Fact Sheet 129
I RECEIVED A SECURITY BREACH LETTER- WHAT DO I DO NOW?
It can be unnerving to be told that your information has been compromised in a breach. There are some steps you can take at this time. Please note: Neither the police nor experts know if this will result in identity theft. Unless you know otherwise, at this time, thankfully, you are NOT an identity theft victim.
In fact, there have been millions of people notified that their information may have been breached and that have not become victims. Beginning studies have shown that the faster the breach notification is released, the less chance a thief will use the information. However, they may warehouse the information so keep checking your credit reports annually.
Should you become a victim, help is just a phone call or email away.
Your response to this breach will depend on the type of information that was lost or taken.
CREDIT CARD NUMBERS and FINANCIAL ACCOUNT NUMBERS
including checking accounts, money market funds,
s
tocks, and bank accounts:
-
Close all affected accounts and have account numbers changed.
-
Cancel all affected credit cards and debit cards.
-
Password protect your account.
-
Watch your account statements closely
-
Report any fraudulent activity immediately to the bank.
SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS:
Call the credit reporting agencies. These are automated and secure systems.
Place a fraud alert with each bureau (asking companies to contact you prior to issuing credit) and request your
free
copy of the credit report. It is free because your information was breached. If asked, you are a potential victim of id theft. Do this for any person whose Social Security Number was compromised. If the Social Security Number belongs to a child, you should hear that there is
not
a report for that child unless the information has been used.
We recommend that you call all agencies and not just one. Check your report carefully for any irregularity. Sometimes people see errors on the report that were there
before
the information breach. If so, contact the police and the ITRC for assistance.
Equifax: Call (800) 525-6285, TDD: (800) 255-0056
Experian (formerly TRW):
(888) 397-3742, TDD: Use relay to fraud number above
TransUnion:
(800) 888-4213, TDD:
(877) 553-7803
Use the annual credit reports system to monitor your credit report over the next year. Stagger them out by ordering one every four months.
OTHER:
-
If your insurance policy information is involved, ask the company to change the number.
-
If it is HR data that was compromised, change account numbers for your 401-K, life insurance, and accounts holding your stock options. Please password protect these accounts as well.
-
Driver’s Licenses- contact your state DMV and notify them of the theft. They most likely will not change your number.
ITEMS OF LITTLE CONCERN:
This covers the category of information that can be easily found in public locations, such as your phone number, address, name, and birth date. Thieves cannot do much with this information alone. If however, it is stolen or lost in combination with the items listed above, follow the instructions given above.
OTHER RESOURCES:
The Federal Trade Commission also has an excellent website www.consumer.gov/idtheft. On it you can find a 29-page publication, “When Bad Things Happen to Your Good Name.” Their hotline number is 877-438-4338. (877 ID THEFT)
Your state Identity Theft Victim Assistance Program is typically found on the Attorney General’s website
Copyright February 2007, Identity Theft Resource Center®, all rights reserved.
Created by ITRC
This fact sheet should not be used in lieu of legal advice. Any requests to reproduce this material, other than by individual victims for their
own use, should be directed to ITRC.