[Hidden-tech] Experian Hack

[Korolov, Maria]

I cover cybersecurity and write about this topic quite a bit.

For individual consumers, what I recommend to my customers is to sign up
for one of the free credit monitoring services that are available out there.

I've been recommending CreditKarma.com, and another popular option
is CreditSesame.com

Some credit card companies also offer free credit monitoring to their
members, including Capital One and Discover.

The way that these guys work -- and I personally use Credit Karma and
Capital One -- is that they'll send you an alert or text message whenever
they notice activity on your credit report. For example, someone is running
a credit check on you, or someone applies for credit in your name.

Both services are free, and very reputable. They allow you to check your
credit rating online as much as you want, with no effect on your rating.
Credit Karma also has a mobile app, and a really nice interface that lets
you drill down into the factors affecting your credit rating, and how it
has changed over time.

Credit Karma makes money by running ads for credit cards. Capital One makes
money by reducing fraud.

So that is my first recommendation. Just sign up for one of these, it's
very easy, it's free, and super convenient. Most people won't need anything
else.

If you do get alerted about fraudulent activity, or have other reasons to
suspect that you might be particularly vulnerable, get a credit freeze.
Right now, it's a pain in the butt to do -- you have to request it from
each credit bureau individually, and it usually costs money. I'm guessing
that, in light of this breach, getting a credit freeze will soon become
very easy and free, so keep an eye out for that.

Best,

-- Maria
_______________________________________________________________________
Maria Korolov • Cybersecurity writer, Boston • w: 508-443-1130 • c:
413-325-7339
CSO <http://www.csoonline.com/author/Maria-Korolov/> • Data Center Knowledge
<http://datacenterknowledge.com/> • Hypergrid Business
<http://hypergridbusiness.com/>

On Fri, Sep 15, 2017 at 8:53 AM, Rob Laporte <rob at 2disc.com> wrote:

> Hi HTers,
>
> My credit and bank cards are among the 143 million victims of Experian’s
> hack. Some cards record little transactions, even a refund or two, before
> big attempts. That pattern is aimed at defeating the algorithms that detect
> fraud. I advise looking over your transaction history in detail.
>
> I wonder how many people are left after removing children, old age home
> people, prisoners, and others in the US without credit cards. I’m guessing
> not many more than 143 million. That means pretty much all of us are
> victims. With our SS’s also taken, God knows how many months and years our
> risks persist. Or maybe God and one of you know.
>
> I see a big opportunity for a consultant in our area to help people with
> preventative security and notification services. I’d buy that.
>
> Best Regards,
>
> *Rob Laporte*
> Founder & Managing Partner
> *DISC, Inc. - "Making Web Sites Make Money"*
> 413-584-6500 <(413)%20584-6500>
> Rob at 2disc.com
> www.linkedin.com/in/2disc
> www.2disc.com
>
> *NOTE:* Emails can be blocked by spam filters throughout the web. If you
> don’t get a reply within an expected span of time, please call.
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Hidden-discuss mailing list - home page: http://www.hidden-tech.net
> Hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net
>
> You are receiving this because you are on the Hidden-Tech Discussion list.
> If you would like to change your list preferences, Go to the Members
> page on the Hidden Tech Web site.
> http://www.hidden-tech.net/members
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.hidden-tech.net/pipermail/hidden-discuss/attachments/20170915/dcf69ed3/attachment.html