Equifax Data Breach

This is a quick PSA in case you haven’t heard! Equifax, one of the three credit bureaus, recently had a huge data breach. Over 145 Million social security numbers were stolen. There are a lot of free and paid services offering ID Theft Protection and other products; but these are not always 100% effective. There is actually one VERY easy step you should all take to protect yourself and your family: set-up a Fraud Alert with one of the other two credit bureaus. Why? It’s free and they are required to alert the other 2 bureaus of the fraud alert. The fraud alert means you are required to be contacted before an account is opened with your social security #. The alert is good for 90 days only, so you may want to mark you calendars to re-do this every 3 months! Consider doing this for everyone in your family, even minors. Identify Theft of minors is a growing issue and could impact your children later in life. It’s easy – just go to https://www.experian.com/fraud/center.html and select Add Fraud Alert.

Alicia D