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So Equifax was hacked. Like, badly. But how to tell if you, personally 。, are affected by the massive data breach? There's a website for that — as long as you don't mind forking over even more information to Equifax. 。
The credit reporting agency announced Thursday that private identifying information on potentially 143 million US citizens was accessed by "criminals," and that the information in question could include names, social security numbers, birth dates, addresses, and even possibly driver's license numbers. 。
Like we said, it's bad. 。
Like we said, it's bad. 。SEE ALSO:Bad news for literally anyone with a credit card: you probably just got hacked 。
But don't worry! Equifax is here to save the day! And, as we said, if you trust them with your personal information (which, maybe not a great idea?), the process of determining if you'll now need to keep an eye out for identity theft should be a breeze. 。
Head to the company's website, and warily type in the last six digits of your social security number along with your last name. (Or don't, as it's possible that giving a company that just got hacked even more of your data is not the best play.)。
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Credit: equifax 。 I followed those steps, and received no such notification. Maybe that means I'm one of the lucky ones. Or maybe it means Equifax is still working out the bugs. 。 My colleague, however, had a slightly different experience. She went through the above process and。
My colleague, however, had a slightly different experience. She went through the above process and 。did 。 receive a message.。Credit: equifax 。
It's that kind of consistency that really inspires confidence, ya know?
Especially 。
when followed by a pitch to sign up for Equifax's TrustedID Premier — the company's credit monitoring program — even if it is offering the service to US customers free of charge for one year. 。
If the internet isn't your thing, you can dial up the "dedicated call center at 866-447-7559, which the company set up to assist consumers." However, things don't seem to be going so well over there. 。
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We reached out to Equifax for clarification, but have received no response. We'll update this when and if we hear back. 。
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But don't stress out about the website or call center, as the agency also plans to "send direct mail notices to consumers whose credit card numbers or dispute documents with personal identifying information were impacted."。
So keep your eyes on your mailboxes — you might be soon receiving an unwelcome surprise. 。