Ohio A-G has Equifax data breach tips

VW independent/submitted information

COLUMBUS — Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine offers tips for consumers following the recent announcement by Equifax, one of the country’s three main credit reporting bureaus, of a data breach affecting some 143 million United States consumers.

Equifax has reported that the information was compromised between May and July of this year and includes names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and driver’s license numbers. The data breach also included the credit card numbers of approximately 209,000 U.S. consumers, according to Equifax.

“Data breaches involving Social Security numbers are especially serious,” Attorney General DeWine said. “If your information has been compromised, take the time to understand what that means and how you can better protect yourself moving forward.”

To see if your personal information was impacted by the breach, visit www.equifaxsecurity2017.com.  You will be prompted to enter your last name and part of your Social Security number, at which point Equifax will inform you if your information was involved in the breach.

Regardless of whether or not one’s information was accessed, Equifax is offering one year of free enrollment in “TrustedID Premier” for all U.S. customers if you enroll by November 21, 2017.  TrustedID is a credit monitoring service that monitors all three major credit reporting bureaus — Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian — as well as provides consumers with copies of their Equifax credit report. Ohioans can sign up for this feature by visiting www.equifaxsecurity2017.com.

Tips for affected consumers include:

• Check credit reports. Monitoring credit reports can help consumers identify signs of potential identity theft. Consumers are entitled to one free credit report per year from each of the three major credit reporting agencies. Visit www.AnnualCreditReport.com to access those reports. Consumers can pull all three at once, or they can stagger pulling reports throughout the year.
• Place an initial fraud alert on credit reports. Contact one of the three major credit reporting agencies — Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion — to place an initial fraud alert, which will stay on your credit report for 90 days. The alert is free of charge and will make it more difficult for someone to open credit in your name.
• Consider placing a security freeze on credit reports. A security freeze essentially puts a lock on consumers’ credit so that most third parties can’t access their report. This helps protect consumers from unauthorized accounts being opened in their name. In Ohio, security freezes are permanent until a person lifts them. Consumers can be charged a $5 fee per credit reporting agency to place or remove a freeze. Contact each credit reporting agency separately to place a freeze. Note that Equifax is offering a free “freeze” for one year with enrollment in their TrustedID program; however, this will not freeze reports at Experian or TransUnion.

• Beware of scams related to the breach. Con artists may pretend to have information about the breach or they may falsely claim to want to help consumers. Some calls or messages may be scams designed to steal money or personal information. Don’t give out personal information to those who contact consumers unexpectedly (even if they say they want to help) and be wary about clicking on links or downloading attachments in messages.
• Monitor your bank accounts. Look for suspicious activity. Consumers who find errors should immediately notify their bank or credit provider.
• When it’s tax season, consider filing early. Ohioans should file taxes as soon as they have all of the information necessary to file so that there is less of a chance for someone to fraudulently file on their behalf.  This is especially important if they know their information has been compromised.

Signs of possible identity theft may include:

• Unexpected mail about accounts consumers did not open.
• Credit card charges they never made.
• Unexpected collection calls.
• Another person’s name showing up in consumers’ background check or credit report.
• Credit reporting errors or a lower-than-expected credit score.

Victims of identity theft should contact the Ohio Attorney General’s Office at 800.282.0515 or www.OhioProtects.org. Note that the Ohio Attorney General recommends checking credit reports first, and then contacting the Ohio Attorney General’s Office only if information appears to have been misused.