[September 08, 2017]

Equifax Massive Data Breach: FICO World Master Champion and U.S. Credit Czar David Howe Responds

SubscriberWise: http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/massive-equifax-data-breach-could-impact-half-u-s-population-n799686

"In addition to monitoring one's credit report regularly, there are two important and proactive options that victims should evaluate and consider immediately," said David Howe, president of SubscriberWise and a national authority on child identity theft. "The first and less dramatic step is a 'fraud alert'. A fraud alert allows creditors to obtain a credit report but they must take steps to verify the consumer's identity as indicated by instructions in the alert.

"The second and much more aggressive step is a 'credit freeze'," continued Howe. "And this is the approach recommended for any of the 143 million potential Equifax affected victims."

"A credit freeze (also known as a security freeze) locks down the credit report. Essentially it prevents creditors from obtaining a credit report entirely. It also requires the victims themselves to take additional steps when applying for credit," explained Howe. "For example, consumers who have placed a freeze on their credit report will have to either obtain a 'credit lift' for a prospective creditor or provide the creditor with a pin or code to access the file when applying for a loan or other application that involves accessing a consumer credit report."

Watch and listen to the Credit Czar explain fraud alerts and credit freeze: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqTm3koC0oU

See if your personal information is potentially impacted:

• https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com/potential-impact/

Place a freeze:

• TransUnion: https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze/place-credit-freeze
• Equifax: https://www.freeze.equifax.com/
• Experian: https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html

Related: FICO Prodigy, Credit Professional, and Identity Theft Expert says Annual Credit Reports Insufficient Following News from Retailers of Data

About SubscriberWise

SubscriberWise® launched as the first issuing consumer reporting agency exclusively for the cable industry in 2006. The company filed extensive documentation and end-user agreements to access TransUnion's consumer database. In 2009, SubscriberWise and TransUnion announced a joint marketing agreement for the benefit of America's cable operators (http://newsroom.transunion.com/transunion-and-subscriberwise-announce-joint-marketing-agreement). Today SubscriberWise is a risk management preferred-solutions provider for the National Cable Television Cooperative.

SubscriberWise contributions to the communications industry are quantified in the billions of dollars annually.

SubscriberWise is a U.S.A. federally registered trademark of the SubscriberWise Limited Liability Co.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170908005595/en/

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