Equifax Data Breach - FTC: “Equifax isn’t calling”

Equifax Data Breach – FTC: “Equifax isn’t calling”

Equifax Data Breach – FTC Cautions About Scams After the Massive Equifax Data Breach

In a recent FTC blog post, the government agency cautioned individuals about scams after the Equifax data breach which try to trick people into providing their personal information.

The FTC warned about scammers contacting individuals saying, “This is Equifax calling to verify your account information.”  If this occurs, according to the FTC, “Don’t tell them anything.  They’re not from Equifax.  Its’s a scam.  Equifax will not call you out of the blue.”

Besides the above example, the FTC advised:

Other calls might try to trick you into giving your personal information.  Here are some tips for recognizing and preventing phone scams and imposter scams:

  • Don’t give personal information.Don’t provide any personal or financial information unless you’ve initiated the call and it’s to a phone number you know is correct. 
  • Don’t trust caller ID.Scammers can spoof their numbers so it looks like they are calling from a particular company, even when they’re not. 
  • If you get a robocall, hang up.Don’t press 1 to speak to a live operator or any other key to take your number off the list. If you respond by pressing any number, it will probably just lead to more robocalls.

 If you’ve already received a call that you think is fake, report it to the FTC.  If you gave your personal information to an imposter, it’s time to change any compromised passwords, account numbers or security questions. And if you’re concerned about identity theft, visit IdentityTheft.gov to learn how you can protect yourself.

About Kehoe Law Firm, P.C.

The Kehoe Law Firm, P.C. is a multidisciplinary, plaintiff–side law firm dedicated to protecting investors and consumers from corporate fraud, negligence, and other wrongdoing. Driven by a strong and principled sense of social responsibility and obtaining justice for the aggrieved, Kehoe Law Firm, P.C. represents plaintiffs seeking to recover investment losses resulting from securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, corporate wrongdoing or malfeasance, those harmed by anticompetitive practices, and consumers victimized by fraud, negligence, false claims, deception, data breaches or whose rights to minimum wage and overtime compensation under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and state wage and hour laws have been violated.