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Data Breaches and Freezing Credit

  • Writer: DigitalLiv
    DigitalLiv
  • Oct 13, 2024
  • 6 min read

Updated: Dec 4, 2024

Hey kids! I'm sure you've all seen the news peppered about a new data breach pretty often these days. Now, I don't know about you, but I am quite tired of hearing about a new breach from a new company almost daily. I wonder if maybe all those layoffs weren't actually the best idea? But hey, I'm not a CEO so it won't ever be my decision. Anyways, cyber criminals have either stolen data from under the noses of employees or the hackers take control of the company resources (like servers and databases) until a ransom is paid. Hollywood literally told us this was going to happen decades ago and we ignored them. Poor Hollywood.


The most recent and most epic, the mother of all breaches was from National Public Data that leaked almost 3 BILLION records. Yep, BILLION.



National Public Data is a background check company that basically the world uses to find out details about people

Now, what does that really mean? It means that the hackers got ahold of 3 billion records of raw data. 2.7 billion records, to be exact. This data could be an email address, a social security number, a name, an address, or a combination of a few or all of these identifiers. It does not mean that 2.7 billion social security numbers were leaked. But it does mean that a whole lot of information was dropped that could give data sellers and buyers a leg up on scamming you out of your hard earned dough.


So lets talk about how to protect yourself moving forward. First, you should always assume your social security number has been leaked. This way, you will work at the highest level of personal alert that you can.





  1. Check if you were impacted

    1. Use only legitimate sources to see if your social security number was in the latest breach. Even if you don't find your info, it is good to safeguard your data as if you were breached

    2. Here is a national news article that verifies the legitimate websites to verify if your info has been leaked https://www.yahoo.com/news/dont-tricked-check-social-security-193623199.html

    3. If you trust me, the 2 sites listed in this article are: https://npdbreach.com/ and https://npd.pentester.com/

  2. Check your credit score for free at www.annualcreditreport.com

    1. you can run a new report every week with this site for each of the 3 reporting agencies

  3. Freeze your credit

    1. Did you know you can freeze your credit with all 3 agencies (Experian, Equifax, Transunion) for free? You can. Here is a great article explaining exactly what to do

      1. https://www.thepennyhoarder.com/credit/credit-scores/how-to-freeze-your-credit/

  4. Get credit/identity theft protection

    1. Is it worth it? Yes. When your data gets stolen, you definitely want someone to assist you in cleaning up your financial life. It can cost thousands to get out of serious trouble when a hacker takes over your identify.

    2. For the standard tier of coverage, its generally about $150 a year. Just do it, it's like car or home insurance, it's a necessity these days.

    3. The best companies out there right now are Aura, LifeLock, and Discover

    4. Not sure who to go with? Nerd Wallet has you covered: https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/finance/comparing-identity-theft-protection-services

  5. Get an on demand financial app that gives insight into your credit and finances so you can see any changes immediately

    1. You want to know if any changes are noticed on your credit as soon as possible.

    2. Use this app to monitor your credit reports and daily transactions on bank accounts

    3. Apps like Credit Karma, Credit Sesame, Wallet Hub, and Sofi have trackers that watch transactions on each account, as well as your credit reports. I was a diehard Mint fan, but alas ... they killed it

    4. These apps will be your preference of what works best for you. Install a few that are highly rated and keep the one you like best

  6. Get the credit agency apps

    1. Experian and Transunion have their own apps where you can view your credit report, lock/unlock your credit, and add a fraud alert to your credit. Equifax has an app that allows you to lock/unlock your credit report on demand

    2. Locking your credit is huge. Having an app to unlock when you need to is great

    3. Adding a fraud alert to one credit agency adds it to all of them for 1 year. This requires anyone requesting credit for your report must call the phone number you provide in the report to verify you actually requested the credit. This is a huge win against fraud

  7. Add a fraud alert to your credit reports

    1. As I said above, you can add a fraud alert to your credit reports, and you can do it from the TransUnion app for sure - that's where I added mine.

  8. Add 2 factor authentication to everything you can, especially financial institutions you do business with

    1. MFA (2 factor authentication) is important. Its a second layer of verification. If a hacker gets your username and password, they won't have your authenticator app to enter the 6 digit verification needed. Always set this up when it's offered

    2. Make sure every password you use is unique. If a password is stolen, the hacker won't get access to your entire life, only the one account.

  9. Review your social security earnings statement

    1. Make sure no one is trying to claim social security disability or retirement using your name and social without you knowing

    2. to get your Statement, go to Www.socialsecurity.gov/Myaccount and create an account.

  10. Let the IRS know your SSN may have been compromised

    1. Hackers may lie in wait until tax time and then file your taxes for you and receive your tax refund. This can be thwarted by getting an identity PIN

    2. https://www.irs.gov/identity-theft-fraud-scams/get-an-identity-protection-pin

  11. Contact a financial planner/adviser/professional for additional information

    1. If you have the extra dough, having another human watching your money is always a good idea!! These folks get paid to know what to look out for and can spot the first signs of anything fishy

  12. Be cautious by anyone contacting you to offer any service that you haven't contacted first

    1. Don't get hustled, if anyone calls and says they can "fix this" or "help with that" or "knows a guy" ... finances are not the time to test out if that person is a conman or not



ETA 12/3/2024: I just learned you can actually freeze your social security number! Did you know that?? No you didn’t, fibber lol Anyways, I found an article that explains how to lock your SSN And also the pros And cons of doing so.


Basically, you can lock your SSN very similarly as you do your credit, by creating an EVerify account that will self lock for 1 year. You can relock your SSN every year and unlock it for verifications you need done, the same way you would for lifting a credit freeze. Very convenient. I did go and lock mine And it was very easy. I highly suggest when setting up your account, you choose the Authenticator app for the two factor authentication option. It’s the most secure way to lock things down.


Here are a few screenshots of the before and after of my SSN lock. You are asked to set security questions and answers for your USCIS account, as well as the SSN lock.



Now, does this mean the government has more information about you? Probably. Is it worth it? That’s for you to decide. It is for me. 💜


Take a look at the CNet article and see if it’s something you may want to consider 👇🏻




Ok, now that we are all experts on credit and finances .....not!!!



......Let's also talk about if you know for sure your credit is being used ....


If you know your Social Security Number has not only been stolen but is also being actively used to open new credit accounts, please follow these steps:


  1. File a report with the Federal Trade Commission. This report will serve as a police report for the purposes of remediation of any issues that arise from your stolen Social Security Number.

  2. Freeze your credit report at the three credit bureaus.

  3. Protect yourself from tax refund fraud by contacting the Internal Revenue Service. Go to Www.irs.gov/Uac/Identity-Protection or call 1-800-908-4490.

  4. In extreme cases, you may want to apply for a new Social Security Number.





Additional Resources


Here are a few great resources on identity theft and data breaches. There is alot more information that can be utilized!!


What to do when part of a data breach:


Identity theft education from the IRS:


PDF from the DOD on Identity Theft and how to combat it:


How to prevent Identity Theft from Nerd Wallet:


National Public Data on their breach:




Please take the time to research your specific financial situation and do what is best for you. It is always a good idea to connect with a professional and get real guidance on protecting yourself and your loved ones. If you need recommendations on who to go to, start with your credit protection service (Identity Guard, Aura, Discover, LifeLock, etc).


This post is meant to be a jumping off point to get you started in the right direction, it is not a comprehensive guide for your individual needs.


I hope this post has been helpful and offers some guidance for anyone struggling on what to do if this is the first time they've been involved in a data breach.


Do you have more tips and tricks on keeping your credit and finances as safe as you can in the wake of all these data breaches? Drop tips in the comments below!!




1 Comment

Guest
Oct 15, 2024

Thank you!!

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