Hi Joe.
I have discovered that I was one of the millions of people whose
information was stolen in the Equifax Data Breach that happened a few months ago (but was just revealed by Equifax a few days ago.)
I received a phishing email today that was VERY professional-looking with the logo of my credit card company, offering me the opportunity to sign up for a free SMS mobile phone app called 'Eno' that would allow me to use text messages to check on my accounts. The email had my correct first name, middle initial and last name, my correct email address, and very convincing-looking links to click on to sign up for the app or to contact the company.
I contacted the credit card company by typing in their web address
rather than clicking on any of the links to find out if the email was
valid and had been sent by them
It had NOT been sent by them.. I forwarded it to their security
department when asked.
Please alert your readers to be extremely careful what they do
concerning email that seems to come from valid financial institutions
that they deal with. With at least 143 million people affected by this
data breach, the email may well be a fake. This one was the best fake I have ever seen.
DO NOT CLICK ON ANY LINKS IN THE EMAIL. If you have any doubt about the email, check with them by typing the institution's proper web address into the browser yourself to be sure who you are contacting, or call them.
This was a very bad data breach, and I think it will have a significant
impact for a long time. We need to stay alert.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
8 comments:
I, too, was listed as a having my data breached, so thanks for the warning. Also, remember, that with the information breached your tax refund may be filed for fraudulently.
uuummm, dont click links in any email
I also was affected by the security breach according to Equifax's website. I had to go log-in to find out that much information. Equifax has certainly never contacted me. Then if I wanted to find out for sure if I was affected I was directed to click on a link that took me to another website. Not knowing if this was safe or not I did not click there. Why would Equifax send me to a different website to find out if I was hacked on their website. And what are they going to do about it. They gladly charge me for their service every month. Now I find out I may have to freeze my credit with all three credit reporting agencies and even if I do that the hackers can call and have the freeze lifted because they have ALL of my information. But even if the freeze works I still have to be worried about someone filing my taxes for me and a multitude of other things. How did all of this now become MY responsibility. I think Equifax should take care of all of these things. THEY gave out my information with their lax security. THEY should fix things. Yeah, I know, not in the real world right. I think I'll join one of class action law suits and bill for my time and trouble. Jerks.
If you freeze your credit with the agencies they will generate a PIN number that will be required to unfreeze. You can then go in and change it if you want to. The hackers shouldn't have that PIN.
The best way to protect your 'tax refund' is to keep it in your own pocket. Why overpay your taxes and not get interest on the money? Set up your withholding so that you will have to pay a little bit at the end of the year when you file-- that way, there's no 'refund' waiting to be stolen. If a hacker wants to file for you and pay the rest, well... let him!
Working at a national financial company here in town I received a call from a customer claiming someone called him yesterday offering to adjust several different products he has with our company. But, when pressed for identity questions and requesting a face to face meeting, the caller hung up. So it's everywhere! If it sound fishy....it probably is!
10:08- Good point with them being able to unfreeze! I never thought of that
Rule # 1: Never conduct bank business via smart phone app. That is always risky business.
Smart phones are some of the very least secure devices there are. Every time you download ANY app, you are putting your phone at risk of being hacked. So called free apps....don't believe it. You give up a little more security every time you download one. Remember the little request that comes with all free apps? The one where you agree to their "terms and conditions" that are a 1000 words, or more, long? You know, the ones that no one reads. That's where they get you. They all open some form of back door to your device.
Agreed!
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