MSE News: Got an Equifax letter saying you were hacked? The helpline's struggling...

[Deleted User]

I haven't had the letter... but put a complaint in because I want one!!

One of the worst bits to come out of it for me was the use of admin/admin to login to one of their portals!!!

Even some of my customers were amazed they'd be that lax... such a big company! They should be giving out the protection to everyone they hold records on, not just those they have deemed it affected.

It took them how many months to know they'd been breached... what's to say this number doesn't rise (again) in the coming months?


Saying all that, if anyone manages to get credit in my name.... well done to them, they can keep it!!!

badmemory

Somerset_La_La_La wrote: »

It took them how many months to admit (know) they'd been breached... what's to say this number doesn't rise (again) in the coming months?

Hope you don't mind me correcting that for you.

In the meantime between the breach & admitting it several officers of the company sold a lot of shares, but have been cleared of insider trading. But I'm sure we all believe that don't we?

[Deleted User]

badmemory wrote: »

Hope you don't mind me correcting that for you.

In the meantime between the breach & admitting it several officers of the company sold a lot of shares, but have been cleared of insider trading. But I'm sure we all believe that don't we?

I knew they were being investigated, staggering they've been cleared!!

Need a Whistleblower at Equifax to release some calendars & internal emails.... the next set of the 'paradise papers' Equifax 2017/18... will show chaos at senior management level much earlier than they want us to believe as they learnt of and reacted to the breach!

tali

Doc_N wrote: »

I think it's actually quite difficult to give Equifax any more information than they already hold on an individual - they have details of pretty much every financial link you have already.

Only recent suspicious activity Ive had are indian ebay account(before the hack) and a facebook account -although both on same email -which i never registered with equifax

HUMBUG

RG2015 wrote: »

I got a free Equifax report for 30 days in 2014 but have never paid a monthly fee. I entered the reference number from my letter on the URL above and clicked on the registered member login box. Without entering any personal details I was immediately verified and signed up for the Equifax Protect product.

I did the same but all it did was register me an Equifax login user id and password. It didn't give me any opportunity or access to any webpage to sign up for any of their products.

HUMBUG

Somerset_La_La_La wrote: »

I knew they were being investigated, staggering they've been cleared!!

Need a Whistleblower at Equifax to release some calendars & internal emails.... the next set of the 'paradise papers' Equifax 2017/18... will show chaos at senior management level much earlier than they want us to believe as they learnt of and reacted to the breach![/QUOTE

Same thing happened when BT Italy fraud was made public. Their head of BT Global ( Luis Alvarez) sold hundreds of thousands of shares a month before. Crystal ball?

HUMBUG

The problem is going to get worse now that banks will be able to share your details with third parties (smaller companies with less to spend on securing our data). Now the fraudsters and hackers will target these smaller companies to get your personal data . I think all we can do is just deal with the problems as and when it happens . The hackers now have my name, dob and telephone number , which is probably enough to set up fraudulent accounts . Further these checks via CIFAS , WEBPROTECT ,etc are probably only useful after they've set up the fraudulent accounts (credit cards etc ) and probably spent the credit limit.

Gerbold

I received my letter on Friday 10th November 2017. I telephoned the helpline (hah) number today. My heart sank when I realised I was talking to a Filipino. I asked the pertinent question about when I would have to begin paying for a service I should not be in the situation of having to need (although it was already in the letter - I thought it might be a good conversation starter). The lady confirmed it would be in a year. I said my goodbyes and have ended up at the most appropriate site for letting my feelings be known and to try and get some info. and to get some support from those more in the know than I.
I don't need a credit score - I don't borrow over long periods, I have no mortgage, I pay my two regular credit card debts every month and pay the minimum amount on two 0% cards I borrowed on two years ago. I regret that now - I could have paid outright and could do so now. I probably will repay them after this debacle.
I used Experian for a short time a while ago but had no real use for it and I ended my association with it.
Equifax have data on my financial transactions. Why was I never informed of this by them? Why have my government and the financial institutions I deal with failed to inform me that this sensitive data has been purloined by a third-party organisation based in the US? This is akin to some MI5 dossier on me being stolen by a burglar who was left an open door to enter the building where all the records are kept.
Those of you seeking alternative support because you need 'scores' for your credit-worthiness - I sympathise with you. You have to buy into these institutions. But I feel I am being asked to sign up to a company who will give me a free service I don't need, for a year, and then charge me afterwards - for having info. on me that I never agreed to them having in the first place and which they couldn't protect anyway.
This is the spiel of high-level incompetence - don't tell, then, when you have to tell, don't tell everything, then when everything comes out, offer a service to right your wrongs and then try to make the best out of it by charging for it.
Problem is I don't trust the FCA to take this situation by the scruff of the neck and lock these fools down. I'm having to deal with the incompetents who've created this crisis.I suspect those Americans who've been let down by Equifax will be considering a 'Class Action' and the lawyers will be queueing up to represent them.
Anyone who wishes to pick holes in, correct my opinions or clarify what's really going on, please do so. A national debate is needed on how these shysters operate.

Southend1

I find it very concerning that they transferred my data to the US in the first place.

Rang the helpline and after several attempts the operator in the Philippines managed to put me through to someone in the UK, not that they were much help.

I asked for a credit report to be sent by post, if for no other reason than it would cost them a few pence in postage on top of the cost of the helpline staff.

dogfonos

We only get to hear of the massive security breaches, the ones that are too big to cover up. Wonder how many lesser hacks - and other data losses - are concealed by all sorts of organisations holding our personal data?

Supplying our details to more organisations on the assumption that they can assist with our data security (assuming they don't hold such data already) doesn't seem to be the sensible option. Rather, I think we should work to limit the quantity of our personal information sprayed around by all and sundry, much of it needlessly so, I suspect.