BajaNomad - Your ID info and bank account info has been stolen

Your ID info and bank account info has been stolen

SFandH - 9-8-2017 at 05:50 PM

This is a big news story that has been overshadowed by the ongoing natural disasters.

143 million people have had their ID information including social security numbers, driver license numbers, and bank account information stolen from Equifax, a credit reporting company. With the info thieves can open new credit card accounts in your name, buy stuff online, and who knows what else.

I just went to the Equifax website and found out my info "may" have been compromised by entering my last name and partial social security number.

Equifax is also offering their identity theft protection and credit file monitoring product, called TrustedID Premier free for one year.

Do it!

https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com/enroll/

BTW, the company knew for a month before it released info about the theft. In the meantime, some of the executives sold millions worth of their stock. More thieves.

I'm also going to go to all three credit reporting companies and initiate a "freeze" which will prevent any new accounts from being opened in my name.

[Edited on 9-9-2017 by SFandH]

chuckie - 9-8-2017 at 05:55 PM

jajaja

SFandH - 9-8-2017 at 05:59 PM

What's funny? I'm peed off about this.

bajaguy - 9-8-2017 at 06:10 PM

Read the small print in the offer. If you accept, you forgo the right to sue

bajaguy - 9-8-2017 at 06:18 PM

Third major hack of Equifax................oh, and:

http://money.cnn.com/2017/09/08/investing/equifax-stock-insi...

SFandH - 9-8-2017 at 06:18 PM

That's true and unimportant to me. My goal is to prevent getting to the point where I have a loss to recover via a lawsuit.

[Edited on 9-9-2017 by SFandH]

bajaguy - 9-8-2017 at 06:19 PM

Hope it's not too late for that goal

Quote: Originally posted by SFandH

That's true and unimportant to me. My goal is to prevent getting to the point where I would want to sue.

Upon further reading

SFandH - 9-8-2017 at 06:29 PM

Quote: Originally posted by bajaguy

Read the small print in the offer. If you accept, you forgo the right to sue

You do not forgo the right to sue.

From their website:

"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."

https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com/

[Edited on 9-9-2017 by SFandH]

[Edited on 9-9-2017 by SFandH]

bajaguy - 9-8-2017 at 06:37 PM

They changed that quick........didn't say that this morning!!

Quote: Originally posted by SFandH

Quote: Originally posted by bajaguy

Read the small print in the offer. If you accept, you forgo the right to sue

SFandH - 9-8-2017 at 06:46 PM

I think I'll take them up on their offer and also initiate a credit freeze tomorrow.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit_freeze

[Edited on 9-9-2017 by SFandH]

mtgoat666 - 9-8-2017 at 07:52 PM

Quote: Originally posted by SFandH

This is a big news story that has been overshadowed by the ongoing natural disasters.

143 million people have had their ID information including social security numbers, driver license numbers, and bank account information stolen from Equifax, a credit reporting company. With the info thieves can open new credit card accounts in your name, buy stuff online, and who knows what else.

I just went to the Equifax website and found out my info "may" have been compromised by entering my last name and partial social security number.

Equifax is also offering their identity theft protection and credit file monitoring product, called TrustedID Premier free for one year.

Do it!

https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com/enroll/

BTW, the company knew for a month before it released info about the theft. In the meantime, some of the executives sold millions worth of their stock. More thieves.

I'm also going to go to all three credit reporting companies and initiate a "freeze" which will prevent any new accounts from being opened in my name.

[Edited on 9-9-2017 by SFandH]

Equifax won't give you the "free" year unless you give them a CC number for billing on day 366. You will be charged unless a year from now you remember to call and cancel. No, you cannot cancel on day 1 and still get the free year. Equifax is running a scam.

woody with a view - 9-9-2017 at 04:42 AM

I was got too! These ***s think that some pimply faced a-hole in Romania won't wait 366 days to strike gold? One year is a joke. I hope equifax gets put out of business and anyone of their management who sold stock should be jailed.

bajaguy - 9-9-2017 at 06:06 AM

Some valid points

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/08/your-money/identity-theft...

BajaBlanca - 9-9-2017 at 07:56 AM

What a bummer! Hackers are a big headache.

If any executives sold stock, Jail them.

karenintx - 9-9-2017 at 08:19 AM

Credit Freezes Work...

Contact all three credit companies via online/phone and place a permanent freeze on your social security number for a one time charge of only $10.00...this is permanent until you use your personal pin number to thaw your freeze. This needs to be done with all three credit reporting companies so the total would be $30.00...cheap insurance. Some people like to pay $10 - $15 per month to have a company "monitor" their credit reports, we didn't see any reason to pay someone something that we could do ourselves.

We did this ten years ago after we realized that we did not need to have our SS#'s available (open) for everyone to see. Yes, someone may get our #'s but due to the permanent freeze if anyone (included us) tries to run a report or open a credit card, the report will come back "DECLINED"...which means the business running the report will not give you a new credit card/account.

We can "Thaw" our account(s) for a one time $10.00 charge (per credit report company) which would allow us to have a company run a credit check then after five day the account will automatically "freeze again" without an additional charge. We only have had to do this three times in 10 years when we were changing cable companies or cell phone companies. Just make sure you ask the company that needs to run a credit report on you..."which credit company will you be contacting?" That way you contact that one company to thaw your account, which would cost $10.

It works!!! A couple of years ago while back in the USA we went shopping for clothes. As I walked up to the cashier my hubby said to me..."our credit was declined". I reminded him..."our SS#'s are frozen." He had one of those senior moments and was thinking he would save 15% by opening a store credit card.

For those that are worried how a freeze will effect your credit score, I contacted our insurance company (USAA) with this question. Their answer was..."Since you have been with us for 45 years, we will document you account about the credit freeze and it will not effect your rates."

https://www.google.com/search?q=credit+freeze&ie=utf-8&a...

I am kind of a greek that likes reading/learning financial things. One more layer of security is contacting the IRS to get a "personal pin number"...not to be confused with your SS#. This will prevent someone from filing a "fake tax return" before you get your tax return filed. Thieves file before you with false information and get a refund, then when you file your return the IRS informs you..."you have already filed." Big mess to correct. Since I file online we have personal pin numbers attached to our returns.

https://www.google.com/search?q=irs+personal+pin+number+bene...

I hope this info is of value to anyone that is interested in protecting their personal info...it is a shame we now live a world that requires this type of action.

I agree with Blanca...they should be jailed! Maybe we should ask Martha Stewart..."Isn't this inside trading?"

[Edited on 9-9-2017 by karenintx]

SFandH - 9-9-2017 at 08:38 AM

Quote: Originally posted by bajaguy

Some valid points

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/08/your-money/identity-theft...

thanks for the link, looks like there are 4 credit reporting agencies to implement a freeze at, from the times article:

"In the meantime, here’s hoping that this breach is the nudge you need to finally sign up for permanent freezes on your credit files. I’ve used them for years, and here’s how they work. You sign up (and pay some fees, because you knew it wasn’t going to be free to protect data that you didn’t ask these companies to store, right?) at Equifax’s, Experian’s and TransUnion’s websites. Christina Bater, managing director at Barrett Asset Management in New York, suggests freezing your file at the little-known company Innovis, too."

These companies have more of your personal ID / financial info than any others. The Equifax hack is bad news.

[Edited on 9-9-2017 by SFandH]

Hook - 9-9-2017 at 09:28 AM

Great info, Karen. Thanks for this.

We have separate password-protected documents that store our logins and passwords separately. Gotta have it written down somewhere on some cloud. Just too many to remember. We also use the app Keeper.

I assume that the credit reporting companies require you to set up some kind of password protected account to be able to initiate a freeze and remove it? If so, what's the method for protecting those passwords?

It beginning to look like the extreme hassle of changing passwords every month is going to be mandatory.

Equifax is likely going to make money out of this, I bet. And from the articles I have read, they will probably fall into the infamous "too big to fail" category, so the gubment wont life a finger. I hope not.

Anxiously awaiting all the alt-right people on Nomads to declare that cash is the only way to go. LOL! I just love driving around town, paying bills with cash. Doesn't everyone?

That might work in a small town in Kansas, with nothing to do, I guess............

unbob - 9-10-2017 at 09:42 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Hook

Equifax is likely going to make money out of this, I bet.

One thing for sure - Experian and Transunion will make tens of millions $$$ collecting the $10 "freeze" fee from suckers like me!

SFandH - 9-10-2017 at 11:15 AM

My credit cards are on ice at 3 of the 4 companies (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, Innovis). TransUnion wants me to call on the telephone during the week for some reason.

Also, in California:

"If you are 65 years of age or older, placing the security freeze is free."

I did not need to pay for the three freezes I've completed.

https://www.oag.ca.gov/idtheft/facts/freeze-your-credit

Other states have different rules.

Equifax stock took a 19% loss Friday. Shareholders are betting against it.

[Edited on 9-10-2017 by SFandH]

rts551 - 9-10-2017 at 11:37 AM

betting against it? I guess. A law suit is already in the works. Apparently they had known vulnerabilities they did nothing about.

Second time around for me...still have protection from when OPM got hacked.

SFandH - 9-11-2017 at 11:48 AM

So I'm sitting here for over 40 minutes on hold to Experian. The reason is they nicked my credit card for $10 even though CA residents over 65 are supposed to get a credit freeze for free.

So what do you do while on hold? Read the news about the Category 5 data hack at Equifax of course. Found this:

"The man who runs Equifax's security group earned $2.8 million last year."

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/08/equifax-security-exec-john-k...

That's $1372 per hour assuming a 40 hour week. I bet the incompetent ashhole gets a raise.

But he has ways to go, the CEO makes $7352 per hour.

Another ironic twist is the hackers got to the database via the company's web pages that are used to buy extra identity protection. According to one news source, the people who bought the ID protection had their most sensitive ID data stolen.

P.S. Just got through and am getting my 10 bucks refunded.

[Edited on 9-11-2017 by SFandH]

mjs - 9-11-2017 at 03:31 PM

This morning when I put a freeze on our credit reports TransUnion charged $10, Experian $5, Innovis and Equifax were free. We're not over 65 yet. Pleasant surprise as I though I'd be on the hook for $40. YMMV

toronja - 9-11-2017 at 04:20 PM

It's best to check your credit report (you get one free per year from each agency) for any unusual activity before freezing everything.

This data breach happened between May and July and Equifax did not bother to inform any of us until this week, so our information has been out there for awhile. :fire: