OPM Breach: Credit Monitoring vs. Freeze
Summary: Readers notified that their fingerprints, background checks, and Social Security numbers were jeopardized in the OPM breach reported being denied the free credit monitoring OPM offered through contractor ID Experts because they had placed a security freeze on their credit files. OPM paid ID Experts $133 million to provide credit monitoring for the 21.5 million Americans affected, and its site states that account creation cannot be completed until a freeze is lifted.
Why it matters: A freeze blocks identity thieves from opening new credit in your name, while credit monitoring generally only alerts you after fraud occurs and, in ID Experts' case, asks enrollees to supply bank account, credit card, passport, and medical ID data. Krebs advises freezing files at all four major bureaus, which can cost up to $60.
Read the original at Krebs on Security ↗
- Topics
- Data Breaches
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