Don’t Fall for Equifax Settlement Scams

What It Is

Scammers are looking to cash in on the buzz surrounding the Equifax data breach, specifically the ability for consumers to check their data and file a claim if they were affected.

Who It Is Targeting

Any consumers who may have had their information stolen in the Equifax breach could be at risk of an Equifax settlement scam, but scammers may also seek out people who were not affected in order to sell them protection products.

What You Need To Know

Equifax is one of the three major credit reporting agencies, and they were breached in 2018. More than 147 million consumers had their complete identities stolen by hackers. Now, Equifax has launched its settlement website where you can find out if your information was stolen, file a claim for compensation and apply for credit monitoring. Equifax settlement scammers are capitalizing on the buzz surrounding this new website and have already targeted victims.

What You Should Do About It

• Make sure you are only using legitimate websites for this process, namely the FTC’s site and EquifaxBreachSettlement.com.
• You do not have to pay anything to file a claim, look into your data, receive credit monitoring services or otherwise participate in this settlement.
• Never verify your information for someone who contacts you and offers to find out if you have been affected.
• Never hand over your Social Security number to someone who contacts you in any way.

Read next…

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