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I don't understand what a "fraud alert" is. If they know something fraudulent happened, shouldn't they do something about it? Can someone explain what kinds of info a fraud alert can tell you.
I don't understand what a "fraud alert" is. If they know something fraudulent happened, shouldn't they do something about it? Can someone explain what kinds of info a fraud alert can tell you.
This info. is from the website below..
A fraud alert is free. ... An initial fraud alert can make it harder for an identity thief to open more accounts in your name. When you have an alert on your report, a business must verify your identity before it issues credit, so it may try to contact you. The initial alert stays on your report for at least 90 days.
Place a Fraud Alert | Consumer Information https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/article...ce-fraud-alert
Okay, now i'm fully enmeshed and entangled in the Equifax web of total chaos.
I made the mistake of enacting the free security freeze on their website. Yes, it did enroll me in the freeze, but NEVER GAVE ME THE PIN! What the....???
So then quickly realized there is no phone number to call. no fax number. I couldn't even find the address. And even if I could find any of those things, I have no idea HOW I'm supposed to request this PIN. I'm sure they need info like my SS#, etc, which I don't want to send snail mail.
I called their support number 3 different times and got different answers each time. First guy told me i'm up $h*t creek and he couldn't help me at all. Second guy gave me a phone number and promised I'd get a live person that would give me the PIN. This turned out to be an automated phone line to start or lift a freeze. I had no PIN so could do nothing. Definitely no LIVE person option. Third woman gave me a fax number (which didn't work), an email address (who knows?) and a snail mail address. I did email a request, but didn't include any sensitive info, just my phone number. I have no idea if anyone got this or if anyone will call me back.
Equifax seems to be a black hole with no way to reach anyone who will actually assist you.
I have NO idea now what to do to get that PIN.
Their website said this:
"Equifax does not currently email or mail the individual 10-digit PIN to consumers. It is available on the screen, and the consumer is asked to print the PIN from the screen. Our technology team is aware of some limited situations in which consumers are unable to view their PINs. We have identified that this is caused by their browser settings. We are working on a fix for this issue. In the meantime, we are displaying a phone number that consumers may call to receive a PIN."
There is NO PHONE NUMBER DISPLAYED! Anywhere.
Does anyone know this phone number or how I can get the PIN??
Supposedly you can get a new PIN by mailing $10 and a request for a PIN to Equifax Security Freeze, P. O. Box 105788, Atlanta, GA 30348.
Also, you can try to call 1-800-685-1111 which is the number to lift the freeze. I've done this and typed in 0's whenever anything was asked. The system eventually switched me to a human. I don't know whether or not that will still work.
Okay, now i'm fully enmeshed and entangled in the Equifax web of total chaos.
I made the mistake of enacting the free security freeze on their website. Yes, it did enroll me in the freeze, but NEVER GAVE ME THE PIN! What the....???
So then quickly realized there is no phone number to call. no fax number. I couldn't even find the address. And even if I could find any of those things, I have no idea HOW I'm supposed to request this PIN. I'm sure they need info like my SS#, etc, which I don't want to send snail mail.
I called their support number 3 different times and got different answers each time. First guy told me i'm up $h*t creek and he couldn't help me at all. Second guy gave me a phone number and promised I'd get a live person that would give me the PIN. This turned out to be an automated phone line to start or lift a freeze. I had no PIN so could do nothing. Definitely no LIVE person option. Third woman gave me a fax number (which didn't work), an email address (who knows?) and a snail mail address. I did email a request, but didn't include any sensitive info, just my phone number. I have no idea if anyone got this or if anyone will call me back.
Equifax seems to be a black hole with no way to reach anyone who will actually assist you.
I have NO idea now what to do to get that PIN.
Their website said this:
"Equifax does not currently email or mail the individual 10-digit PIN to consumers. It is available on the screen, and the consumer is asked to print the PIN from the screen. Our technology team is aware of some limited situations in which consumers are unable to view their PINs. We have identified that this is caused by their browser settings. We are working on a fix for this issue. In the meantime, we are displaying a phone number that consumers may call to receive a PIN."
There is NO PHONE NUMBER DISPLAYED! Anywhere.
Does anyone know this phone number or how I can get the PIN??
Here's the numbers for all 3 credit bureaus. You can add a freeze for each one through their automated line which is the way I did it a few days ago. If they didn't take your ss# and get all your info,chances are you're not enrolled. I messed up the first time but when I called back it let me go through all the prompts and gave me the PIN # and a confirmation # at the end. I'm not sure if you can get a live person through these,hope this helps.
SAN FRANCISCO – Credit monitoring company Equifax has been hit by a high-tech heist that exposed the Social Security numbers and other sensitive information about 143 million Americans. Now the unwitting victims have to worry about the threat of having their identities stolen.
The Atlanta-based company, one of three major U.S. credit bureaus, said Thursday that "criminals" exploited a U.S. website application to access files between mid-May and July of this year.
The theft obtained consumers' names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and, in some cases, driver's license numbers. The purloined data can be enough for crooks to hijack the identities of people whose credentials were stolen through no fault of their own, potentially wreaking havoc on their lives. More on this...
"On a scale of one to 10, this is a 10 in terms of potential identity theft," said Gartner security analyst Avivah Litan. "Credit bureaus keep so much data about us that affects almost everything we do."
Lenders rely on the information collected by the credit bureaus to help them decide whether to approve financing for homes, cars and credit cards. Credit checks are even sometimes done by employers when deciding whom to hire for a job.
Equifax discovered the hack July 29, but waited until Thursday to warn consumers. The Atlanta-based company declined to comment on that delay or anything else beyond its published statement. It's not unusual for U.S. authorities to ask a company hit in a major hack to delay public notice so that investigators can pursue the perpetrators.
The company established a website, https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com/ , where people can check to see if their personal information may have been stolen. Consumers can also call 866-447-7559 for more information. Experian is also offering free credit monitoring to all U.S. consumers for a year.
Here's the numbers for all 3 credit bureaus. You can add a freeze for each one through their automated line which is the way I did it a few days ago. If they didn't take your ss# and get all your info,chances are you're not enrolled. I messed up the first time but when I called back it let me go through all the prompts and gave me the PIN # and a confirmation # at the end. I'm not sure if you can get a live person through these,hope this helps.
You don't have to sign up for credit monitoring just through Equifax. Yes they're offering it for free. But personally I want as little to do with them as possible.
I've been told Chase Bank offers free credit monitoring to its CC customers. (or at least certain ones)
I've paid for credit monitoring for years through my bank. (and it monitors all three big firms).
I didn't know about a fourth smaller credit bureau -- Innovis. But since reading about them on CD, I called them also and applied a fraud alert there as well. (If you call one of the Big Three, it will only forward the alert to the other two big firms. Innovis is not included in their cabal apparently.)
One reason I have not signed up for putting a freeze on is I'm afraid of having intractable issues with the frigging PIN issue. A human is sooo hard to get a hold of at these credit bureaus, for me, I know it'd be a nightmare not to be able to get to the bottom of whatever the issue was, .....didn't get a PIN to start with, lost/don't remember the PIN, need a new one....whatever. One glitch with all of that and I just wouldn't be able to take it blood pressure wise. I have a very low aggravation level with these bureaus. So the fraud alerts were good enough for me right now. Easy to put on. Renewable. Free. Simpler.
Last edited by selhars; 09-16-2017 at 03:46 PM..
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