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Data Breach: What you can do to protect yourself

If you are concerned due to the breach and want to protect yourself from the hack, this is what you can do…

WHAT IS A DATA BREACH?

A data breach exposes confidential or protected information. For example, a data breach might involve the loss or theft of your Social Security Number, bank account or credit card numbers, personal health information, passwords, or email. A data breach can be intentional or accidental.

WHAT HAPPENS DURING A DATA BREACH? 

A data breach occurs when a cybercriminal successfully infiltrates a data source and extracts sensitive information. This can be done physically by accessing a computer or network to steal local files or by bypassing network security remotely. The latter is often the method used to target companies.

WHAT CAN CRIMINALS DO WITH THE DATA THEY STEAL? 

In general, cybercriminals don’t just hold on to the information they access, they may find ways to exploit you and your information. For example, they may use it to steal your money or use your benefits,  steal your identity, and open accounts in your name.

WHAT DO I DO IF I LEARNED THAT MY INFORMATION WAS INVOLVED IN A DATA BREACH?

CHECK YOUR CREDIT REPORT

The US government guarantees everyone a free annual credit report from the three major bureaus at annualcreditreport.com. When looking through your reports, keep an eye out for new accounts you didn’t open, late payments on debts you don’t recognize, and any other activity that looks unfamiliar.

FREEZE YOUR CREDIT

One of the most reliable ways to prevent someone from opening credit in your name is to place a Credit Freeze on your credit report. If you would like to unfreeze your account in order to apply for credit, you will need to provide a PIN that you will create when you initially froze your credit report. Just be sure to keep your PINs in a secure place. There may be a fee associated with this service so please ask the credit bureau what their fee is to freeze or unfreeze your credit report.

A fraud alert is an indicator place on your credit report record by the major credit bureaus. The Initial Fraud Alert should detect and alert the consumer of new credit activity for a time period. To place a fraud alert, contact one of the three major credit bureaus listed below.

TransUnion

Equifax

Experian

MONITOR

Monitor your existing credit card and monetary accounts closely for charges you don’t recognize. If you notice anything questionable on your statements, please call us at 808.737.4328.

CONTACT PEARL HAWAII FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

Once you have experienced a data breach, call Pearl Hawaii and discuss the next steps such as changing your account numbers, disputing or canceling fraudulent charges, and setting up fraud alerts.

CHANGE YOUR PASSWORDS

Accounts that weren’t breached might be compromised later. If you are using the same password on several accounts, you will want to change those as well. A good rule is to keep passwords at least 14 characters long and to include lower case letters, upper case letters, numbers, and symbols.

For additional tips on what to do if you’re a victim

MORE AT PEARL HAWAII

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