Over 8 Million New Yorkers Affected By Data Breach
“Nearly everyone with a credit report,” had their personal information potentially exposed following a data breach.
New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman issued a consumer alert following the report that Equifax Inc., one of the nation’s three major credit reporting agencies, experienced a massive breach affecting 143 million Americans and over 8 million New Yorkers.
According to the Attorney General’s office, the breach lasted from mid-May through July. Hackers accessed names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and, in some instances, driver’s license numbers. Approximately 209,000 individuals had their credit card numbers stolen.
“The Equifax breach has potentially exposed sensitive personal information of nearly everyone with a credit report, and my office intends to get to the bottom of how and why this massive hack occurred,” Schneiderman said. “I encourage all New Yorkers to immediately call Equifax to see if their data was compromised and to consider additional measures to protect themselves.”
Consumers can contact a dedicated call center at 866-447-7559 to determine if you have been affected by the breach. The call center is open every day, including weekends, from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m.
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