Greetings from all of us at the Vermont Mortgage Company! As many of you have probably heard, Equifax was the target of hackers in the past few months. There are reports that sensitive information from over 143 million people were stolen by these cyber criminals. Within that list, around 200,000 credit card numbers were stolen. This is a huge breach in privacy, and could mean terrible consequences for the victims of the hackers. We hope none of our dear readers were included in these victims of cyber attack, but it is still best to know how to proceed when such a situation arises. We have a few tips for our readers to ensure they know exactly what to do if your security is compromised.
Stay up to date: Always ensure you receive notifications from your bank, or any other company you have given personal information to. If there has been a breach, even a potential one, you should receive a notice from the company. If that’s the case, one should take the necessary precautions. Many companies will have a registry for you to input your information and check to see if you were affected. Even if it’s just a warning, always change your email/password combination, just in case. However, if you are a potential victim…
Freeze Everything: Contact your bank and ensure to freeze your accounts. This will prevent anybody with your information from making purchases with your account, and prevent other forms of identity fraud. Be warned, however, that this will prevent you from doing anything either. If you’re looking to open a new line of credit or get a loan, then plan ahead. Freezing your accounts will prevent this.
Get the Report: Request a credit report from your bank. After a few months, request another one, and compare the 2. Ensure there is nothing fishy going on, and contact the bank if you see something amiss. Also, keep an eye on any transactions on your bank statements.
Fishy Mail: If you begin receiving strange mail/E-Mail, you may be the victim of identity fraud. Again, ensure your information is protected, and contact the necessary companies to begin protecting yourself before you are harmed more.
We don’t want our readers to be victims of any kind of cyber crime. If you’re unsure of how protected you are, contact your banks and see if there’s an account monitoring program you can enroll in for extra security. Always be vigilant with your privacy! We will ensure your mortgage needs stay safe and secure. If you are worried about such privacy concerns, or would like to begin your mortgage journey, feel free to contact us! 802-863-2020 is our number, and our ever-present website is always up.
