With credit-reporting firm Equifax
revealing that hackers may have stolen financial and consumer data on at least 143 million customers in the U.S., it’s quite possible that your personal information — including birth date, Social Security number, driver’s license and address — could fall
into the hands of criminals.
Equifax said that it hasn’t found evidence of unauthorized activity on its core consumer or commercial credit-reporting databases. But criminals could use the treasure trove of personal information acquired
in the breach to apply for credit cards and loans in your name, access your bank accounts and establish a phony presence online with email and social media accounts.
One of the most effective ways to be protected from identity theft is through a
credit report security freeze, which safeguards your credit report by restricting access.
A credit report security freeze allows you to voluntarily restrict access to your credit report so that new lines of credit cannot be opened. Enacting such a freeze can make it more difficult for criminals
to steal an identity and open up new credit accounts in someone’s name. A credit report security freeze does not affect a person’s credit score, and can be removed at any time. Currently, firms like Equifax can charge consumers whenever they freeze or unfreeze
their credit report, and consumers trying to protect their identities would have to pay each of the 3 credit agencies each and every time they wanted to freeze or unfreeze their credit.
As part of our ongoing work to help Massachusetts residents better protect themselves against identity (ID) theft and fraud, AARP Massachusetts is supporting legislation that would remove fees for credit
report security freezes. This new measure has been filed as
House Bill 134 and
Senate Bill 130: An Act Removing Fees for Security Freezes and Disclosures of Consumer Credit Reports.
Ask your representatives to support H.134/S.130, An Act Removing Fees for Security Freezes and
Disclosures of Consumer Credit Reports.
In less than two weeks, on Tuesday September 26th, the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure will be holding a hearing on these important bills. If you have been a victim
of identity theft in the past, or if you want to voice your support for this crucial legislation, please sign our action alert and let your legislators know.
Consumers in Massachusetts shouldn’t have to pay to control their credit reports.
Act now to representatives to support H.134/S.130, An Act Removing Fees for Security Freezes and Disclosures of Consumer Credit Reports.
Consumers can learn more about credit report security freezes on the
Identity Theft section of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s website.
For more information on how to protect yourself from Identity Theft, and more info on the recent theft of data from Equifax,
read our Fraud Watch Network article.
Austin Hodge
AARP Massachusetts
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