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Equifax Data Breach: 4 Ways to Protect Yourself Now

Another data breach has occurred. This time it has occurred with Equifax, one of the major credit reporting agencies.

Millions of Americans’ personal information has been compromised.  Over 209,000 U.S. customers’ credit card numbers were exposed along with the personal identification information of roughly 182,000 U.S. customers.[i] The data breach was discovered by Equifax on July 29, 2017 but occurred between mid-May and July.[ii]

At ChoiceOne Bank, we often hear how yet another company has given your personal identifying information away, and we want to help. Follow these 4 steps to protect yourself immediately:

Remain Calm

Breaches have occurred before. They will occur again. But we are here to help. We will work with you if you are impacted by a breach. If you suspect you’ve been impacted by a data breach, call us at 616.887.7366.

Watch Your Accounts

“This is reason Number 10,000 to check your online bank statements and credit card statements on a regular basis, ideally weekly,” said Matt Schulz, Senior Industry Analyst at CreditCards.com. “Bad guys can be very patient, so it’s important to keep an eye out long after this story fades from the headlines.”

Assess Your Situation

Equifax has set up a website for further information: https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com/

Protect Your Information

ChoiceOne Bank offers Credit Monitoring services with our Secure Plus Checking account. Open an account now to get started. Our Secure Plus Checking Account offers IDProtect™ as an identity theft monitoring and resolution service[iii] to help protect your identity.[iv] It includes:

• Comprehensive Identity Theft Resolution Services: Includes a dedicated fraud specialist assigned to manage the case.
• Debit & Credit Card Registration: In case your wallet is lost or stolen, just one toll-free number to cancel and request replacement cards protects you. (Registration/activation required.)
• 3-in-1 Credit File Monitoring:[v] Monitors Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion credit files daily, and automatic alerts if key changes occur. (Registration/Activation required.)
• 3-in-1 Credit Report:[vi] This occurs every 90 days upon request or upon receipt of alert.
• Total Identity Monitoring: Occurs with over 1,000 databases including credit, Social Security, public records, real property records, telephone and many others. (Registration/activation required.)
• Identity Theft Expense Reimbursement Coverage:[vii] To restore customer identity, such as reimbursement for costs associated with attorney fees, loan application fees, long distance calls, and more.

We understand the frustration and anxiety of yet another data breach. As your trusted advisors, we see an opportunity to stand with you, protect you, and walk with you through this data breach.

If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected] or call us at 616.887.7366

Insurance Products are not a deposit or guaranteed by the Bank or any Bank Affiliate and are not insured by the FDIC or any Federal Government Agency.

 

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[i] Krebs, B. (2017, September 8). The Equifax Breach: What You Should Know. Retrieved September 12, 2017, from https://krebsonsecurity.com/2017/09/the-equifax-breach-what-you-should-know/
[ii] Yurieff, K.  (2017, September 10). Equifax data breach: What you need to know. Retrieved September 12, 2017, from http://money.cnn.com/2017/09/08/technology/equifax-hack-qa/index.html
[iii] IDProtect service is a personal identity theft protection service available to personal checking account owner(s), their joint account owners and their eligible family members. Service is not available to a “signer” on the account who is not an account owner. Family includes: Spouse, persons qualifying as domestic partner, and children under 25 years of age and parent(s) of the account holder who are residents of the same household.
[iv] Insurance Products are not a deposit or guaranteed by the Bank or any Bank Affiliate and are not insured by the FDIC or any Federal Government Agency.
[v] Credit file monitoring from Experian and TransUnion will take several days to begin following activation.
[vi] Credit Score is a VantageScore 3.0 based on Equifax data. Third parties may use a different type of credit score to assess your creditworthiness.
[vii] Special Insurance Program Notes: The descriptions herein are summaries only. They do not include all terms, conditions and exclusions of the policies described. Please refer to the actual policies for complete details of coverage and exclusions. Insurance is offered through the company named on the certificate of insurance. Refer to Insurance Documents for complete details of coverage. Insurance products are not insured by FDIC or any Federal Government Agency; not a deposit of or guaranteed by the bank or any bank affiliate.