Following data breach, attorney general’s office expresses concern regarding Equifax approach

This July 21, 2012, photo shows Equifax Inc., offices in Atlanta. The credit monitoring company says a breach exposed social security numbers and other data from about 143 million Americans. The Atlanta-based company said Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017, that "criminals" exploited a U.S. website application to access files between mid-May and July of this year. | Associated Press photo by Mike Stewart, St. George News

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Attorney General’s Office has been actively monitoring and reviewing the Equifax data breach in cooperation with a number of other states. Along with other state attorneys general, the Utah Attorney General’s Office has concerns over Equifax’s approach, according to a press statement released Monday.

Read more: Equifax breach sows chaos among 143M Americans

Besides questions of who exactly knew about the breach and why Equifax waited at least six weeks to publicly announce it, according to a report from CNET, the tool Equifax developed to help consumers discover if they were one of the millions of Americans affected by the data breach seemed to have some bugs of its own. These included returning results for fictional names and social security numbers.

While new information continues to come to light, the Utah Attorney General’s Office is advising consumers to be vigilant for incidents of fraud and identity theft by reviewing account statements and monitoring credit reports.

You may obtain a free copy of your credit report from each company listed below once every 12 months by requesting your report online at www.annualcreditreport.com, calling toll-free 1-877-322-8228 or mailing an Annual Credit Report Request Form (available at www.annualcreditreport.com) to:

Annual Credit Report Request Service

P.O. Box 105281

Atlanta, GA 30348-5281

In addition to Equifax, you may also purchase a copy of your credit report by contacting any of the credit reporting agencies below:

Experian

P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013
www.experian.com
888-397-3742

TransUnion

PO Box 2000
Chester, PA 19016
www.transunion.com
800-680-7289

In addition, the Attorney General’s Office advises consumers exercise vigilance, care and wisdom when sharing personal data. Utah citizens can find additional resources and information at IDTheft.utah.gov.

If you believe you are the victim of identity theft, you should contact the proper law enforcement authorities, including the Federal Trade Commission. You also may contact the FTC to obtain additional information about avoiding identity theft.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.

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3 Comments

  • Caveat_Emptor September 11, 2017 at 8:07 pm

    Equifax has adjusted their position regarding the 12 months of TrustedID service. It is free, without having to leave a credit card #, so no chance of automatic renewal without permission, and they dropped the arbitration requirement, which was driving a lot of consumer watchdogs wild.
    I recommend signing up for the free service, and exploring the “freeze” option on your credit history, so folks cannot access it without your prior knowledge. The tedious step is unfreezing for the short time that vendor might need it before extending you credit.
    Unlike most consumer protection oriented states, Utah allows the other credit reporting agencies to charge you a $10 fee to freeze your credit history. Still, a small price to pay if it avoids unauthorized use of your personal information.

  • utahdiablo September 11, 2017 at 11:54 pm

    After Equifax’s top people sold off their stock before letting the public know of the breach?…. I recommend you join the class action lawsuit and sue …*
    Ed. ellipsis: …*

  • Isthatright September 12, 2017 at 12:30 am

    I would caution people to read the fine print of the Equifax Trusted ID offer. From what I have heard it binds you to arbitration.
    I’m choosing another service.

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