Scammers and hackers seem to be everywhere these days. Identity protection is top of mind for nearly everyone. And with this heightened awareness, it’s especially alarming when a news story breaks about huge data breaches at large organizations that handle sensitive information. Case in point: the massive cybersecurity incident at Equifax. Equifax is one of three US credit-reporting agencies (the other two are Experian and TransUnion) that track and report your personal financial information, including bill-payment history, current debt, loans and other financial information. They also track where you work and live and whether you’ve filed for bankruptcy or been sued or arrested.
By now you are probably aware that hackers were able to break into Equifax’s computer servers earlier this year and gain access to the personal financial records and identity information (including social security numbers and credit card numbers) for millions of consumers. You can go to the Equifax website to find out if your information was exposed (click on the “Am I Impacted?” tab).
Whether your personal information was part of that breach or not, it is apparent that we must be more careful than ever to protect our personal financial and identity information. If you haven’t acted yet to protect yourself, you can get started now by watching this video from the US Federal Trade Commission. You’ll also find information at that site on exactly what to do if the security of your personal information has been compromised.
One way to ensure identity protection for yourself and your family members is with identity theft coverage through your homeowner policy. This coverage may include access to credit monitoring and a case manager to help you work through the often complicated process to undo the damage created by identity theft. Businesses can be protected with commercial cyber liability/data breach coverage. Contact us to learn more at info@bradish.com.
