Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. Since cybercriminals may have accessed what Ulzheimer calls the "crown jewels of information" at Equifax, he also suggests putting a long term freeze on your credit. It will last for 90 days and can be renewed. You can place an alert on your report for free by contacting one of the credit agencies, which is required to notify the other two. This means that a lender must contact you to verify your identity before it issues credit in your name. Related: Equifax execs sold stock before hack disclosedĪnother way to protect yourself is by immediately placing fraud alerts on your credit reports, according to credit expert John Ulzheimer, who previously worked at FICO and Equifax. If you believe you've been a victim of identity theft, you should also contact law enforcement. If you see any unauthorized activity, immediately report it to your bank and/or credit card company. You can request a copy of your credit report online at You are allowed a free copy once a year from each of the three credit reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. The company also recommends that you review account statements and credit reports yourself to check for incidents of fraud. Related: Want help from Equifax? There are strings attached But you can opt out of that provision if you notify the company in writing within 30 days. If you sign up for Equifax's offer of free protection, you may be limiting your rights to sue and be forced to take disputes to arbitration. The enrollment process is scheduled over several days to minimize delays, the Equifax website says. Then you'll be given a date when you can return to the site and sign up for the monitoring service. You must submit your last name and last six digits of your Social Security number there.Īt that point you'll receive a message telling you whether you've been impacted by the hack. To enroll, go to and click on the Check Potential Impact tab. It is providing free service for one year through TrustedID Premier - whether or not you've been affected by the breach. The company suggests you sign up for credit file monitoring and identity theft protection. Related: 5 things to do if you're worried about the Equifax hack
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