California Attorney General Reminds Residents to Sign Up for Free Credit Monitoring Before February 1

Press release from California’s Attorney General:

California Attorney General logoCalifornia Attorney General Xavier Becerra today reminded all Californians that the deadline to sign up for free credit monitoring is Wednesday, January 31. In September, Equifax, one of the nation’s three major credit reporting agencies, announced that it had suffered a massive data breach, which affected 145 million Americans and over 15 million Californians. According to Equifax, the breach lasted from mid-May through July, and compromised names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and, in some instances, driver’s license numbers.

“The Equifax data breach left millions of Californians’ personal information vulnerable. While the California Department of Justice continues to aggressively investigate this massive cybersecurity incident, we urge all consumers – both those who were victims of the breach and those who were not – to take advantage of the free credit monitoring that is available to them,” said Attorney General Becerra. “To enroll in free credit monitoring, Californians should visit https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com/. Anyone who experiences trouble signing up is encouraged to immediately file a report with my Office.”

As required by California law, consumers who were impacted by the Equifax breach are eligible for free credit monitoring. Equifax is also offering this service free of charge to consumers who were not impacted by the data breach. The free credit monitoring product is a one-year subscription that includes credit file monitoring and alerts that report any suspicious activity on your credit report at all three credit bureaus. It also includes Social Security number monitoring, identity theft insurance, a copy of your Equifax credit report, and a free service to lock your credit report at Equifax.

Consumers are also encouraged to take the following steps to protect their personal information:

1. Consider placing a “freeze” on your credit file.

A security freeze prevents your information from being shared with potential creditors and is the strongest form of protection. A freeze costs a one-time fee of $10 (but may cost additional fees to lift or renew). You need to request a security freeze from each of the three reporting agencies. Equifax has waived the $10 fee, but the other two companies, TransUnion and Experian, have not. The Attorney General’s Office does not have the authority to require the companies to waive their fees.

Experian’s credit freeze: https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html

TransUnion’s credit freeze: https://freeze.transunion.com/sf/securityFreeze/landingPage.jsp

Equifax’s credit freeze: https://www.freeze.equifax.com/Freeze/jsp/SFF_PersonalIDInfo.jsp

2. Put a fraud alert on your credit file.

A fraud alert helps protect you against the possibility of someone opening new credit accounts in your name. A fraud alert lasts 90 days and can be renewed.

To post a fraud alert on your credit file, you must contact one of the three major credit reporting agencies below. If you contact any one of the three major credit reporting agencies, fraud alerts will be automatically added by the other two agencies as well.

Experian 1-888-397-3742
experian.com/fraud/center.html

TransUnion 1-800-680-7289
transunion.com/fraud

Equifax 1-888-766-0008
alerts.equifax.com

3. Review your credit reports. Look through each one carefully.

Check your credit reports from Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax — for free — by visiting annualcreditreport.com. Accounts or activity that you don’t recognize could indicate identity theft, especially accounts opened recently.

4. If you find items you don’t understand on your report, call the credit bureau at the number on the report.

Credit bureau staff will review your report with you. If the information can’t be explained, then you will need to call the creditors involved and report the crime to your local police or sheriff’s office. See the Identity Theft Victim Checklist: www.oag.ca.gov/idtheft/information-sheets.

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10 Comments
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john
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john
6 years ago

This is the first time I have heard about this. Only two days to sign up?

I laughed when I heard about all those federal employees who got hacked and their info stolen in the early 2000’s.

Until I was notified I was one of them.

Wasn’t even a federal employee.

fuckwalterwhite.com
Guest
fuckwalterwhite.com
6 years ago

Free!!!
Small print: extra fees.

“Equifax failed you,just go to equifaxsecurity2017.com”

Cowabunga
Guest
Cowabunga
6 years ago

Great Information. Thank you!

Terry L. Clark
Guest
Terry L. Clark
6 years ago

Is this the Equifax scam where the small print says that in exchange for the “free” credit monitoring, you give up the right to sue the he** out of Equifax?

Terry L. Clark
Guest
Terry L. Clark
6 years ago
Reply to  Terry L. Clark

Apparently after the firestorm of outrage, they removed the clause.

https://www.tomsguide.com/us/equifax-breach-legal-rights,news-25814.html

Huh?
Guest
Huh?
6 years ago

So we’re supposed to give even more information to the company who got hacked and exposed our info?
I wouldn’t trust these companies, plus having to renew fraud alert every 90 days???? Having to pay to put a freeze on then having to pay to lift it?
WTF are we paying taxes for when we havta do all the work?
This sounds like some backroom deal with the companies. What if you put a freeze on and it gets hacked or you cant pay to get it lifted?
There are no guarantees that all 3 of the companies wont get hacked.

WTF
Guest
WTF
6 years ago

I thought this was about the Humboldt County supervisors pulling of more fraud

Timothy McVeigh's ghost
Guest
Timothy McVeigh's ghost
6 years ago

And be sure to get your flu shot as well. Government loves its little sheeple. wonder who ownes stock in Equifax I wonder…..

Antichrist
Guest
Antichrist
6 years ago

All this id theif could simply be avoided if companies were forced to prove that they were working with the people they thought they were , but again companies take short cuts trying to make a buck and then , force the victims to prove their innocence. If there was a law passed stating that a company had to have some form of proof ie matching a photo id with the person they were working with more than 80 percent of the fruad cases wouldnt happen. But no we as people have to prove that we werent the ones and we have to fight the companies to take us seriously and wait on their time tables jump through hoops ect. Often with companies that we never delt with before so they have zero vested in correcting things or making it easy. Hold the companies accountable for proving the debt and that the debt is vaild and this wouldnt be an issuse

Johnny Reb
Guest
Johnny Reb
6 years ago

The California “attorney general” is a traitor and a fraud, a supporter of sanctuary state nonsense, a criminal. He needs to be run out of office. Nothing that scumbag says should receive attention. Only the anti-American far left would support such a miscreant,.