Many Americans are learning the words “security freeze” recently, courtesy of Equifax. Really, they should be thanking their state lawmakers and a tireless group of consumer advocates. More important, it should give people new appreciation for the disaster that is the legal maneuvering called “state pre-emption,” and why consumers should [Keep reading]
I’ve been telling victims of the Equifax data hack (everyone?) to sit tight and not do ANYTHING because I don’t want people paying money for the WRONG thing. (Like this person I wrote about today). Also, I think eventually the RIGHT thing is going to happen, and people will have [Keep reading]
Like millions of Americans, John decided he had to do something to protect himself in the wake of the massive data hack at credit bureau Equifax. So he clicked around the Internet trying to do the right thing, looking to sign up for a credit freeze or anything that might [Keep reading]
Consumers are still struggling with what to do in the wake of the huge Equifax hack, and the credit reporting agencies aren’t necessarily helping much. Trans Union’s website for credit freezes is still showing an “unavailable” message (You can, however sign up for…). Meanwhile, Equifax still hasn’t provided additional details [Keep reading]
I’ve always said ID theft is basically a marketing ploy. We stick with an outdated system that hurts people all so cashiers can try to upsell credit cards (“Do you want to save 20% today?”). And I’ve often said one of the best things that could happen would be publication [Keep reading]
Something strange has happened to the Trans Union webpage devoted to security freezes. It’s been changed to push visitors to sign up for a Trans Union ID theft service rather than place a security freeze. Consumers who follow a link on the Federal Trade Commision’s security freeze information page expecting [Keep reading]
What do to now? Freeze, I’d say. And breathe. Consumers continue to wrestle with their options in the wake of news that the Equifax credit reporting agency had been hacked, potentially exposing a majority of Americans to identity theft. It’s a natural impulse to “do something” after an incident like [Keep reading]
I can tell from the email I’m getting (and, honestly, from friends calling me and even stopping me at church). You still have many questions about the Equifax hack last week. So do I. Equifax is still not providing enough answers, so I can’t be as helpful as I’d like. [Keep reading]
In this story Equifax has created much confusion with its announcement Who stole the data? How? Why? Consumers, Congress need to demand answers. What consumers should do now? (Probably not follow Equifax’ advice Equifax needs to start answering questions, fast. And this better be a turning point in consumer rights around [Keep reading]
Credit bureau Equifax announced late Thursday that computer criminals stole data on 143 million consumers earlier this year. The hackers took Social Security numbers and other data. Consumers should immediately check to see if they are impacted at a special website set up for the incident: www.equifaxsecurity2017.com Hackers entered through a [Keep reading]
Bob Sullivan