September 26, 2023

Lifehacker: You Can Now Get Your Free Credit Report Every Week, Forever

Lifehacker: You Can Now Get Your Free Credit Report Every Week, Forever. “Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, each credit bureau offered one free credit report per year, meaning consumers generally could obtain three reports annually before having to pay as much as $14 per request. Those same reports were made available weekly at no additional charge in early 2020, a program that was extended several times, ultimately through December 2023. Now, free access to weekly credit reports has been made permanent so it’s easier to monitor your report regularly.”

Useful Stuff 0
February 19, 2023

Mashable: Yes, the Equifax breach settlement emails are real

Mashable: Yes, the Equifax breach settlement emails are real. “Just like no one ever asked to be born, no one asked to have a credit score, and yet we all do. And now, unlike in your actual life, you may be entitled to financial compensation for simply having a credit score, thanks to Equifax. Why you may ask? Payments in the 2017 Equifax data breach are finally being disbursed and users across social media are asking if they’re real, if so, are they getting a payment too? And why is the payment so small?”

Security & Legal Issues 0
October 6, 2020

WTHR: Hoosiers can claim Equifax data breach money using new website

WTHR: Hoosiers can claim Equifax data breach money using new website. “The Indiana Attorney General’s Office is out with a new website where Hoosiers impacted by the Equifax data breach can claim their money. The data breach in 2017 compromised the info of about 147 million Americans, including roughly 3.9 million Indiana residents. Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, driver’s license numbers and credit card information were compromised.”

Tweaks & Updates 0
February 10, 2020

The Register-Guard: How Chinese military hackers allegedly pulled off the Equifax data breach

The Register-Guard: How Chinese military hackers allegedly pulled off the Equifax data breach. “The criminals identified a flaw in the credit agency’s security system, executed a plan of attack to penetrate it and devised a scheme to cover their tracks on their way out, according to a criminal indictment unsealed Monday. Those alleged criminals, four members of the Chinese military, exploited a flaw in software that allowed U.S. consumers to dispute problems with their Equifax credit reports. That gave the hackers access to Americans’ personal information, according to the indictment.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
January 18, 2020

CNET: You’re running out of time to submit your Equifax data breach claim — here’s how

CNET: You’re running out of time to submit your Equifax data breach claim — here’s how. “You have just a few days to file your claim if you’re among the 147 million people whose data was exposed in the 2017 Equifax data breach. The Federal Trade Commission said you have till Jan. 22 to submit a claim to recover money you spent or lost as a result of the massive database hack.”

Tweaks & Updates 0
September 10, 2019

Ars Technica: Equifax claims administrator says victims must provide more info to claim cash

Ars Technica, with a side of eyeroll: Equifax claims administrator says victims must provide more info to claim cash. “If you’re one of the millions of Americans who received an email this weekend from the Equifax breach settlement administrator, you’re not alone. Nor are you alone if you were surprised or confused by the message, as more than a half-dozen Ars readers who forwarded theirs were. The message, however, is entirely legitimate, and the information it seeks is part of the claims process.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
July 25, 2019

Equifax data breach settlement: How to file a claim for $125 or free credit reporting (USA Today)

USA Today: Equifax data breach settlement: How to file a claim for $125 or free credit reporting. “If you were affected by the 2017 Equifax data breach, you can now file a claim for a piece of the settlement. The credit-reporting company has agreed to pay between $575 million and $700 million to settle state and federal investigations related to a massive security incident that exposed the personal information of more than 147 million Americans two years ago.” The site includes a form where you can enter your last name and the last six digits of your social to see if you are entitled to claim. I looked myself up and GUESS WHAT….

Security & Legal Issues 0
June 29, 2019

The Verge: Former Equifax executive sentenced to prison for insider trading prior to data breach

The Verge: Former Equifax executive sentenced to prison for insider trading prior to data breach. “The Security and Exchanges Commission charged [Jun] Ying with insider trading last year. The Department of Justice says that in August 2017, after learning about the breach, he began researching the impact that a similar breach had on another company’s stock price. Later that morning, he promptly exercised and sold all of his stock options, earning nearly a million dollars from the sale. In doing so, he avoided a loss of $117,000 that he otherwise would have incurred when the company’s stock price dropped after the disclosure.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
March 10, 2019

Krebs on Security: MyEquifax. com Bypasses Credit Freeze PIN

Krebs on Security: MyEquifax.com Bypasses Credit Freeze PIN. “Most people who have frozen their credit files with Equifax have been issued a numeric Personal Identification Number (PIN) which is supposed to be required before a freeze can be lifted or thawed. Unfortunately, if you don’t already have an account at the credit bureau’s new myEquifax portal, it may be simple for identity thieves to lift an existing credit freeze at Equifax and bypass the PIN armed with little more than your, name, Social Security number and birthday.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
January 30, 2019

The Register: And it’s go, go, go for class-action lawsuits against Equifax after 148m personal records spilled in that mega-hack

The Register: And it’s go, go, go for class-action lawsuits against Equifax after 148m personal records spilled in that mega-hack. “In a series of orders handed down in a Georgia federal district court on Monday, the evocatively named Judge Thomas Thrash Jr said that legal challenges from payment card issuers and ordinary citizens can proceed against Equifax. A class-action lawsuit brought by ten ‘small businesses’ – which included corporations and limited liability companies – was denied, though. The small biz owners can join in with the consumers.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
December 12, 2018

The Register: Equifax how-it-was-mega-hacked damning dossier lands, in all of its infuriating glory

The Register: Equifax how-it-was-mega-hacked damning dossier lands, in all of its infuriating glory . “A US Congressional report outlining the breakdowns that led to the 2017 theft of 148 million personal records from Equifax has revealed a stunning catalog of failure. The 96-page report (PDF) from the Committee of Oversight and Government Reform found that the 2017 network breach could have easily been prevented had the company taken basic security precautions.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
June 16, 2018

VT Digger: Randolph librarian wins surprise judgement against Equifax

VT Digger: Randolph librarian wins surprise judgement against Equifax . “In a small claims court ruling that surprised even the victor, a self-described member of the ‘librarian resistance’ has won a $600 judgment against Equifax, the credit ratings agency that collects financial data on nearly a billion consumers and businesses worldwide.” I have been a Jessamyn West fan for 20 years!

Security & Legal Issues 0

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