At the bottom of this post, see Experian breach information
provided by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

What you should do in response to the Equifax breach

While it can be filed under the tab, “too little, too late,” Equifax is offering a number of services for free to people, including credit monitoring. You can find information from Equifax at the website EquifaxSecurity2017.com.  (Equifax originally indicated that taking part in the credit monitoring service would require consumers to drop any potential legal actions on the part of consumers. That clause was dropped after massive push-back by consumers and government agencies.)

1. Find out if your information is potentially at risk

Equifax has set up a website that allows consumers to determine if their information was potentially compromised. Click on the tab labeled Potential Impact. (Everyone we have asked has said they received the “potentially compromise” message.)

2. Sign up for credit monitoring

Equifax said it will provide free credit monitoring to all U.S. consumers, regardless of whether their information was potentially compromised. Since the service is free and it’s relatively easy to sign up, it appears to be a wise precaution, even if it’s a nuisance.

According to Consumer Reports, there are five services under the Equifax monitoring service, branded TrustedIDPremier.

  1. Getting a copy of your Equifax credit report.
  2. Credit monitoring and automated alerts of key changes to your credit report on any of the three major credit reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union.
  3. Scans suspicious websites for your Social Security number
  4. Up to $1 million worth of identity theft insurance to pay for out-of-pocket expenses if you’re a victim of identity theft
  5. The ability to put a freeze on your credit report.

3. Freeze your credit report

Take advantage of the ability to freeze your credit report. Freezing goes a step further than credit card monitoring and will prevent anyone from taking out a loan or a credit card in your name. Freezing your credit file is a good starting point if you think you have been affected. Be sure to strengthen your PIN. You can thaw your freeze every time you want to apply for new credit by using a personal identification number that the companies give you, which you absolutely should not lose, according to NYTimes.com reporter Ron Lieber.

4. Check Your Accounts

Even if you follow all these steps, you’ll still have to continue to monitor your own accounts for fraudulent activity, indefinitely. While there are fee-based ways to do this constantly, a less time-consuming and anxiety-provoking alternative is to check your credit reports for free every four months at annualcreditreport.com.

Beyond Equifax