Was Your Social Security Number Part of the Recent Massive Data Breach?

Was Your Social Security Number Part of the Recent Massive Data Breach?

If you live in the United States, your Social Security number and other personal information were likely stolen by criminals in a massive data breach that occurred a few weeks ago.

Pentester, a cybersecurity firm, has created a webpage you can use to see if your data was part of the breach. All you need to do is go to https://npd.pentester.com (a cybersecurity firm) and enter your first and last name, the city in which you reside, and your birth year.  Once you do that, you will see a list of breached accounts by name and you’ll also see the last 2 digits of the stolen Social Security numbers.

If you find your Social Security number has been stolen you can do a couple of things to prevent criminals from using the stolen information to apply for loans, credit cards, and other credit in your name.

Set Up Credit Monitoring

First, most banks and credit card companies offer free credit monitoring. Call your bank or credit card company and see if they offer it. If so, you can set up credit monitoring to send you an email or text alert any time a charge or debit is made on your account(s).

Freeze Your Credit

Another good idea is to freeze your credit. A freeze does not mean you cannot use your credit cards, it means no one -not even you – can open any new accounts in your name.

Here’s how to freeze your credit (the following is from USA.Gov…

How to place or lift a security freeze on your credit report

A credit freeze restricts access to your credit report. If you suspect your personal information or identity was stolen, placing a credit freeze can help protect you from fraud.

What is a credit freeze?

When you place a security freeze, creditors cannot access your credit report. This will keep them from approving any new credit account in your name, whether it is fraudulent or legitimate. 

To let lenders and other companies access your credit files again to create new accounts, you will need to lift your credit freeze permanently or temporarily. 

Place or lift a credit freeze

Freeze or lift the freeze on your credit report for free by contacting each of the three major credit reporting agencies:

• Equifax
• Experian
• TransUnion

You can submit your request online, by phone, or by mail. 

How long do freeze requests take?

Freeze requests:

• Online or by phone: agencies must freeze your credit report within one business day 
• By mail: agencies must freeze your credit report within three business days

Unfreeze requests:

• Online or by phone: agencies must lift the freeze within one hour
• By mail: agencies must lift the freeze within three business days

Both of us here at Cloudeight are dedicated to keeping you safe online. If you have any questions or comments, please let us know. Your questions and comments are always welcome.