ChexSystems

September 11, 2017

The Equifax Breach: What You Should Know

This post was originally published on this siteIt remains unclear whether those responsible for stealing Social Security numbers and other data on as many as 143 million Americans from big-three credit bureau Equifax intend to sell this data to identity thieves. But if ever there was a reminder that you — the consumer — are ultimately responsible for protecting your financial future, this is it. Here’s what you need to know and what you should do in response to this unprecedented breach. Some of the Q&As below were originally published in a 2015 story, How I Learned to Stop Worrying […]
September 21, 2018

Credit Freezes are Free: Let the Ice Age Begin

This post was originally published on this siteIt is now free in every U.S. state to freeze and unfreeze your credit file and that of your dependents, a process that blocks identity thieves and others from looking at private details in your consumer credit history. If you’ve been holding out because you’re not particularly worried about ID theft, here’s another reason to reconsider: The credit bureaus profit from selling copies of your file to others, so freezing your file also lets you deny these dinosaurs a valuable revenue stream. Enacted in May 2018, the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer […]
August 12, 2020

Why & Where You Should You Plant Your Flag

This post was originally published on this siteSeveral stories here have highlighted the importance of creating accounts online tied to your various identity, financial and communications services before identity thieves do it for you. This post examines some of the key places where everyone should plant their virtual flags. As KrebsOnSecurity observed back in 2018, many people — particularly older folks — proudly declare they avoid using the Web to manage various accounts tied to their personal and financial data — including everything from utilities and mobile phones to retirement benefits and online banking services. From that story: “The reasoning […]