How to help protect your identity after a data breach

Did you recently get a notice that says your personal information was exposed in a data breach? If you find out that a company you do business with – or an online service that you use – has suffered a data breach, here are a few helpful steps to take right away:

1. Consider placing a credit freeze

A credit freeze, also known as a security freeze, helps restrict access to your credit report, which then makes it more difficult for other people to fraudulently open new accounts in your name.

To be most effective, place a freeze with each of the three credit bureaus: TransUnion®, Experian®, and Equifax®. This is because creditors can pull your credit report from any of the three agencies. For instance, if a creditor requests your credit report from Experian or TransUnion, and you’ve only frozen your Equifax file, they’ll still be able to gain access to the report from the other two bureaus.

When you set up the credit freeze, you will be required to select a PIN to use when you’re ready to un-freeze your credit or submit legitimate applications. More information about credit freezes is available from the Federal Trade Commission.

2. Watch for unusual activity

  • Monitoring your accounts is important, particularly in the months following a data breach. Review the transactions on your bank and credit card statements regularly and set up account alerts to quickly spot unusual activity. Report suspicious or unauthorized transactions right away.
  • Be sure to get your free annual credit report from each credit bureau. Monitoring your credit reports is still one of the most effective ways to identify irregular activity. Visit annualcreditreport.com to get free copies of your credit reports each year.

3. Review your security options

  • As an added precaution, change your usernames, passwords, and PINs because they are often stolen in data breaches. Don't use the same password more than once and never use passwords that relate to your personal life and might be easily guessed. Consider using a password management tool that generates secure passwords for you automatically.
  • Update your accounts with additional security measures where available. Two-factor authentication provides an extra layer of security to help protect your accounts. This can make it harder for anyone to access your accounts, even if they have certain personal information. Taylor Bank customers can learn more about additional security measures and options available in Digital Banking.
  • Protect your information and prevent credit companies from using it to send you unwanted offers with data opt-out services. Learn more from Consumer Reports' free guide. 
Explore more tips in our Security Center.