Steps to Take After the Equifax Data Breach

#3: There’s no way to opt-out of reporting

In other circumstances, such as a retailer getting hacked, you can choose not to shop at that store because they may have lax security. But that’s not the case with credit reporting agencies. There is nothing you can do to opt out of reporting with any bureau. If you use credit or take out loans, this information always gets reported.

That’s one of the reasons that this breach is frustrating to many people. Equifax didn’t have proper security in place, even though they were warned by federal security agencies of the vulnerability. Then they waited for a few months to tell the public. And they even set up an automatic credit charge renewal on their “free credit monitoring services” offered to those affected.

But despite all that shoddy customer service, there is nothing you can do to stop Equifax from collecting and selling your credit information.

#4: Third party services often still generate revenue for the bureaus

With so much mistrust of credit bureaus, particularly Equifax, many people decided to sign up for “independent” third-party services. The most common choice is to go with LifeLock. But here’s the catch: Those third-party services have to get their information from somewhere. So, they sign contracts with one credit bureau to get the information they use to send credit report alerts. In other words, a credit bureau gets a kickback anytime you sign up for one of these services; they still generate revenue off your business.

Funny thing, LifeLock signed an exclusive contract with Equifax in 2015. So, all the people who are paying LifeLock now are also effectively paying Equifax, too. For the record, Credit Karma has deals set up with both TransUnion and Equifax. The only difference is that you don’t give them any money directly. But the credit bureaus still manage to generate revenue, even with “free” services.

#5: Like any company, the bureaus exist to turn a profit

Credit bureaus do not exist to provide consumer protection or advocacy. Just like any for-profit company, they exist to make money. This means even in the midst of the worst consumer data breach in American history, Equifax is still focused on finding ways to generate revenue. For example:

1. At first, Equifax wanted to charge full price on credit monitoring services offered to people affected by the breach.
2. They only made it free after public outcry.
3. But it’s only free for one year from when you sign up.
4. However, they follow the same shady auto-renewal system used routinely for credit monitoring services. They tell you it’s free, ask for credit card information to sign up, then automatically charge you at the end of the free promotion period if you don’t opt out promptly.

#6: They haven’t really learned anything from this

Given that they hold such vital personal information for every consumer in the U.S. and this breach showed their vulnerability to attacks, you’d think they’d take every measure possible to avoid other attacks.

Unfortunately, you’d be wrong again. Equifax has a website that we listed in the infographic above where you can check if you were affected. That site is EquifaxSecuity2017.com. To show just how vulnerable Equifax still is, a hacker made a fake security website with a very similar name: SecurityEquifax2017.com.

Sadly, not only did Equifax not catch it, they linked to the fake site instead of their site in their Twitter feed. Not just once, but several times. So much for learning from your mistakes

What to do if you’re worried about security

The old adage that if you want something done right, you should do it yourself really applies here. You must be diligent about taking the proper steps to protect your identity. That means checking your credit report every year and considering credit freezes carefully. It’s really up to you to protect your identity.

This self-help booklet can help you get started: