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After Equifax failed to secure financial and other sensitive information belonging to 143 million U.S. consumers, it’s no surprise that Americans are concerned — very concerned, in fact.
And, unfortunately, whenever there’s heightened awareness around any big news or event, it is pretty much guaranteed that the criminals are hard at work.
So, in addition to worrying about whether or not your information was exposed to criminals the worst data breach in modern American history, you also need to be on the lookout for scams.
RELATED: Equifax data breach: What information was leaked in the hack?
The Federal Trade Commission, which is investigating the breach, issued a warning to consumers on Thursday — posting a fraud alert on its website urging people to beware of Equifax-related scams that are already surfacing in various forms.
For example, criminals are using a simple phone scam to fool consumers into handing over their personal info.
According to the FTC, it goes something like this:
That’s when you HANG UP! Equifax will not call you. No matter what the person says or whom he or she claims to be, do not give out any information. Just hang up.
According to Equifax, the company is sending notifications through the mail to anyone whose information was exposed in the data leak.
The FTC also provided the following tips on how to spot and avoid these types of phone scams:
If you get a phone call that you think may be fake, you can report it online to the FTC. Any information the FTC can get about these bogus calls and scams can help the group find the criminals responsible for them.
If you get a phone call like this and you’re very concerned about it, you can always try calling Equifax directly at 1-866-447-7559.
RELATED: Credit Freeze Guide: The best way to protect yourself against identity theft
With millions of Americans worried about the security of their information, hackers are preying on that fear and will use every trick in the book in order to try and steal your information!
There’s one specific common theme among most scams that are successful in stealing people’s information:
The message, alert or request has a very clear sense of urgency — like if you don’t respond or act now, something bad may happen or your information will be at risk.
Criminals use this tactic to get you to act before you have time to really think about what you’re handing over and to whom.
As a way to get you to hand over info, the FTC says scammers “might say your account will be frozen, you’ll fail to get a tax refund, your boss will get mad, even that a family member will be hurt or you could be arrested. They tell lies to get to you to give them information.”
So make sure to take a step back and think about whatever it is that is supposedly so “urgent.” And never respond to any message or alert that gives you any ounce of suspicion — it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
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If you have specific questions about the Equifax breach and how it may impact you, contact Clark’s Consumer Action Center — a FREE help line open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. ‘ 7 p.m. EST with volunteers available to answer YOUR concerns! Call Team Clark @ 404-892-8227.
This post was last modified on September 17, 2017 8:55 pm
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