day forward, anything you do that
requires a credit check (open an account, buy a car, rent an apartment...)
will require that you use a PIN to temporarily thaw the credit freeze so
the report can go through.  Note that business you already have a
relationship with can access even frozen credit.  Second, for every account
you have at a bank, credit union, investment company, mortgage company -
anything to do with money, access their online interface and make sure they
are verifying all important transactions with your cell phone.  Accounts
you don't currently access online are particularly vulnerable - cyber
criminals will create the account for you.  Third, on those same online
accounts set up notifications so that you get an email or text if anything
of significance happens.

Here is a more complete article talking about what to do:
http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/09/08/heres-what-to-do-
if-youre-worried-about-the-equifax-hack/?source=email&
utm_source=postup&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=757360

You don't have to have ever interacted with Equifax or used their services
to be at risk.  It is their business to harvest sensitive financial
information about you without your knowledge or permission.


It's hard to find the link at that site.  Here's where you find out if your
data was stolen.  Mine was :(

https://trustedidpremier.com/eligibility/eligibility.html

This is a system in breakdown.  I look forward to seeing what replaces it.

Susan

"Whenever love is poured into your heart or sent out as a blessing to
others, the light of all things awakens." -Matt Kahn






-- 
KI6PUO
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