• October 13, 2017

Millions of Consumers Affected by Equifax Hack

Millions of Consumers Affected by Equifax Hack

Millions of Consumers Affected by Equifax Hack 150 150 Consumer & Business

Updated Oct. 13, 2017

Approximately 143 million U.S. consumers may have had their personal data stolen in a major data breach against the credit reporting agency Equifax.

Names, social security numbers, birthdates, and in some cases driver’s license numbers and credit card information are believed to be compromised in the hack, which Equifax discovered on July 29 and announced on Sept. 7.

The company set up a dedicated website* for consumers to check if their information was compromised and sign up for a full year of free identity theft protection and credit monitoring services.

  • We recommend checking to see if your information was compromised. This requires using the last six digits of your Social Security Number.
  • If you believe you are a victim of identity theft, we recommend placing a security freeze on your credit.

Consumers may also call the Equifax call center daily between 4 a.m. and 10 p.m. Pacific time at 866.447.7559.

Data breaches will continue to occur as we continue to fulfill financial transactions online, use social media and check emails in our daily lives.

(UPDATE: In October 2017, Hotel company Hyatt announced a data breach at 41 of their hotels. Check their page for more information.)

Check out our article to learn more about what to do if you’ve been the victim of a data breach and what to do if you think you’ve been a victim of identity theft.

For more information about identity theft and data breaches, call us 800.593.8222.

(* – When Equifax’s dedicated site was initially launched, there were concerns from consumer advocates about having to provide credit card information for automatic annual enrollment fees after the free year of credit monitoring and waiving your rights to sue the company. Equifax has since removed both requirements.)

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