TransUnion

September 20, 2017

Equifax Breach: Setting the Record Straight

This post was originally published on this siteBloomberg published a story this week citing three unnamed sources who told the publication that Equifax experienced a breach earlier this year which predated the intrusion that the big-three credit bureau announced on Sept. 7. To be clear, this earlier breach at Equifax is not a new finding and has been a matter of public record for months. Furthermore, it was first reported on this Web site in May 2017. In my initial Sept. 7 story about the Equifax breach affecting more than 140 million Americans, I noted that this was hardly the first time Equifax or another […]
September 10, 2018

In a Few Days, Credit Freezes Will Be Fee-Free

This post was originally published on this siteLater this month, all of the three major consumer credit bureaus will be required to offer free credit freezes to all Americans and their dependents. Maybe you’ve been holding off freezing your credit file because your home state currently charges a fee for placing or thawing a credit freeze, or because you believe it’s just not worth the hassle. If that accurately describes your views on the matter, this post may well change your mind. A credit freeze — also known as a “security freeze” — restricts access to your credit file, making […]
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 […]
November 1, 2018

Equifax Has Chosen Experian. Wait, What?

This post was originally published on this siteA year after offering free credit monitoring to all Americans on account of its massive data breach that exposed the personal information of nearly 148 million people, Equifax now says it has chosen to extend the offer by turning to a credit monitoring service offered by a top competitor — Experian. And to do that, it will soon be sharing with Experian contact information that affected consumers gave to Equifax in order to sign up for the service. The news came in an email Equifax is sending to people who took the company […]