annualcreditreport.com – Computer Security Articles

Identity Thieves Bypassed Experian Security to View Credit Reports

January 9, 2023 admin A Little Sunshine, annualcreditreport.com, data breaches, Experian, jenya kushnir, Ne'er-Do-Well News, Sen. Ron Wyden, Web Fraud 2.0

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Mon, 09 Jan 2023 14:05:15 +0000

Identity thieves have been exploiting a glaring security weakness in the website of Experian, one of the big three consumer credit reporting bureaus. Normally, Experian requires that those seeking a copy of their credit report successfully answer several multiple choice questions about their financial history. But until the end of 2022, Experian’s website allowed anyone to bypass these questions and go straight to the consumer’s report. All that was needed was the person’s name, address, birthday and Social Security number.

Independent Krebs

Credit Freezes are Free: Let the Ice Age Begin

September 21, 2018 admin A Little Sunshine, annualcreditreport.com, ChexSystems, credit freeze, credit lock, credit monitoring, CreditKarma, Equifax, Experian, Innovis, NCTUE, optoutprescreen.com, security freeze, Security Tools, TransUnion

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Fri, 21 Sep 2018 16:31:43 +0000

It is now free in every U.S. state to freeze and unfreeze your credit file and that of your dependents, a process that blocks identity thieves and others from looking at private details in your consumer credit history. If you’ve been holding out because you’re not particularly worried about ID theft, here’s another reason to reconsider: The credit bureaus profit from selling copies of your file to others, so freezing your file also lets you deny these dinosaurs a valuable revenue stream.

Independent Krebs

Survey: Americans Spent $1.4B on Credit Freeze Fees in Wake of Equifax Breach

March 22, 2018 admin annualcreditreport.com, CNBC, Consumers Union, credit freeze, Equifax breach, Fundera, security freeze, The Coming Storm, U.S. Public Interest Research Group, Wakefield Research

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2018 14:08:46 +0000

Almost 20 percent of Americans froze their credit file with one or more of the big three credit bureaus in the wake of last year’s data breach at Equifax, costing consumers an estimated $1.4 billion, according to a new study. The findings come as lawmakers in Congress are debating legislation that would make credit freezes free in every state. The figures, commissioned by small business loan provider Fundera and conducted by Wakefield Research, surveyed some 1,000 adults in the U.S. Respondents were asked to self-report how much they spent on the freezes; 32 percent said the freezes cost them $10 or less, but 38 percent said the total cost was $30 or more. The average cost to consumers who froze their credit after the Equifax breach was $23. A credit freeze blocks potential creditors from being able to view or “pull” your credit file, making it far more difficult for identity thieves to apply for new lines of credit in your name.

Independent Krebs

Checked Your Credit Since the Equifax Hack?

March 11, 2018 admin annualcreditreport.com, credit freeze, credit monitoring services, Equifax breach, Experian, Latest Warnings, security freeze, Security Tools, TransUnion

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Sun, 11 Mar 2018 18:51:08 +0000

A recent consumer survey suggests that half of all Americans still haven’t checked their credit report since the Equifax breach last year exposed the Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses and other personal information on nearly 150 million people. If you’re in that fifty percent, please make an effort to remedy that soon. Credit reports from the three major bureaus — Equifax, Experian and Trans Union — can be obtained online for free at annualcreditreport.com — the only Web site mandated by Congress to serve each American a free credit report every year.