Data breaches are common nowadays in the United States. Victims of this type of cyberattack are at risk of identity theft, especially if the stolen data includes their social security numbers, as was the case in the massive Equifax data breach in 2017. Cybercriminals like to use this information to open new financial accounts (e.g., credit cards, loans) in the victims’ names. To make matter worse, the stolen data is often stored on the dark web for years, so the victims are at risk for a long time.
One way in which data breach victims can protect themselves is to restrict access to their credit reports, which is known as freezing them. A credit freeze can stop identity thieves from opening new accounts because lenders typically won’t approve an application if they cannot check the person’s credit reports.
If you were one of the 143 million US consumers who had their social security numbers stolen in the Equifax breach or you were the victim of another data breach, you should consider taking advantage of this new law. Here is what you need to do.
What You Need to Do
If you decide to freeze your credit reports, you need to do so at each credit bureau You can request a credit freeze online, by phone, or by mail. Here is each bureau’s website and telephone number:
- Equifax: Equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services, 800-685-1111
- Experian: Experian.com/help, 888-397-3742
- TransUnion: TransUnion.com/credit-help, 888-909-8872
When requesting a credit freeze, you need to provide your name, current address, social security number, and date of birth. You might also need to provide other information to confirm your identity, such as your previous address or existing credit cards. Once the freeze is in place, you will be given a personal identification number (PIN). You need to remember the PIN because you will need it to temporarily lift or permanently remove the freeze.
You can also use the contact information just given to set up fraud alerts. However, in this case, you only have to contact one of the credit bureaus. That bureau will then let the other two bureaus know they have to set up a fraud alert for your credit reports.