Momentum - Business to Business Online Magazine MOMENTUM October 2017 | Page 40

Were You Effected By The By: Becky Sill, LegalShield | IDShield, Independent Associate [email protected] www.BeckySill.com Know the Facts: Who is Equifax: Equifax is one of the 3 major credit bureaus and has access to some of the most sensitive information. Number of people affected: 143 million Americans, 44% of the population. If you have a credit report, there is a good chance your personal information was put at risk. Types of data compromised: • Social Security numbers • Driver's license numbers • Date of birth • Credit card information • and more… What does this mean: 143 million people and their families are at risk of their identities being stolen and could take up to 18 months to resolve. The data at risk does not have a shelf life so it could be used years from now for identity theft when people have let their guard down. Now what: Log on to www.equifaxsecurity2017.com to find out if you were affected. If you were, sign up for their free monitoring service as a minimal protection. Keep in mind that it will monitor only credit, not other types of identity theft and does not offer a guarantee to restore your identity. Be sure to protect yourself with an identity theft company offering a guarantee to do whatever it takes, as long as it takes, to restore you back to pre-theft status and expunge anything off your record that is possible. Will Equifax call me: Absolutely not!! They will not be calling 143 million people. If someone calls you asking for personal information or uses scare tactics to get you to talk, hang up. Be aware of scams. 39 MOMENTUM / October 2017