Equifax Data Breach

On September 7th, 2017, Equifax Inc., a leading credit report provider, announced that a data breach at the company may have potentially impacted approximately 143 million U.S. consumers.

Cybercriminals primarily accessed, names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, and driver’s license numbers. In addition, credit card numbers for roughly 209,000 and certain dispute documents with identifying information for approximately 182,000 U.S. consumers were accessed.

They have made additional information available on their website www.equifaxsecurity2017.com or by calling dedicated call center at 866-447-7559.

Click here to watch a statement from Equifax Chairman and CEO, Rick Smith, regarding this incident involving consumer data at Equifax.

Here are a few tips to consider after a data breach:

• Call us to place a code word on your credit union account.
• Download our mobile app or use home banking to monitor your account closely for any unauthorized activity.
• Set up home banking alerts, change your PIN, usernames and passwords frequently.
• Place a credit freeze or a fraud alert on your files. This can warn a creditor that you may be an identity theft victim and they must take additional steps to verify the legitimacy of the credit request.
• Check your credit reports. You are entitled to a free copy of your credit report annually by visiting www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling 877-322-8228.
• Contact your motor vehicles branch. They may be able to flag your license number in case someone tries to use it or give you further instructions.
• Visit identitytheft.gov/databreach for additional information on how you can protect yourself after a data breach.

Please keep in mind that the tips above are for informational purposes only and any data accessed through Equifax Inc., is completely separate from any information at Alive Credit Union. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Equifax directly.