Official Site Created to Help Those Impacted by Equifax Breach
8/19/2019
The Federal Trade Commission has established a website for consumers impacted by the 2017 data breach at Equifax, the international credit-reporting agency.
The breach exposed the personal information of 147 million consumers, exposing sensitive financial data. The site is live at FTC.gov/Equifax. Created in the wake of the recent $425 million settlement between the federal government and the agency, it provides information on the breach and settlement and allows consumers to submit claims if they believe their data was hacked.
Cybercriminals, however, are alert opportunists. Fake claims sites are making the rounds and online phishing attacks launched in further attempts to steal sensitive information. Never respond to an email claiming to link to a claims site.
The only place to get legitimate information about the breach is FTC.gov/Equifax. This site will link to EquifaxBreachSettlement.com, where consumers can check to see if their information was included in the breach and file a claim. These sites are the only legitimate sources for information related to the Equifax breach, the settlement and claims related to it.
Think you may have been affected but not sure? Visit FTC.gov/Equifax. And delete any emails claiming to link to an official site related to the breach. Don’t make it easy for the bad guys.
Stay safe out there.
