Kathy, this is very scary for all of us, and all of us should be watching our accounts and credit report.

This is only going to get worse...it is why I do little to no business on the internet and have NO personal info on my computer

Kathy thank you so much for putting this together.  I wasn't sure what to do but with 1 in 2 of us being comprised this is extremly important info to have - thank you!

So far it hasn't happened to us but it seems like it is just a matter of time.

                    Featured in BananaTude Group - A MUST READ for all

Oh dear. This is very concerning. Thank you for sharing! 

Love to see content from Loan Officers and Title Agents.

GREAT information that should be shared with every American, Kathy!!  Thank GOD we keep ours locked down at all times, unless we are applying for a mortgage! It's the only way to truly avoid issues and I'm so thankful that we started doing this 7 or 8 years ago.

Thanks for the information Kathy Sheehan. It is scarey that someone was able to compromise Equifax like that. 

EVERYONE should know about this, Kathy. This is truly a scary breach of confidential information. I saw that there is a huge class action law suit against Equifax, too. I will be sharing tips with all my clients and my sphere.

Jeff

Hi Kathy - Thanks for the heads up and the links. This is going to be quite a mess.

Hi Kathy Sheehan my Amex Gold was compromised twice last year.... what a sick feeling it was.... I was horrified... they were so good to me.... I've been a cardholder with them since '83 and this had never happened before.... today my Visa Card had a $1.75 purchase at Lowe's and it wasn't mine.... I haven't been in a Lowes in years... no I need to wait for a new card.... they canceled my existing card.... oh, how I hate this.

 Hi Kathy - Anna has told me about this and taken action immediately to go into lock down mode. We appreciate you getting the word out.

While we need to watch any irregularity in our credit rpt, this is a bit blown out of proportion.  At work before my scretary knew everyone's # which was used as employee #. They hang time sheets in open for filling time sheet. It is a good idea to get a different credit card from same company so as to void past card #.  Now is the wake up time to reduce credit cards to minimum use.  At Lowes they told me my credit card which I never wanted to use was closed after inactivity.  

Sometime in the past there was another person sharing same social secuity as mine. IRS sent me 1099s that were not mine.  We straighten out the mixed up.  I think someone filled out a social security incorrectly to avoid paying income tax.

As to my FICO score, Equafax I do not worry much. 

YAWN -- sounds like a bait and switch to me.  When I read this on their website, it sounds like it's their marketing for their product "TrustedID Premier."  I'm sure it comes with a monthly fee.

1. Regardless of whether your information may have been impacted, we will provide you the option to enroll in TrustedID Premier. You will receive an enrollment date. You should return to this site and follow the “How do I enroll?” instructions below on or after that date to continue the enrollment and activation process. The enrollment period ends on Tuesday, November 21, 2017.

I only got to the point where they wanted the SIX digits of my social and I stopped there.   There is a fee connected to this enrollment.

So much for their "security" if they got hacked, and they want me to pay for their product?!?  Not going to happen.  I

So, it sounds as if they want people to crawl out from under their bed, and sign up for their product.  Pathetic way to conduct business, if you ask me.  But, fear porn is a hot commodity.  

It is important to check for an update on this credit hack.  By using the website you agree to the blind statement of not being allowed to participate in a class action suite regarding this issue.  I will update my blog from yesterday too. This is scary.

Useful and helpful posting thank you. No excuses in todays tech world for this

Thank you for the information and link. I heard about it and it is crazy stuff.

Great idea!!!

You are entitled to a copy of your credit report from each of the three credit bureuas each year.  Rather than request all three at the same time, request one every 4 months.  That way you have a better chance of catching any problems more quickly.

Thank you S-o much for this very useful information.  I am sharing with friends.  After checking, it appears I could be one at risk.

So after they allowed a breach why would I trust them to protect my information?

Thanks for this timely and helpful information Kathy.  I checked the Equifax website and my info was hacked.  They say it "may" have been hacked.  I hope the CEO of Equifax is held personally liable for not protecting confidential personal info.  That will prevent future hacking since nothing else seems to.

Kathy Sheehan 
Great information to share.

Congratulations on your Feature!
Lynn

In reality there IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO PROTECT Against the Equifax hack. A lock on your identity would not block the Russian mafia or North Korean hackers who downloaded files from Equifax's web based server. Equifax failed in having secure walls. Equifax lied to the public for 3 months running huge marketing/advertising campaigns to try and circumvent the inevitible bad stain. Now that they have the info and have RANDONSOMED yes asked Equifax to pay them millions in bit coin to not post all our information for more evil people to use. With social security number, date of birth, driver's license, home address they can combine with systems that find your children's names so change all your bank passwords with children's names because they intend to clean you out. All we can do is check our credit, check bank all money accounts and keep doing it until we see fraud. 

I did hear on NPR today that those folks signing up for the one year of free credit monitoring from Equifax should make sure they sign the agreement that does NOT eliminate them from the class action law suit against Equifax.

If they have had this informatin since july isnt it a little too late to protect ourselves? And why would we trust the people who got hacked and didnt tell us for 2 -3 months that we had been violated?  I am not sure we can do anything to really protect ourselves at this point

This has been an excellent discussion and I am privlidged to be a part of this community where discussions are possible.  I have decided to keep on doing what I usually do and every couple of weeks I check my accounts to make sure that the debits and credits are correct.  I have devised a log in that is different on every account but is logical to me.

I am sure it is more than just a breach when they are now in a lawsuit.These credit agencies serve a purpose for the fraudulent banks, but when it comes to a personal remark on a credit report, it takes an act of God... I am happy to see they are now in a lawsuit, no longer to big to fail... now they should go after Goldman and all their fraudulent dirivitives.

I am adding this to my post which was just sent to me tonight, looks like the crooked bankers bailed and walked away without any scars..

"Equifax execs dumped stock before the hack news went public
As Bloomberg reports, three of the company's senior executives sold nearly $1.8 million in shares after the company learned internally that it had exposed the private data, including social security and driver's license numbers, of as many as 143 million people in the U.S
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/equifax-execs-dumped-stock-hack-231059123.html"

I checked and it says that I may be affected.  Scary times we live in. 

Thank you for sharing the information. I will bookmark this post and share with others 

So a month after a breach happened, we're being told about it and then being asked to sign up for their services? Free or not free, I don't like the way that sounds. I do use another one of the three credit services so would know if anything fishy was going on.

Good morning Kathy Sheehan ,

Excellent post and glad to see it featured. The discussion on this topic and every-ones sharing is most helpful.

Great information here Kathy - But there is way more to this problem. I happen to know many people who have been affected by this breach of security and Equifax is delaying any assistance till next week. Why are they waiting for? Why aren't they on this immediately? This is quite disturbing information for almost half of the entire country.

Scary stuff, Kathy.  I'm not sure that I want to give additional information to the folks who allowed my information to be hacked.

Equifax has just issued the following statement yesterday :"“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,” the company said."

So it seems that by using their website now to check if you have been a potential victim (and using their monitoring service) does not bar you from participating in any class action lawsuits....At least that's better.

But I think you still have to pay for their monitoring service? If that's still the case and they are trying to profit from their negligence then this will come back to bite them in the b**.
I remember when Keller Williams admitted a breach of sensitive information a few months ago. They provided Keller Williams agents with a free year of credit monitoring. 

Kathy Sheehan - I wholeheartedly agree with Gabe Sanders .  They want us to give them our name and partial social security number on their site to check if  we're scooped up in their security lapse! No thank you 

Very troublesome to say the least.  It's sad that it takes them so long to tell the public while some padded their pockets in the interim. 

The best part is, they knew about the breach a while back but are just now telling us! I heard rumors that some of the executives sold off stock before the announcement. 

Information that we need to know, after all, we are consumers too Kathy Sheehan! When I heard of the Equifax selling some stock AFTER the breach it really concerned me...

Seems to me that logging onto their website now and providing your SS# and other info to check if you're a victim, could further expose you and your data.

No thank you.

Cheers! 

Thank you for the great and timely post, Kathy,  However, I agree with Ron Tissier and a bit leery of giving my information out and possibly further exposing my data.  The Internet, in general, is beginning to giving me pause on many levels.

Catherine "Cathy" Chaudemanche- Edison, NJ - I read your comment. I clicked on the link and Equifax stated the protection would be free for one year.

This is really scary stuff. Not sure whether to register for the free protection or not, based on what has happened. Is there ANY protection from identity fraud?

Thanks Pat-

Hi Kathy,
I saw this on Pat Starnes, Brandon, MS reblog this morning.  Many of us are wondering what is the best course of action.  I have heard to be careful about signing up for the free monitoring service because we are waiving certain rights by doing so.  Do you know about that aspect?

Thanks for sharing your post, Kathy Sheehan. It seems the only way to protect our information is to be vigilant for changes in it. I use both CreditKarma.com and Credit.com to regularly check my accounts status and keep an eye on the account statements as well. 

As far as executives selling out before the stock value dropped I think it just shows what kind of terrible people are running Equifax.
Bruce

Great discussion points from A/R members in response to your post - thanks all.

Thank you for the post. I am one that is possibly compromised and thank you for the link. I have registered. 

Kathy Sheehan - thanks for the link to trustedid - I just registered there. However, was nervous providing them with my information.

Good Morning Kathy Sheehan 

First, I hope you folks in GA do not get hit too hard from Irma.

Pam, my wife, & I purchased a top notch ID Theft program over a decade ago. We don't rely on companies that get breached.

Good morning Kathy. This topic leaves mewondering why I would attempt to tackle it. 

My husband checked and said we aren't involved. Doesn't mean some other breach won't get us. Seems all too common these days!

Good reminder for all to monitor their credit and not leave it up to a major corporation. I already checked mine!

Great post! Thanks for sharing Kathy.  May I add another option is to consider for setting up fraud alerts on your files. This option require creditors to contact you directly by phone for approval before allowing an account to be opened.  

t can certainly be a long and frustrating process...but being vigilant is imperative to keeping good credit !

Good morning, Kathy Sheehan I will be pulling a full credit report this week.... I check my credit score monthly.... time to see the full picture...

Thanks for sharing this info; it's sad that it's needed.

Congratulations on your feature recognition. This is timely advice to share.

I must say I am a skeptic as well. I am not signing up but will get a full credit report as well. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. 

Thanks for sharing this vital information, warning and tips for protection.

Hackers are vicious and clever.

Thank you, Kathy, for a great article.  I have registered and pulled my credit report.  After much pressure, Equifax removed the paragraph that you give up your right to sue.  

It is sad that this is the world we live in.  In the past, I've been notified by Home Depot and TempurPedic that their records have been breached.  I'm sure we'll see more of this.  Just need to be vigilant. 

Thank you for giving clear instructions about what to do re the Equifax indentity theft issue!  Appreciate it and will bookmark for the future.