by Dave Moore, 09/20/2020
Memories seem short when it comes to Internet security calamities. Remember the Great Equifax Hack of 2017, where negligence by data megabroker Equifax led to the preventable theft of 145 million credit bureau accounts?
I sure do. Equifax waited six weeks before telling anyone about the theft, giving the Internet bad guys a six-week advantage before U.S. consumers were warned they might need to protect themselves.
We are still feeling the fallout of that event, and will be into the foreseeable future. Gradually, over the past few years, more and more Americans are finding themselves up to their necks in crippling identity theft scams. “How could this have happened?” they ask. “I was careful,” they assert.
Maybe they were careful. Sadly, Equifax was not. Why are innocent people being mercilessly scammed so easily? Look no further than the Board of Directors at Equifax, for they are ultimately responsible for the negligent security practices they allowed to occur. Want to know how Internet crooks obtained your Social Security number? Welcome to the Equifax 145 Million Club.
In addition to Social Security numbers, Equifax also allowed the theft of names, addresses, birthdays, driver’s license numbers, 209,000 credit card numbers and 182,000 additional documents containing “personally identifying information.”
Equifax’s lousy security allows criminals to masquerade as you, obtaining home mortgages and loans in your name, as well as bank accounts and new credit cards. They can even get a bogus driver’s license based on your information and, if ever given a speeding ticket, it’s you that will carry the blame.
Using your personal information, Internet crooks can file with the IRS to steal your tax refund, and have your Social Security checks deposited in a different bank account, which they control. All this can lead to personal and financial ruin.
If you did not heed the warnings issued by me and others in 2017, you may still have time to protect yourself. If you have not already, I urge you to take action immediately.
First, make up your mind to take the situation seriously. This is no joke; it is real. Decide now to take action to prevent yourself from becoming yet another cybercrime statistic. The only reason you have not been victimized already may be the Internet bad guys simply haven’t gotten to you, yet.
145 million accounts is a big jackpot. The crooks just haven’t worked their way over to you, but, if you are on the list, they will. The idea is to head them off at the pass before they get the chance.
First, search the Norman Transcript website for, “Dave Moore Equifax Hack Update,” for the column I wrote in 2017. You will find detailed, step-by-step procedures on how not to become an Equifax victim. After gaining that perspective on the situation, at least have the wherewithal to take what I call the Minimum Six Protections.
Protections One through Four are essentially the same, but are super-critical to your protection. Put a credit freeze (not a credit “lock”) on your credit bureau accounts at all four major credit bureaus.
Yes, you have been misled. There are four major credit bureaus in the United States, not three. They are: (1) Experian, (2) TransUnion, (3) Innovis, and (4) Equifax. You need a credit freeze in place at all four bureaus. Thanks to new laws passed after the Great Equifax Hack of 2017, there is no charge to place a credit freeze.
Protections Five and Six are, (5) change all of your passwords to all of your online accounts, as well as any security questions, and, (6) call all of your credit card companies. Tell them you are concerned your information has been compromised; you are concerned about being hacked, and you want new credit cards. That’s all you need to say. They will be happy to send them to you. Ask for “expedited service,” and you won’t have to wait the usual week they will try to talk you into.
If you think I’m kidding when I use the word “all” in my recommendations above, ask yourself the following: “Dave may be kidding, but are the Internet bad guys kidding?”
Dave Moore has been fixing computers in Oklahoma since 1984. Founder of the non-profit Internet Safety Group Ltd., he also teaches Internet safety community training workshops. He can be reached at 405-919-9901 or www.internetsafetygroup.org