All right, time.
Right now it is 6/14.
The number of data breaches is going up every year.
Listen is here.
Well, last year more than 350 million people worldwide were
affected by data breaches, leaks and exposures.
New this morning.
There are things you can do if it happens to
you, but the sooner the better.
Nicholas DeLeon is proof even the experts at Consumer Reports
aren't immune from data breaches.
My Social Security number was stolen in that big Equifax
hack, and I was eventually able to sort everything out.
His first step?
Freezing his credit at the big three credit agencies that
helps keep criminals from opening new accounts in your name.
The thing is, anytime you need credit, say you're going
to rent an apartment or you're going to buy a
new phone, you'll need to unfreeze your credit to do
so.
You can do all this by simply calling the credit
agency and asking them to freeze and unfreeze your credit
as needed.
A more flexible option?
Ask credit agencies to put a fraud alert on your
credit that lets lenders know your personal information may have
been compromised and to take extra steps if anyone claims
to be you.
Also keep a close watch on your free credit reports,
credit score and credit card statements.
And if you ever notice any weird or unauthorized charges
on your credit card statement, you should immediately contact the
issuer.
Be sure to change your password if you're a data
breach victim, not only on your hacked account but anywhere
else you've used it.
A password manager can help.
It generates in stores unique, complex passwords for each of
your accounts.
Many password savers will also alert you if your password
is leaked in a data breach.
One final note, it is a good idea to close
online accounts you no longer use.
Having too many increases the risk of your data being
misused or stolen.