Equifax Data Breach
By now you’ve probably heard that the Equifax credit bureau was breached this past July, though was only just made public. Around 143 million consumers were exposed in the breach. This very likely means someone in your household, if not you, has been affected by the breach. In fact, it’s pretty safe to assume that your personal credit bureau information is now out there.
Here are some things to keep in mind:
- Start monitoring your credit reports for unusual/unauthorized activities.
- If you don’t need a loan in the near future, you can lock your report. If you do, lock it at all three bureaus (Equifax, Transunion, and Experian). This will prevent loans being taken out in your name. You can do this for free by calling each bureau.
- If you’re worried, you can put a fraud alert on your records at the bureaus. This is good for 90 days, and is free. Again, will make getting a loan harder during the 90 days.
- Equifax has a web page where you can type in your information and they’ll tell you if they think your info was affected in the breach. Further, they are offering free credit monitoring as part of their response to the breach. Read the fine print and understand what you are giving up before you sign up for this service.
- Be extra suspicious of unsolicited emails. Spammers and scammers will create new and interesting scams around this information and will be able to have extremely targeted and personalized campaigns. Turn a suspicious eye towards your inbox and don’t fall for scams. If in doubt THROW IT OUT!
To learn more about the breach, and to begin the process to determine whether your information is included in the data breach, go to https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com.
For member/owners who apply for credit or loan services at any Quest Federal Credit Union branch or online, Quest does utilize the credit reporting services of Equifax, as well as Experian and TransUnion in certain cases. Your individual credit union account information is not at risk, only the information indicated by the Equifax press release dated September 7, 2017.
With ID*Protect, Quest Federal Credit Union’s identity theft protection partner, ID*Protect gives you everything you need to safeguard your identity, protect your credit and help you recover should you become a victim of identity fraud. ID*Protect can be added for your protection at any time, it costs just $4.00/month if you do not have a current loan with Quest Federal Credit Union, for members with current loans, the monthly fee is waived for the life of the loan.
Learn more about ID*Protect