Equifax got hacked - 143 million people affected

[LoneRanger]

Originally Posted By: mehullica

How did you"lock down" your credit? Did you call each agency, or did one report to another when you you locked them?

You have to do each one for each bureau yourself. All four let you do it online. Easiest way to get to the page of each agency where you do the lock is to google " security freeze." Ensure that any hit google gives is to the legit site for that credit bureau before you input your name, birthday, and social security number plus address. All of which you have to provide to lock your credit file. Make sure the first part of the internet address is https ... the s suffix on http denotes a secure encrypted connection. Be advised, some states allow the credit bureaus to charge you a fee to lock your credit file if you're not a victim of ID Theft yet and only doing as a preventative or preemptive measure as we are recommending here. It depends on your state. My state doesn't let them charge for preemptive credit locks, but our neighboring state lets them charge you as fee to put a PIN lock on your file. Our state legislature gave the credit bureau bean counters the middle finger and said "you're not going to charge fees to our residents who're trying to protect their credit !!" List of states and any fees allowed, here: http://consumersunion.org/research/consumers-unions-guide-to-security-freeze-protection/

 

[mclasser]

Reddit has some good threads going right now about the breach and what to do. I froze my reports with Experian, TransUnion, Innovis and Chexsystems. I had to pay a small fee for each but I'm fine with that. I'm hesitant to enter my info on Equifax's online freeze application since the whole place is obviously compromised. In the off chance my info wasn't stolen before I don't want it to happen now. So I've set up a temp fraud alert with all three agencies that will notify me if some crook tries to pull my Equifax credit file.

 

[LoneRanger]

[censored], there's a [censored] fifth one? Chexsystems ... I thought they were only a clearinghouse for bad check risks for banks and merchants?

 

[mclasser]

From Krebs:

Quote:

Q: Okay, I’ve got a security freeze on my file, what else should I do? A: It’s also a good idea to notify a company called ChexSystems to keep an eye out for fraud committed in your name. Thousands of banks rely on ChexSystems to verify customers that are requesting new checking and savings accounts, and ChexSystems lets consumers place a security alert on their credit data to make it more difficult for ID thieves to fraudulently obtain checking and savings accounts. For more information on doing that with ChexSystems, see this link .

 

[HerrStig]

It's never the fault of the stooges at the credit bureau. (They claim).

 

[pbm]

If you take people under the age of applying for credit out of this equation it would seem that virtually everybody's info was taken. This is disgraceful. I agree that Congress should get serious about this issue. Congress seems to waste a lot of time and resources on certain issues while ignoring others.

 

[Kestas]

Isn't 143 million people almost half the population?... or more than half the population if you consider many people have no credit, such as kids and indigent people. Does that include people outside of the US? I'm trying to wrap my head around this.

 

[OneEyeJack]

I've always wondered if I'm hack proof because my credit score is "0" and I officially own nothing except a couple of paid for vehicles and personal belongings. My home and property are in a trust. I have a debit card that is kept as close to zero as possible and not often used. No other bank accounts of any kind. To test it I applied for a Home Depot credit card and got instantly turned down. I was told by a banker friend I'm what's called a "ghost". If I got "hacked" I could lose as much as $100 but no more. My info would be just like me, worthless.

 

[pandus13]

Originally Posted By: Kestas

Isn't 143 million people almost half the population?... or more than half the population if you consider many people have no credit, such as kids and indigent people. Does that include people outside of the US? I'm trying to wrap my head around this.

143 million is people from US. Like some posters already said: this means pretty much ALL Adults using Credit in US... Combine this with: -Home Depot -Target -Marketing giant -OPM and couple other government organizations (IRS, etc etc) and let's not count all the scams in the aftermath of Harvey/Irma Not a pretty picture....

 

[ZeeOSix]

So sounds like Equifax is going to give the free service to anyone who wants to sign-up regardless if their info has been compromised or not. From the Equifax website about signing up for free identity theft protection and credit file monitoring services: "When you begin, you will be asked to provide your last name and the last six digits of your Social Security number. Based on that information, you will receive a message indicating whether your personal information may have been impacted by this incident. Regardless of whether your information may have been impacted, we will provide you the option to enroll in TrustedID Premier."

 

[LoneRanger]

Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack

I've always wondered if I'm hack proof because my credit score is "0" and I officially own nothing except a couple of paid for vehicles and personal belongings. My home and property are in a trust. I have a debit card that is kept as close to zero as possible and not often used. No other bank accounts of any kind. To test it I applied for a Home Depot credit card and got instantly turned down. I was told by a banker friend I'm what's called a "ghost". If I got "hacked" I could lose as much as $100 but no more. My info would be just like me, worthless.

Well you're not worthless around here. I always enjoy reading your topics and replies.

 

[chiefsfan1]

Oh, it gets better 3 executives SOLD shares before revealing the hack!! https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/...ling-cyber-hack

 

[Vern_in_IL]

How can you sell shares before releasing the hack news? Is this not fraud to the buying party?

 

[CharBaby]

Originally Posted By: mclasser

Equifax set up a website where you can "check" to see if your data was compromised. I tried it and it's garbage. Instead of telling me yes or no, it just gives a date to come back and sign up for their complimentary monitoring service. [censored]? I smell a class action lawsuit.

I don't like having to put in my last 6 digits of my SS# I put in a bogus name & SS# and the site still said "you may have been comprised". Anyone else try this wheather using your own info or a bogus one?

 

[fdcg27]

Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix

So sounds like Equifax is going to give the free service to anyone who wants to sign-up regardless if their info has been compromised or not. From the Equifax website about signing up for free identity theft protection and credit file monitoring services: "When you begin, you will be asked to provide your last name and the last six digits of your Social Security number. Based on that information, you will receive a message indicating whether your personal information may have been impacted by this incident. Regardless of whether your information may have been impacted, we will provide you the option to enroll in TrustedID Premier."

Oh yeah, sure, but part of the deal they're offering to protect you from their screw-up is that you have to give up any rights of recovery for damages in the lawsuits that are even now in progress. Such a deal! The banks which will have to bear the costs of fraudulently gained credit will be suing these cowboys as well. This whole steaming pile will collapse and by the end of this year there will be no more Equifax.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Originally Posted By: Char Baby

Originally Posted By: mclasser

Equifax set up a website where you can "check" to see if your data was compromised. I tried it and it's garbage. Instead of telling me yes or no, it just gives a date to come back and sign up for their complimentary monitoring service. [censored]?

I don't like having to put in my last 6 digits of my SS# I put in a bogus name & SS# and the site still said "you may have been comprised".

I don't either ... why can't they find you with the last 4 digits of the SSN like everyone else does.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27

Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix

So sounds like Equifax is going to give the free service to anyone who wants to sign-up regardless if their info has been compromised or not. From the Equifax website about signing up for free identity theft protection and credit file monitoring services: "When you begin, you will be asked to provide your last name and the last six digits of your Social Security number. Based on that information, you will receive a message indicating whether your personal information may have been impacted by this incident. Regardless of whether your information may have been impacted, we will provide you the option to enroll in TrustedID Premier."

Oh yeah, sure, but part of the deal they're offering to protect you from their screw-up is that you have to give up any rights of recovery for damages in the lawsuits that are even now in progress. Such a deal!

Probably standard operating procedure. I guess if identity theft protection and credit monitoring prevented me from getting hacked then I probably wouldn't have a reason to sue them.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Originally Posted By: Vern_in_IL

How can you sell shares before releasing the hack news? Is this not fraud to the buying party?

It's "insider trading" which is illegal, and that's why they are under investigation.

 

[fdcg27]

Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix

Originally Posted By: fdcg27

Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix

So sounds like Equifax is going to give the free service to anyone who wants to sign-up regardless if their info has been compromised or not. From the Equifax website about signing up for free identity theft protection and credit file monitoring services: "When you begin, you will be asked to provide your last name and the last six digits of your Social Security number. Based on that information, you will receive a message indicating whether your personal information may have been impacted by this incident. Regardless of whether your information may have been impacted, we will provide you the option to enroll in TrustedID Premier."

Oh yeah, sure, but part of the deal they're offering to protect you from their screw-up is that you have to give up any rights of recovery for damages in the lawsuits that are even now in progress. Such a deal!

Probably standard operating procedure. I guess if identity theft protection and credit monitoring prevented me from getting hacked then I probably wouldn't have a reason to sue them.

Umm, no. These are things that should have been built into their systems but weren't. Why would anyone knowingly give up their legal rights to help a failing business avoid its inevitable demise, especially since the release of tort liability would be durable?

 

[ZeeOSix]

If it's like any other class action lawsuit you'll end up with a check for $1.67 and the lawyers will get $5 million. I'd rather have the free monitoring service if it's going to prevent identity theft than a class action lawsuit check for a couple of bucks.