EQUIFAX BREACH - YOUR CREDIT MAY BE AT RISK

Credit giant Equifax says Social Security numbers, birth dates of 143 million consumers may have been exposed

For those of you who haven't heard the credit recording institution of Equifax had a breach in their security.  As many as 143,000,000 Americans could have their credit effected, according to the New York Times, ABC News and News Week.

"Here are the facts, according to Equifax. The breach lasted from mid-May through July. The hackers accessed people’s names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and, in some instances, driver’s license numbers. They also stole credit card numbers for about 209,000 people and dispute documents with personal identifying information for about 182,000 people. And they grabbed personal information of people in the UK and Canada too." - The Federal Trade Commission, September 8, 2017

This really does affect all of us or at least one every household, your neighbor, your friend, your family member.  In order to protect your credit there are a few thing you can do.  Here are some helpful links.

Experian

Federal Trade Commission

Annual Credit Report

Freeze Your Credit Report

Credit Karma

I personally monitor our credit accounts using Credit Karma.  It's free and it doesn't ding your credit to look as often as you need to.

This is important to keep an eye on.  You'd hate to get an unpleasant surprise the next time you go to buy a car or need to refinance or get pre-approved for a home loan.