Equifax’s Free Credit Monitoring - Time Is Ticking …

Considering Equifax’s offer of free credit monitoring after its breach, You need to sign up by January 31, 2018. Maybe you tried earlier but had trouble getting through. Or maybe you just put off the decision. Whatever the reason, if you want it, the time is now. You don’t need to be a victim of the Equifax breach. Here’s what you get: Equifax’s TrustedID credit monitoring covers all three major nationwide credit reporting agencies - Equifax, TransUnion and Experian.

If any suspicious activity appears on your credit report, you’ll get an alert. The free services also include a copy of your Equifax credit report, Social Security number monitoring, and identity theft insurance. Plus, for a year, you can lock and unlock your Equifax credit file for free. Credit locks help limit access to your credit file by identity thieves trying to open new accounts.

You need to get locks with all three credit reporting agencies for them to be effective. What happens after January 31st, Still not sure what to do, Check out our article on identity theft protection services and FAQs on fraud alerts, credit freezes, and credit locks. And if you’re having trouble getting through to sign up for Equifax’s free credit monitoring, please report that to us.

If this happens to you, look at both the size of the credit limit you have on that card as well as the length of time you have had the account. 2000 or more and the account is two years old or more, then you want to consider stopping the account closure.

Credit scores are influenced by accounts that are seasoned (i.e., greater than two years old). Closing these accounts will NOT negatively impact your credit score. However, the closure will PREVENT you from increasing your score further. If you are not sure how long a card has been reporting to your credit profile, one easy thing to do is start a free trial of a credit monitoring service like Identity Lookout.

The credit report that comes with your subscription will indicate all the details you need about a specific account. Remember, your credit scores are driven by your responsible behavior. When you use your credit and then pay the bill on time, this responsible behavior is recorded. A couple of cards that just sit dormant in your wallet neither help nor hurt the credit score. To drive up a credit score, make a point to use each of your cards, (including back ups) just once per month (dollar amount is irrelevant).

Small items like a new DVD or one tank of gas is all it takes. Then, when the bill comes, pay it on time. Repeating this behavior month after month will help drive your score higher. With regard to credit cards; if you have them, use them. Otherwise, go ahead and close the account and reduce your exposure to identity theft and fraud. After closing the accounts, it is a good idea to use a monitoring service like Identity Lookout to ensure the credit bureaus accurately update your profile that the accounts connected to those cards were closed. Nathan Randall, editor, DailyDollar Newsletter provides free daily advice on money matters plus coupons and discount codes. FYI…you can now access the DailyDollar Newsletter via iTunes podcast, YouTube video, and on Facebook and Twitter too.

Change the locks by taking thing of your respective new house. A brand new list of hair may be the factor that makes a difference in getting your house. If you’ve shed your keys, alter the tresses then at the same time. The main topic of home security is extremely important, but many folks have no idea much about this. Being familiar with the idea ought to be a concentration of anyone trying to protect their family and possessions. Maintain this informative article helpful and refer to it as essential.

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The first time school speech language pathologist Alyse Baker knew of a possible data breach was when she received a form letter from MY ID CARE on Tuesday. ‘There’s that sinking feeling and, oh no, that goes with it because this is such an event,” she said. While there is no evidence yet that information was used fraudulently, the Department of Education — without telling the teachers directly — hired a Canadian company to provide free credit monitoring to the teachers for a year.

What really bothers the teachers is that it took the state nearly a month to let them know of a possible breach and then they didn’t get notice from the state. Instead, they heard from a credit monitoring company that many thought was a scam. “There are all sorts of scams, so that occurred to me, too, especially since the envelope was so bland looking,” says Baker. Pennsylvania Rep. Dan Miller, of Mt. Lebanon, a member of the House Education Committee, says he wasn’t told either.