Did you know that in the first six months of this year, organizations/companies and individuals have fallen victim to multiple ransomware attacks and data breaches? Attackers shut down companies’ computers and make them inoperable. They hold these companies hostage until they pay a ransom. For example, in February 2024, United Healthcare fell victim to an attack. This caused massive disruption to the US healthcare system for weeks. This meant that many pharmacies and hospitals were unable to process claims and receive payments. You can imagine how devastating this was for United Healthcare. They were forced to pay a $22 million ransom to a Russia-based cybercrime group. These attacks are still happening as I write this article. United Healthcare thought they had the latest and greatest computer security software, but it just wasn’t enough. Attackers are working 24/7 to make it happen. They are computer experts. Now, with the rise of AI, artificial intelligence, there will be more successful attacks.
Did you know that last week the company that stores all of the information for the Social Security Administration was hacked? This means that all of your personal information was stolen. Now someone can use your information to buy anything, including a car, a house, any kind of credit card, etc.
What you should do is call or contact the three credit bureaus online and freeze your credit. Freezing your credit will prevent identity thieves from opening new accounts in your name. My wife and I called Equifax 888-547-7878/Experian 800-493-1058/TransUnion 800-916-8800 to freeze our credit. At our age, we thought that was the best way to protect ourselves and our assets. This will prevent criminals from looking at our credit report and opening new accounts in your name. It takes about an hour to freeze your credit over the phone, but it’s well worth it. You can also unfreeze your credit at any time. You can do it over the phone or online. Freezing or unfreezing your credit will not affect your credit score. When you’re ready to make a big purchase, get a new credit card you’ll need to unfreeze your credit. Google freeze your credit today and you’ll be glad you did.
Jimmy D. Henry is a former Walker County Commissioner. He is a lifelong businessman involved in retail sales management. Henry is the author of “The Key to Understanding Credit.” His book is available in print and digital on amazon.com.
