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Enrollment for SC hacking credit monitoring ends SundayMar 28, 2013 (The State (Columbia - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- More than one-third of the 3.8 million consumers whose S.C. tax return information was stolen by hackers in September have enrolled for a free year of Experian credit monitoring offered by the state. But registration ends Sunday. Here are some questions and answers on credit-monitoring enrollment and identity-theft protection in the wake of the nation's largest hacking of a state agency: How do I know if I am eligible to enroll for credit monitoring Consumers whose tax return information was stolen should have received notification letters or emails in December, January and February from the revenue department. Hackers took information on returns filed electronically since 1998. Files containing paper returns were not breached, state officials said. How do I enroll -- Online: protectmyid.com/scdor and enter the code SCDOR123. -- Phone: (866) 578-5422 from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. (The revenue department suggests enrolling online to avoid wait times on the phone.) What if I have questions The revenue department's Data Breach Assistance Team will answer questions at (803) 898-7638 from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The team can offer information on identity protection and coordinate with Experian to resolve any problems. Can I still enroll my children Yes, but you must register by Sunday. Experian checks tax records and will notify you in an email when can enroll your children listed as dependents. Enrollment for children ends May 31. Hackers got personal information belonging 1.9 million dependents listed on returns. What if I own a business Two companies are offering free credit monitoring to the nearly 700,000 S.C. businesses with information lost to hackers: -- Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. (lifetime coverage; enrollment ends Dec. 31): http://www.dandb.com/sc/ or (800) 279-9881. -- Experian (one-year; enrollment ends Sunday): http://www.smartbusinessreports.com/SouthCarolina Where can I learn more The S.C. Department of Consumer Affairs will hold a Twitter chat on identity-theft prevention from noon-1 p.m. Friday. Use the hashtag #SCDCAsecure when asking questions. The agency's handle is @scdca. The department has prevention information, including placing credit freezes on you credit reports to avoid unauthorized accounts, on its website: http://www.consumer.sc.gov ___ (c)2013 The State (Columbia, S.C.) Visit The State (Columbia, S.C.) at www.thestate.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |