By now, I’m sure that you have heard about the data breach that happened at Equifax, one of the largest credit reporting agencies in the US. It turns out that my wife Kathy and I were affected, and I have since signed up for the free credit monitoring offered by Equifax. This got me thinking about what other precautions I should be taking to protect my identity. Here are just a few ideas:
- Shred everything that has personal information on it. Get a cross-cutting shredder and put it in a central location in your home – it will easily pay for itself in peace of mind.
- When paying for something, try to always use either cash or a credit card. Debit cards don’t offer liability protection, and checks are easy to duplicate.
- Consider hiring a service to monitor your credit. There are plenty out there, both paid and free – just make sure that you are familiar with the level of service offered before you pick one.
If you were affected, it’s important to remember that the hackers are likely to keep your information for several years before they attempt to use it, so it’s crucial that you stay diligent and always be on the lookout for suspicious activity in your financial accounts as well as on your credit reports.
Now there are rumors that Equifax may have been hacked a second time. This just goes to show how important it is to protect your personal information in this digital age. Make sure that you stay safe, and that you take your safety seriously. Call Vargas and Vargas Insurance if you have any questions that we can answer for you. Our office number is 617-298-0655.
