Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: Ben on September 08, 2017, 10:42:00 AM
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Man, this is fail on so many levels I don't know where to start, so I'll just post the link. I need to try and find a safe site to check to see if I've been compromised, because apparently Equifax's site for that is completely unsecured.
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2017/09/why-the-equifax-breach-is-very-possibly-the-worst-leak-of-personal-info-ever/?amp=1
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Lovely. Just *expletive deleted*ing lovely.
Maybe whoever has my Equifax information can cross reference with the OPM information that the freaking Chicoms got 2 years ago.
It's absolutely unconscionable that this crap still happens in this day and age.
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So that's what, all of the pertinent info on a pretty large percentage of all Americans that have ever tried to get a loan or credit card in the past few decades?
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This is a really good article about Credit Freezes vs Fraud Alerts and contains some other suggestions as well.
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2015/06/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-embrace-the-security-freeze/ (https://krebsonsecurity.com/2015/06/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-embrace-the-security-freeze/)
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And of course the execs at Equifax are claiming they sold all their company stock before they found out about the breach...
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As long as there is no punishment, why exactly would said companies remotely care? Sure, it's bad PR, but that's fleeting due to a parity of incompetence.
Also, do NOT use their unsecure "Have I been hacked?" website running a stock copy of Wordpress. Buried in the agreement is that you agree not to participate in any class-action lawsuits that may arise from the incident and agree to arbitration. Arbitration is fairly universally biased in the corporation's favor. You don't buy the services of arbitration every day. Said companies do. And said companies can shop around for friendly arbitration companies. Unshockingly, this statistically impacts the outcomes of arbitration. The arbitration companies firmly deny this is the case and that they act firmly contrary to their fiscal incentives.
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As long as there is no punishment, why exactly would said companies remotely care? Sure, it's bad PR, but that's fleeting due to a parity of incompetence.
Also, do NOT use their unsecure "Have I been hacked?" website running a stock copy of Wordpress. Buried in the agreement is that you agree not to participate in any class-action lawsuits that may arise from the incident and agree to arbitration. Arbitration is fairly universally biased in the corporation's favor. You don't buy the services of arbitration every day. Said companies do. And said companies can shop around for friendly arbitration companies. Unshockingly, this statistically impacts the outcomes of arbitration. The arbitration companies firmly deny this is the case and that they act firmly contrary to their fiscal incentives.
Meh. not suing them is a nonissue.
If you have the money to take them on singlehandedly, then you likely wont get anything from them you don't already have.
under a class action suit, you'd stand to gain, even if you took them for everything they HAD, 50 bucks or so
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Meh. not suing them is a nonissue.
If you have the money to take them on singlehandedly, then you likely wont get anything from them you don't already have.
under a class action suit, you'd stand to gain, even if you took them for everything they HAD, 50 bucks or so
Agree with everything you said. Class action suit, the victims get pennies. Lawyers make good money, though.
As for punishment, I was moreso thinking that until companies are held liable for actual damages, not much is going to change. A most of those 'credit monitoring' services are not very useful either. Social security numbers or drivers licenses should only be held as a hash. Sure, even salted, someone could rainbow table it, but it'd make it less easy.
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Apparently the C- level employees sold something like $1.8 billion in stock in the days after the breech was discovered, but weeks before the public was informed.
So until those folks are not just fired, but jailed (I'm looking at you Wells-Fargo), nothing is going to change. When there are no consequences, then people will behave like there are no consequences...
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Apparently the C- level employees sold something like $1.8 billion in stock in the days after the breech was discovered, but weeks before the public was informed.
So until those folks are not just fired, but jailed (I'm looking at you Wells-Fargo), nothing is going to change. When there are no consequences, then people will behave like there are no consequences...
I think the correct term is "Too big to jail".
Laws for the little people but not the big fish.
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Once verified and due process etc etc every cent from those stock sales should be taken, with a horrible interest rate, as a fine and used for folks who get screwed up by this breach and/or used for paying said class action. Then they should go to jail.
Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
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These shenanigans are an easy fix for the government. The entire "identity theft" phenomenon is a shameless invention of ye financial industrial complex as a way to offload liability for their own incompetence onto the backs of Americans. However, it will not be fixed because the US government is owned by the financial industrial complex.
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I still haven't found a reliable free way to check if I've been hacked.The Equifax site is still a no go. I read this morning some security guys have been testing it by putting in things like their dog's names with fake SS numbers and getting both "affected" and "not affected" results.
My free monitoring for the OPM hack has ended, so I'm thinking I should just bite the bullet on a year of paid monitoring, or doublecheck to see if any of my dang credit cards have a service. Even if you take the Equifax offer of free monitoring, it apparently only checks for inquiries to them, and not the other credit agencies.
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I still haven't found a reliable free way to check if I've been hacked.The Equifax site is still a no go. I read this morning some security guys have been testing it by putting in things like their dog's names with fake SS numbers and getting both "affected" and "not affected" results.
My free monitoring for the OPM hack has ended, so I'm thinking I should just bite the bullet on a year of paid monitoring, or doublecheck to see if any of my dang credit cards have a service. Even if you take the Equifax offer of free monitoring, it apparently only checks for inquiries to them, and not the other credit agencies.
Ben, read the link I posted above. A credit freeze is the way to go!
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That's what I'm going to do. Put a Credit Freeze on all four. I'm going to ask that they be free, given the Equifax breach.
I'm not going to re-fi my mortgage. And I won't apply for one, until I find something to buy in South Cackalacky and that won't be until June 2019
at the earliest. I have two credit cards and that's plenty. (One simply sits in the car as an emergency card, it rarely gets used, as in I think I used it twice. The other is pretty much for on-line purchases and things like hotels, it gets paid off each month.)
All the money goes into the USAA "Main" Checking account. Major/Monthly bills get paid from there.
I have another USAA "Checking" Account for the debit card. I only keep ~$300 in there (When it gets below $100, I move $300 from the big account into it). And that's for gas, groceries, the occasional meal out, etc. If it gets compromised, I'm only out a couple hundred at most, not thousands, and worrying that I'll be late on the mortgage/bills waiting for the bank to unfuck whatever happened. I've read horror stories on FB about people waiting weeks or months to get the money "back" in their accounts. :O :O :O
I also have two accounts at local banks. Emergency funds. $2,000 in one bank. $5,000 in the other (Which also gets me a free safe deposit box. =D ) Both have ATM cards and checks. I've never used either, as they are far emergencies. (Car totally craps out, part of the house breaks, Insurance deductibles, etc...knocks wood.)
So I'm not in the market for new credit. No reason for anyone to pull my credit reports. Freeze it is...
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Ben, read the link I posted above. A credit freeze is the way to go!
That actually does sound like a good plan. I have no plans for buying anything on credit or getting any new credit cards. Might quit using the Cabelas one depending on how things change with the merger.
I'm assuming it doesn't hurt your credit rating if someone runs a check anyway and hits a freeze? I paid cash when I bought my truck last year, but the dealer still ran a credit check on me that showed up two days after the purchase. I still had the service from the OPM breach and got an email notice on it. Not sure what the point of that was, other than being afraid my check would bounce, but they deposited that the day prior.
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I just looked at my Credit bureau through USAA (Experian) It showed six inquiries, 4 from what look to be mortgage companies (and man do I get a lot of RE-FI YOUR VA LOAN NOW !!!!! offers in the mail). And from what I understand inquiries are "bad" because it looks like you are applying for new credit. So, if the freeze does nothing but reduce the amount of junk mail I get, that's a win.
Of course, the other things hurting my credit are the ex- not paying my son's medical bills. But I've clawed my way back in the solid mid-700's after the shellacking it took during the divorce. Getting her (and her BK) off the mortgage was huge jump.
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Ben, no it will not hurt your credit rating and it may actually improve it since only companies that you currently do business with can only access your credit report. The idea is that if someone tries to tun a credit check they won't be able to access the information because of the freeze and are therefore ore likely than mot to not grant credit because they can't see the report. Depending upon where you live the cost ranges from $0 to $15, per bureau. Also depending upon where you live you maybe able to selectively thaw your credit when your know there is a check going to happen and then freeze it again. Some states the credit freeze can last indefinitely and some states have a term limit for the freeze.
Scout see below to stop all the preapproved offers.
A: ID thieves like to intercept offers of new credit and insurance sent via postal mail, so it’s a good idea to opt out of pre-approved credit offers. If you decide that you don’t want to receive prescreened offers of credit and insurance, you have two choices: You can opt out of receiving them for five years or opt out of receiving them permanently.
To opt out for five years: Call toll-free 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688) or visit www.optoutprescreen.com. The phone number and website are operated by the major consumer reporting companies.
To opt out permanently: You can begin the permanent Opt-Out process online at www.optoutprescreen.com. To complete your request, you must return the signed Permanent Opt-Out Election form, which will be provided after you initiate your online request.
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Thanks Andy - that's great information!
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Thanks Andy - that's great information!
Ben, you are welcome.
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Ben and Scout,
I just finished placing credit freezes at all 4 credit bureaus, only Experian and TransUnion charged me for the freeze. Innovis and Equifax did not charge me. Below is a link to all the freeze centers at all 4 bureaus.
Equifax Freeze Center (https://www.freeze.equifax.com/Freeze/jsp/SFF_PersonalIDInfo.jsp)
Experian Freeze Center (https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html)
Innovis Freeze Center (https://www.innovis.com/personal/securityFreeze)
TransUnion Freeze Center (https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze/place-credit-freeze)
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Thanks for all the info !!! I'm opting out for five years, and freezing all four.
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Thanks for all the info !!! I'm opting out for five years, and freezing all four.
You are welcome.
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Save a copy of the bills and send them to equifax. My credit is wiped out from this crap insurance so I haven't even bothered to check this week. If someone tried to get a credit with my info they would be laughed at.
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Ben and Scout,
I just finished placing credit freezes at all 4 credit bureaus, only Experian and TransUnion charged me for the freeze. Innovis and Equifax did not charge me. Below is a link to all the freeze centers at all 4 bureaus.
Equifax Freeze Center (https://www.freeze.equifax.com/Freeze/jsp/SFF_PersonalIDInfo.jsp)
Experian Freeze Center (https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html)
Innovis Freeze Center (https://www.innovis.com/personal/securityFreeze)
TransUnion Freeze Center (https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze/place-credit-freeze)
All 4 locked down for $20 in total. The TransUnion URL is incorrect. So a search on "freeze" once you log in and it will pop up.
THANKS!
ETA: Correct Link -adively
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All 4 locked down for $20 in total. The TransUnion URL is incorrect. So a search on "freeze" once you log in and it will pop up.
THANKS!
Sorry about that...I correct the link in my OP and your quote of it.
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Hell my credit is so bad, I'm hoping someone feels sorry for me and sends me money.
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All four for only $10. I said was victim of ID theft (and if Equifax lost 143 million, then I know I'm in there.)
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Before setting freezes, I requested my free annual report. Equifax was down, so I wasn't able to get an Equifax report. I did get a TransUnion and Experian report which seem to be ok.
I would rather look at my Equifax report before freezing my Equifax account. But I don't know how long it will be until I'm able to get one. AnnualCreditReport.com sends me to Equifax and then the session just dies.
The Experian freeze website linked from the Experian credit report has been taken down. I can't find it even by searching on their site. I did find this alternate which took me through the process and then said "we cannot place a freeze on your account" and then offered me to mail in documents instead. https://www.experian.com/ncaconline/freeze
TransUnion is trying to get me to enroll in TrueIdentity instead of freezing my account, which is free and lets me lock and unlock it whenever I want. It sounds better, but I wonder what the catch is.
I was able to set an Innovis freeze in about 10 seconds...assuming that it goes through.
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I went in and put a fraud alert on my card, and found a wrong entry in my Experian report...
And I also found some interesting stuff that I'm not sure how it would be in my credit report unless the government shared it with them at the time I was getting my top secret clearance.
Anyone know if that's the case?
The thing that was absolutely incorrect was they had my old downtown DC work address listed as a residential address. I contested that and it was removed from my report within 4 hours. But the other stuff has me wondering.
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Before setting freezes, I requested my free annual report. Equifax was down, so I wasn't able to get an Equifax report. I did get a TransUnion and Experian report which seem to be ok.
I would rather look at my Equifax report before freezing my Equifax account. But I don't know how long it will be until I'm able to get one. AnnualCreditReport.com sends me to Equifax and then the session just dies.
The Experian freeze website linked from the Experian credit report has been taken down. I can't find it even by searching on their site. I did find this alternate which took me through the process and then said "we cannot place a freeze on your account" and then offered me to mail in documents instead. https://www.experian.com/ncaconline/freeze
TransUnion is trying to get me to enroll in TrueIdentity instead of freezing my account, which is free and lets me lock and unlock it whenever I want. It sounds better, but I wonder what the catch is.
I was able to set an Innovis freeze in about 10 seconds...assuming that it goes through.
I pulled my older model Trans U report along with Experian. Nothing odd except for my son's medical bills which my ex- has yet to pay on. Grrrrrr....
Froze Equifax, no charge. Experian charged me $10. Told Innovis that I was a victim of ID Theft, so that cost nothing. (And took like 10 seconds to complete everything.) I did sign up for TrueIdentity from Trans Union. It cost nothing and I can lock and unlock my report at will. I did unclick the boxes on all of them to avoid the annoying daily spam emails.