The recent release of Social Security Numbers and other personal information on the dark web is very real. This was on the heels of the AT&T hack from earlier this year that included social security numbers. There have been others.
Moving forward, you should assume your name, social security number, address, previous addresses, phone number, previous phone numbers, and email addresses are all available to the public.
We think your first step must be to protect yourself and your family immediately.
We suggest:
1. Add a temporary Fraud Alert for 1 year
2. Freeze Credit with all three credit bureaus
3. Create an online account with the Social Security Administration
Links & Actions:
1
https://www.experian.com/fraud/center.html – create a Fraud Alert, put creditors and potential creditors on notice that your personal information is compromised and they should take extra precautions when issuing credit in your name, they will share your Fraud Alert with the other bureaus
2
https://www.experian.com/help/login.html – login or sign up for a free account to freeze your credit
https://www.equifax.com/personal/products/login-product-comparison/ – login or sign up for a free account to freeze your credit
https://service.transunion.com/dss/login.page – login or sign up for a free account to freeze your credit
3
https://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/ – if you don’t have an account, create one so that if anybody tries to claim your benefits or take over your account you should get notified.
If you already have credit and/or personal data monitoring services, you should be a step ahead with monitoring the situation. Your service may provide a “Lock” on your credit instead of a “Freeze” which puts you in the same situation. Just make sure you are frozen or locked with all three bureaus.
When you need credit or need to give someone access to your credit profile you will need to “Unfreeze” or “Unlock” your account with one or more of the credit bureaus. It can be a slight hassle and may cause a slight delay but will be worth it.
Going forward there will surely be other steps to take and new services launched. The Social Security Administration, financial institutions, and all creditors will likely need to change their practices and systems. The IRS is way behind on creating 2 factor protection or PINs to prevent false tax returns and criminals stealing your refund, so hopefully this will light a fire under them. Until then, protect yourself.
If you have more tips, please share in the comments below.
This should be shared with everyone you know.