JACKSON, Tenn. — Americans need to be more vigilant with their accounts in the wake of recent data breaches.
In April and again this summer, National Public Data in Florida was hacked.
The company, which handles background checks, reportedly had 2.7 billion accounts exposed, including accounts of people who died decades ago.
When it comes to data breaches, there are a few things to be aware of.
“Any company you’ve shopped with or done business with is at potential risk for a data breach. Just Google that company with the catchphrase ‘data breach.’ If that company has been the victim of a data breach, there’s a good chance they’ll contact you directly,” says Toddnetta Trace, communications specialist for the BBB.
Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do to stop your account from being compromised, but there are ways to make it harder for hackers to get into your account.
“Right now on Facebook, when a post is shared and goes viral, you often get questions like, ‘What school did you go to?’ And these are security questions that scammers can see if they have a public account,” Trice said.
The three credit bureaus have the tools you need for credit monitoring: Another tool is to freeze your credit card account if the card and account are in use.
“It’s free for a year, and it allows you to track what’s going on with your credit report. If something happens or you notice something out of the ordinary, you can check in to see what’s going on and they’ll contact you and alert you,” Trice said.
However, if you believe you have been a victim of this data breach, here are some ways you can get help:
“File a police report. Go to your local police station and ask them what to do. Don’t just talk to the companies that you claim you owe money to or the delinquent accounts, work with them and see what suggestions they have,” Trice said.
Updating or changing your account passwords can help limit the attack. At this time, it is unclear what use the fraudsters may have made of the information stolen earlier this year.
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