As many of you are already aware, on September 7, 2017 Equifax announced the discovery of a breach of their systems that could potentially impact up to 143 million consumer records.
In a recorded message on a dedicated website, Equifax Chairman / CEO Richard Smith, provided a brief statement addressing the breach.
In that statement Mr. Smith says, “The company has found no evidence of unauthorized activity on Equifax’s core consumer or commercial credit reporting databases.”
Mr. Smith noted the attack “gained access to the names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and, in some instances, driver’s license numbers. In addition, credit card numbers for approximately 209,000 U.S. consumers, and certain dispute documents with personal identifying information for approximately 182,000 U.S. consumers, were accessed.”
As part of the actions taken to mitigate the impact of the breach, Equifax is offering U.S .consumers a complimentary one-year sign up to “credit file monitoring and identity theft protection. The offering, called TrustedID Premier, includes 3-Bureau credit monitoring of Equifax, Experian and TransUnion credit reports; copies of Equifax credit reports; the ability to lock and unlock Equifax credit reports; identity theft insurance; and Internet scanning for Social Security numbers. . . . “
In addition to a dedicated website – https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com/, the company has established “a dedicated call center at 866-447-7559, to assist consumers.”