Security Breaches and Compromise of Personal Information

If you discover that your personal information has been compromised, perhaps at your work or a company with which you do business, you first should realize that a breach of security—especially involving encoded data—does not necessarily mean that your identity has been stolen. It does, however, increase the potential that your information could be misused. As a result, you may wish to take certain precautionary steps immediately.

You may place an initial fraud alert on your credit report. This alert will last for one year, can be canceled at any time, and is renewable. An initial fraud alert can make it harder for an identity thief to open accounts in your name, and you should be notified if there are any attempts to open new accounts using your personal information. You only need to contact one of the three national credit reporting agencies to place an alert; that agency then will contact the other two agencies. You may contact one of the following:

• TransUnion, www.transunion.com, 800-680-7289
• Equifax, www.equifax.com, 800-525-6285
• Experian, www.experian.com, 888-397-3742

You can obtain an extended seven-year alert if you provide a valid police report showing that you have been a victim of identity theft. Additionally, an active-duty alert is available to individuals on active military duty.

You may place a freeze on your credit reports. This prohibits a credit reporting agency from releasing information in your credit report without your express authorization or approval. A credit freeze is designed to prevent an imposter from using your information to be approved for credit, loans, or services in your name.

If you wish to freeze your credit with all three of the credit reporting agencies, you must send a request to each agency. You may send your requests in writing, by certified mail or other comparable service, or through a secured electronic method authorized by the credit reporting agencies.

At the same time, the credit reporting agency will provide you a unique PIN or password (not your Social Security number) for verification purposes, or you will be asked to create a unique username and password.

You can request a temporary lifting of the credit freeze at any time.

There are no charges to place, temorarily lift, or remove a credit freeze.

You are entitled to receive one free credit report from each of the three national credit reporting agencies once per week. To request a copy of your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call 877-322-8228.

Examine and continue to monitor your credit report carefully. Look for any unauthorized accounts. Also look for numerous requests for your information from prospective creditors, which may indicate that someone is attempting to open accounts using your information. If you discover any unauthorized use of your personal information, contact your local law enforcement.

Do not give your personal information to anyone who asks for it (online or over the phone) under the guise of helping you protect your personal information.

To obtain more information regarding data breaches of personal information or for help resolving problems caused by identity theft, contact:

• Ohio Attorney General’s Office, www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov or 800-282-0515

• Federal Trade Commission, www.ftc.gov
• Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, www.privacyrights.org