A record year for data breaches. Here’s how to protect yourself
The U.S. set a record for data breaches last year – 1,862 – up 68% from 2020, according to the non-profit Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC).
“We are talking about millions and millions of records in connection with the number of data breaches that were breached just last year,” said Eva Velazquez, ITRC’s president and CEO. “So much of our data is out there, you should really be operating under the premise that your data has already been compromised because of the state of data breaches right now.”
A credit freeze is one of the best ways to protect yourself from identity fraud.
“Even if someone has all of the identity credentials necessary to impersonate you and open new accounts, they still can’t do it because they are frozen out of accessing that information,” Velasquez explained. “No new credit can be granted while your credit reports are frozen.”
You need to freeze your files at Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. It’s free. It does not hurt your credit score. And you can unfreeze your file at any time – for free – if you want to apply for credit.
More Info:
Data Breaches Soar to New Record in 2021, Here’s How to Protect Yourself
This story includes the Consumerpedia podcast featuring ITRC’s Velasquez talking about identity fraud and how you can fight back.
