According to Equifax’s website, equifaxsecurity2017.com, the amount of personal information compromised by their security breach is mind boggling. 143 million U.S. consumers’ personal information was compromised including names, social security numbers, birth dates, addresses and in some instances driver’s license numbers and credit card numbers. As a result, we as consumers may be subjected to numerous new scams so here are some tips:
- If anyone calls and says they are from Equifax needing to verify account information, hang up. Equifax can’t possibly call 143 million consumers, so they won’t call you. It is a scam.
- If anyone from the IRS calls with personal information (like your name and social security number acquired from Equifax’s security breach) saying you owe taxes, it’s a scam so hang up. The IRS will not call you to collect taxes.
- Be cautious about fake emails and websites claiming to be Equifax. If an email or website looks suspicious, DO NOT click on any links. Be very skeptical about any emails from Equifax that you are not already expecting. The only Equifax website we are aware of that is handling this security breach is equifaxsecurity2017.com. Do not be fooled by other websites.
We at CPA Consulting Group suggest you watch your credit card and bank account activity very closely over the next several months to identify suspicious looking transactions. Be skeptical of anyone requesting personal information for any reason. Finally visit equifaxsecurity2017.com now and enroll in the free credit monitoring service. If you have any questions, please call us at 307-577-4040.