Equifax Breach Exposes 143 Million People and Businesses to Identity Theft

Cybersecurity is an important part of the service we provide to our customers. It is important to be aware of how this data breach could impact you and your business.

If you have ever applied for a personal or business credit card, auto loan, or mortgage, then Equifax will have your information. Today, one of the three credit monitoring companies announced that they had a data breach impacting over 143 Million people and businesses. The Atlanta-based company, one of three major U.S. credit bureaus, said Thursday that “criminals” exploited a U.S. website application to access files between mid-May and July of this year. The thief obtained consumers’ names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, and in some cases, driver’s license numbers. The purloined data can be enough for crooks to hijack the identities of people whose credentials were stolen through no fault of their own, potentially wreaking havoc on their lives. This is a result of a security lapse that can impact all shapes and sizes of businesses.

Here is what you need to do to see if your identity has been stolen. Equifax has established a website where you can check to see if your personal information may have been stolen. Consumers can also call 866-447-7559 for more information. Experian is also offering free credit monitoring to all U.S. consumers for a year. If your identify was stolen, we first recommend freezing all credit, requesting new cards (credit and debit), and monitoring your credit through ID Shield or another identity protection company. If you need assistance, we are here to help! Just call our office at 830-521-2111.