It’s usually the site that helps protect those who suspect they’ve been the victim of identity theft, but Equifax says it’s now the victim of a cyber security incident, where hundreds of millions of people around the world may have been exposed.
“This is the biggest we’ve ever seen in terms of the depth of the data that was taken,” said Daniel Tobok, cyber security expert and CEO with Cypfer. “Their security was good, but it should have been excellent. This is pretty scary for consumers.”
The large scale breach was discovered on July 29th, but only made public on Thursday. The global company said 143 million Americans along with an unspecified number of people living in Canada and the United Kingdom were affected.
Tobok estimates between 12-to-14-million Canadians are going to be affected by this breach. He says it isn’t only Equifax customers who were exposed.
“Every time you do a transaction, Equifax gets to retain that copy,” he explains. “You don’t even have a choice.”
Tobok’s Equifax Breach Tips
– Monitor your Equifax credit score– Freeze your credit reports
– If your S.I.N was stolen, it’s important to file a report with police.
– Inform your bank of any suspicious activity: They’ll put special filters to alert them on any suspicious activities.
