As you likely have already heard in the news, we are all at risk of identity theft because of a major data breach at Equifax, one of the nation’s three major credit reporting agencies. Hackers stole names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, driver’s license numbers and credit card numbers for millions of Equifax’s customers.

We want you to have information to lessen your risk, and we encourage you to look into the information below to determine whether any of these options make sense for you:

1. Because of the breach, Equifax will provide you “TrustedID Premier,” which includes 3-Bureau credit monitoring of Equifax, Experian and TransUnion credit reports; copies of Equifax credit reports; the ability to lock and unlock Equifax credit reports; identity theft insurance; and internet scanning for Social Security numbers – all paid by Equifax for one year. To find out if your data was breached and/or to enroll in TrustedID, go to https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com.
2. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is the nation’s consumer protection agency and works to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace. Their Consumer Information site has additional information on the Equifax breach at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2017/09/equifax-data-breach-what-do

Nothing will guarantee that you will never become an identity theft victim, but there is much you can do to protect yourself, your family, and your business. Prevention activities and ongoing vigilance can limit your chances of becoming a victim of identity theft.