In case you weren’t aware, it is highly likely that your personal information has been stolen… again!
On Aug 6 2024 we were notified of a HUGE data breach. The nearly 2.7 billion leaked records – which notably include hundreds of millions of Americans’ social security numbers… are available for FREE download on the internet. Normally when criminals steal this information they will hold it for ransom, but this group chose to post the information and make it available to anyone who could download it.
Now what? It’s time to play defense.
Let me share with you what I did and what I recommend you do as well.
Credit Freeze
The first thing I recommend is to go to each of the three credit unions and put a credit freeze on your account. This is a service they each offer for free. A freeze means that creditors will not have access to your credit report and will keep them from opening any new credit in your name. The three credit unions each have its own way of doing a freeze. Usually, it involves creating an account, verifying who you are, and then you can manage whether the account is frozen or thawed.
The downside is that if you are in the middle of making a large purchase like a home or a car that requires a credit check, it can become inconvenient to freeze and thaw your account.
Identity Theft Insurance
The second step I recommend is looking into getting identity theft insurance. I have used Zander insurance for years. For $145 they provide identity theft monitoring for the entire family; meaning parents and children under 18 years old.
References
Details about the breach can be found at https://spycloud.com/blog/national-public-data-breach-analysis/.
Information about credit freezes can be found at https://www.usa.gov/credit-freeze