Frequently Asked Questions
We identified a cybersecurity incident potentially impacting approximately 145.5 million U.S. consumers. Criminals exploited a U.S. website application vulnerability to gain access to certain files. We discovered the unauthorized access and acted immediately to stop the intrusion. We promptly engaged a leading, independent cybersecurity firm that conducted a comprehensive forensic review to determine the scope of the intrusion, including the specific data impacted. We also reported the criminal access to law enforcement and continue to work with authorities.
On March 1, 2018, as a result of ongoing analysis of data stolen in last year’s cybersecurity incident, Equifax Inc., announced that the company confirmed the identities of consumers whose partial driver’s license information was taken. Equifax was able to identify these consumers by referencing other information in proprietary company records that the attackers did not steal, and by engaging the resources of an external data provider.
Through these additional efforts, Equifax was able to identify 2.4 million U.S. consumers whose partial driver’s license information was stolen, but who were not in the previously identified affected population. This information was partial because, in the vast majority of cases, it did not include consumers’ home addresses, or their respective driver’s license states, dates of issuance, or expiration dates.
The methodology used in the company’s forensic examination of last year’s cybersecurity incident, with respect to impacted U.S. consumers, leveraged Social Security numbers (SSNs) and names as the key data elements to identify who was affected by the cyberattack, in part because forensics experts had determined that the attackers were predominately focused on stealing SSNs. Today’s newly identified consumers were not previously informed because their SSNs were not stolen together with their partial driver’s license information.
We learned of the incident on July 29, 2017, and acted immediately to stop the intrusion and conduct a forensic review.
On September 7, 2017, we disclosed that the incident potentially impacts approximately 143 million U.S. consumers. On October 2, 2017, we announced that the cybersecurity firm Mandiant had completed the forensic portion of its investigation of the incident. The review determined that approximately 2.5 million additional U.S. consumers were potentially impacted, for a total of 145.5 million. If you were part of this impacted group of consumers, we have established a dedicated website, www.equifaxsecurity2017.com, to help these U.S. consumers determine if their information was impacted.
As part of the investigation of this application vulnerability, we also identified unauthorized access to limited personal information for certain UK and Canadian residents. More information for UK and Canadian residents can be found at the following websites:
UK – www.equifax.co.uk/incident
Canada – www.consumer.equifax.ca/canada/equifaxsecurity2017/en_ca/
Update: On March 1, 2018, we disclosed that the incident also impacted partial driver’s license information for approximately 2.4 million U.S. consumers. Equifax will notify these impacted consumers by U.S. Postal mail.
U.S. consumers may have already visited the website to determine whether they have been impacted following both the September 7, 2017, and October 2, 2017, announcements. To minimize confusion, Equifax mailed written notices to all of the additional potentially impacted U.S. consumers identified by the October 2, 2017 update. Equifax will mail notifications to consumers whose partial driver’s license information was impacted as noted in the March 1, 2018, announcement.
Most of the consumer information accessed includes names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, in some instances, driver’s licenses. In addition, the following information was also accessed:
- Credit card numbers for approximately 209,000 consumers; and
- Certain dispute documents, which included personal identifying information, for approximately 182,000 consumers were accessed.
On March 1, 2018, we disclosed that the incident also impacted partial driver’s license information for approximately 2.4 million U.S. consumers. Equifax will notify these impacted consumers by U.S. Postal mail.
As part of our investigation of this application vulnerability, we also identified unauthorized access to limited personal information for certain UK and Canadian residents. We have found no evidence that personal information of consumers in any other country has been impacted.
There has NOT been an additional incident. This update is based on additional findings from the cybersecurity incident announced September 7, 2017.
In regards to those with partial driver’s license information stolen, the methodology used in the company’s forensic examination leveraged Social Security numbers (SSNs) and names as the key data elements to identify which U.S. consumers were affected by the cyberattack, in part because forensics experts had determined that the attackers were predominately focused on stealing SSNs. These consumers were not previously identified because their SSNs were not stolen together with their partial driver’s license information.
Yes. The forensic investigation – which determined what was stolen and how – was completed. We continue to engage in discussions with various stakeholders – including consumers, customers, Congress and regulators – and perform additional analysis on the stolen data where appropriate.
We have found no evidence of unauthorized activity on Equifax’s core consumer or commercial credit reporting databases.
Yes, this issue has been contained.
Equifax has been intensely investigating the scope of the intrusion with the assistance of a leading, independent cybersecurity firm to determine what information was accessed and who has been impacted. We know that criminals exploited a U.S. website application vulnerability. The vulnerability was Apache Struts CVE-2017-5638. We continue to work with law enforcement as part of our criminal investigation, and have shared indicators of compromise with law enforcement.
We engaged a leading, independent cybersecurity firm to conduct an assessment and provide recommendations on steps that can be taken to help prevent this type of incident from happening again.
We continue to work tirelessly to support consumers and make the necessary changes to minimize the risk that something like this happens again. We have taken numerous steps to review and enhance our cybersecurity practices, and we continue to work closely with our internal team and outside advisors to implement and accelerate long-term security improvements.
We recommend that consumers be vigilant in reviewing their account statements and credit reports, and that they immediately report any unauthorized activity to their financial institutions. We also recommend that they monitor their personal information and visit the Federal Trade Commission’s website, www.ftc.gov/idtheft, to obtain information about steps they can take to better protect against identity theft as well as information about fraud alerts and security freezes.
Equifax issued a national press release in order to notify U.S. consumers of this incident and has established a website, www.equifaxsecurity2017.com, where U.S. consumers can receive further information.
Equifax® Lock & Alert™ allows you to use your smartphone or computer to quickly lock and unlock your Equifax credit file – for free, for life.
While you can enroll in Lock & Alert both before and after your year of TrustedID Premier expires, you won’t be automatically enrolled in Lock & Alert.
A lock and a freeze have the same impact on your Equifax credit report, but they aren’t the same thing. Both generally prevent access to your Equifax credit report to open new credit accounts. Unless you temporarily lift or permanently remove a freeze, or unlock your Equifax credit report, it can’t be accessed to open new accounts (subject to certain exceptions). See more about exceptions below.
- Security freezes (also known as credit freezes) allow you to place, lift, or remove a freeze using a randomized PIN for identity verification. Placing, lifting, or removing a security freeze can be done online, by phone, or by mail. Security freezes are subject to regulation by each state. Placing, lifting and removing a security freeze on your Equifax credit report is free.
- Credit report locks allow you to lock and unlock your Equifax credit file using identity verification techniques such as user names and passwords. The mobile app also can utilize thumbprint and facial recognition verification. With Lock & Alert, you can quickly lock or unlock your Equifax credit report online or via the mobile app. There are no fees to lock or unlock your Equifax credit report if you are enrolled in Lock & Alert.
Please note: If you have a security freeze on your Equifax credit report, you will need to remove it to use Lock & Alert to lock your Equifax credit report. If you have the PIN you received when the freeze was originally placed, you’ll be able to unfreeze your Equifax credit report and replace it with a lock during the Lock & Alert enrollment process.
Exceptions: Locking your Equifax credit report prevents access by potential creditors and lenders, but there are exceptions. These exceptions may include:
- Companies like Equifax Global Consumer Solutions that provide you with access to your credit report or credit score or monitor your credit file
- Companies you have an existing account or relationship with
- Federal, state and local government agencies
- Collection agencies acting on behalf of companies you owe
- For fraud detection purposes
- Companies that wish to make pre-approved offers of credit or insurance to you
- Companies reviewing your application for employment
Locking your Equifax credit report will not prevent access to your credit file at any other credit reporting agency. Locking your Equifax credit report prevents access by potential creditors and lenders, but there are exceptions. These exceptions may include:
- Companies like Equifax Global Consumer Solutions that provide you with access to your credit report or credit score or monitor your credit file
- Companies you have an existing account or relationship with
- Federal, state and local government agencies
- Collection agencies acting on behalf of companies you owe
- For fraud detection purposes
- Companies that wish to make pre-approved offers of credit or insurance to you
- Companies reviewing your application for employment
Equifax maintains consumers’ credit reports and provides information to certain customers, including credit card companies and lenders, so that they may offer pre-approved offers to consumers as permitted by law. Consumers that prefer not to receive such offers should visit www.optoutprescreen.com, or call toll free at 888-5-OPT OUT (or 888-567-8688). Consumers may also send an opt-out request in writing to Equifax Information Services LLC, P.O. Box 740123, Atlanta, GA 30374-0123. Consumers should include their complete name, full address, Social Security number, and signature. Equifax will remove the consumer’s name from its pre-approved offer database and share the request with the other two nationwide consumer reporting agencies.
The enrollment period for TrustedID Premier ended on January 31, 2018.
However, consumers impacted by the March 1, 2018, announcement, will receive further information about credit monitoring and identity theft protection.
Equifax is offering TrustedID Premier, which includes credit file monitoring and identity theft protection, complimentary for one year, starting on the date you activated the product.
The enrollment period for TrustedID Premier ended on January 31, 2018.
However, consumers impacted by the March 1, 2018, announcement, will receive further information about credit monitoring and identity theft protection.
TrustedID Premier provides you with copies of your Equifax credit report; the ability to lock your Equifax credit report; 3-Bureau credit monitoring of your Equifax, Experian and TransUnion credit reports; Internet scanning for your Social Security number; and identity theft insurance.
If you are enrolled in TrustedID Premier, you do not need to do anything at this time. Lock & Alert gives you the ability to lock and unlock your Equifax credit report, which you can also do with TrustedID Premier. Lock & Alert does have a mobile application option, but the functionality to lock and unlock your Equifax credit report is the same as in TrustedID Premier. You can enroll for both products if you choose.
Once you activate your product, you will be able to submit a request in TrustedID Premier to lock or unlock your Equifax credit report. Requests to lock and unlock your Equifax credit report are usually fulfilled quickly, but in rare cases could take a few minutes, so please take that into account when you are considering applying for new credit.
A consumer does not need to choose a single option. We recommend choosing the ones that best suit your credit activity. The various options are more fully described below.
- Fraud Alert: A fraud alert is a notice that is placed on your credit report that alerts credit card companies and others who may extend you credit that you may have been a victim of fraud, including identity theft. Think of it as a “red flag” for companies that may consider extending you credit. Fraud alerts are free, and will still allow third parties to access your credit reports — however, if there is a fraud alert on your credit report, third parties will be encouraged to take additional steps to verify your identity before extending credit in your name. Once you place a fraud alert with one of the three major credit bureaus, it will be automatically placed with the other two.
- Security freeze: A security freeze is a tool that can help prevent unauthorized access to your credit reports. Freezes are subject to regulation by each state and use a PIN-based system for identity authentication. Once a freeze is placed on your credit reports, it prevents access to it by certain third parties, like lenders and creditors you’re requesting new credit from. If you’re applying for credit, you’ll need to temporarily lift or permanently remove your security freeze to allow a credit check. In some states, you may pay a fee for placing, lifting or removing a security freeze. You will need to contact each of the three major credit bureaus to place or remove a security freeze.
- Credit report lock: A credit report lock, or credit lock, generally has the same impact on your credit report as a security freeze but isn’t exactly the same. A credit report lock may allow you to lock and unlock your credit report online or by mobile app using a username and password for identity authentication. You can lock your Equifax credit report through TrustedID Premier or Lock & Alert. Options may be available to lock your credit reports at the other two major credit bureaus.
There are exceptions on who can still access your credit report if it’s locked. For more information, please see “If my Equifax credit report is locked, who can access it?” in General FAQs.
The enrollment period for TrustedID Premier ended on January 31, 2018.
However, consumers impacted by the March 1, 2018, announcement, will receive further information about credit monitoring and identity theft protection.
Equifax does not typically have information associated with minors, but you can use the “Am I Impacted?” tool on this site to determine if your child may have been impacted by the cybersecurity incident. In addition, if your child was part of the consumers impacted by the March 1, 2018, announcement, they will receive a letter by U.S. Postal mail.
To confirm, enrolling in the free credit file monitoring and identity theft protection products that we are offering as part of this cybersecurity incident does not prohibit consumers from taking legal action. We have already removed that language from the Terms of Use on the site www.equifaxsecurity2017.com. The Terms of Use on www.equifax.com do not apply to the TrustedID Premier product being offered to consumers as a result of the cybersecurity incident. Again, to be as clear as possible, we will not apply any arbitration clause or class action waiver against consumers for claims related to the free products offered in response to the cybersecurity incident or for claims related to the cybersecurity incident itself.
The prior Terms of Use will not apply to any consumers who have enrolled in TrustedID Premier, regardless of when they enrolled. In other words, even if a consumer enrolled prior to the change to the Terms of Use, the revised Terms of Use will apply to that consumer.
We are listening to issues that consumers are experiencing, and their suggestions are helping to further inform our actions. In response to consumer feedback about the arbitration clause and class action waiver, we have taken several actions:
- We removed that language from the TrustedID Premier Terms of Use on September 8, 2017
- We began pointing consumers on www.equifaxsecurity2017.com to the revised TrustedID Premier Terms of Use on September 9, 2017
- We issued statements on September 8 and 10, 2017 further clarifying that the arbitration clause and class action waiver in the Equifax product Terms of Use on www.equifax.com do not apply to the TrustedID Premier product being offered to consumers or to the cybersecurity incident.
- We updated the Equifax product Terms of Use on www.equifax.com on September 12, 2017 to state that those terms do not apply to the TrustedID Premier product or the cybersecurity incident
The product will expire after one year. We are not requesting consumers’ credit card information when they sign up for the free credit file monitoring and identity theft protection we are offering to all U.S. consumers. Consumers who sign up for TrustedID Premier will not be automatically enrolled or charged after the conclusion of the complimentary year of TrustedID Premier.
Equifax will not reimburse consumers for the cost of a different product.
In 2013, Equifax acquired TrustedID, a company that offers credit file monitoring and identity theft protection products. We want to reassure all consumers going through the enrollment, scheduling and activation process that the TrustedID name in the URL and in the email address are valid.
A lock and a freeze have the same impact on your Equifax credit report, but they aren’t the same thing. Both generally prevent access to your Equifax credit report to open new credit accounts. Unless you temporarily lift or permanently remove a freeze, or unlock your Equifax credit report, it can’t be accessed to open new accounts (subject to certain exceptions). See more about exceptions below.
- Security freezes (also known as credit freezes) allow you to place, lift, or remove a freeze using a randomized PIN for identity verification. Placing, lifting, or removing a security freeze can be done online, by phone, or by mail. Security freezes are subject to regulation by each state. Placing, lifting and removing a security freeze on your Equifax credit report is free.
- Credit report locks allow you to lock and unlock your Equifax credit file using identity verification techniques such as user names and passwords. The mobile app also can utilize thumbprint and facial recognition verification. With Lock & Alert, you can quickly lock or unlock your Equifax credit report online or via the mobile app. There are no fees to lock or unlock your Equifax credit report if you are enrolled in Lock & Alert.
Please note: If you have a security freeze on your Equifax credit report, you will need to remove it to use Lock & Alert to lock your Equifax credit report. If you have the PIN you received when the freeze was originally placed, you’ll be able to unfreeze your Equifax credit report and replace it with a lock during the Lock & Alert enrollment process.
Exceptions: Locking your Equifax credit report prevents access by potential creditors and lenders, but there are exceptions. These exceptions may include:
- Companies like Equifax Global Consumer Solutions that provide you with access to your credit report or credit score or monitor your credit file
- Companies you have an existing account or relationship with
- Federal, state and local government agencies
- Collection agencies acting on behalf of companies you owe
- For fraud detection purposes
- Companies that wish to make pre-approved offers of credit or insurance to you
- Companies reviewing your application for employment
A fraud alert is a notice on your credit report that alerts creditors you may be a victim of fraud, including identity theft. It encourages lenders and creditors to take extra steps to verify your identity, such as contacting you by phone, before opening a new credit account in your name or making changes to existing accounts.
There are three types of fraud alerts you can place on your credit report:
- Initial fraud alert – If you believe you are or may become a victim of fraud or identity theft, you may place an initial fraud alert on your credit report. An initial fraud alert remains on your credit report for 90 days, unless you choose to remove it sooner, and can be renewed for additional 90 day periods.
- Extended fraud alert – If you have a police report showing you’re a victim of identity theft, you may place an extended fraud alert on your credit report. An extended fraud alert remains on your credit report for seven years unless you choose to remove it sooner.
- Active duty military alert – If you are on active military duty, you may place an active duty alert on your credit report. An active duty alert remains on your credit report for one year, unless you choose to remove it sooner, and can be renewed for additional one year periods.
You can contact any of the three nationwide credit bureaus to request a fraud alert. Once you have you placed a fraud alert on your credit report with one of the bureaus, that bureau will send a request to the other two bureaus to do the same, so you do not have to contact all three.
To place a fraud alert on your Equifax credit report, click here.
To learn about the difference between fraud alerts, security freezes and credit report locks, click here.
TrustedID Premier is a credit monitoring and lock service that includes the following five features:
- Equifax Credit Report: Provides copies of your Equifax Credit Report.
- 3 Bureau Credit File Monitoring: Provides credit file monitoring and automated alerts of key changes to your Equifax, Experian and TransUnion credit files.
- Equifax Credit Report Lock: Allows you to prevent access to your Equifax credit report by third parties, with certain exceptions.
- Social Security Number Monitoring: Searches suspicious web sites for your Social Security number.
- $1M Identity Theft Insurance: Provides up to $1 million in ID theft insurance that helps pay for certain out-of-pocket expenses in the event you are a victim of identity theft.
If you are enrolled in TrustedID Premier, visit www.trustedid.com, sign in and click the lock button.
There are some exceptions where a lock may be delayed or may not be possible. If you are enrolled in Lock & Alert, sign in to your account on the app or online and click or swipe to lock your credit report.
If you are enrolled in TrustedID Premier, visit www.trustedid.com, sign in and click the unlock button. There are some exceptions where a lock may be delayed or may not be possible.
If you are enrolled in Lock & Alert, sign in to your account on the app or online and click or swipe to unlock your credit report.
If a consumer decides to place a security freeze on their Equifax credit report, they can still use all the features in TrustedID Premier with the exception of the Lock/Unlock feature. A security freeze will not allow the consumer to lock or unlock their Equifax credit report through TrustedID Premier until the security freeze is lifted.
The easiest and fastest way to place, temporarily lift or permanently remove a security freeze on your Equifax credit report is online by visiting the Equifax security freeze site.
You can also place or permanently remove a security freeze on your Equifax credit report by calling the Equifax automated service line at (800) 685-1111 (New York residents, please call (800) 349-9960).
You can also mail a written security freeze request to:
Equifax Security Freeze
P.O. Box 105788
Atlanta, Georgia 30348
You’ll need to include documents to verify your identity. Please click here to find a list of acceptable forms of identification.
To temporarily lift or permanently remove a freeze from your Equifax credit report, you’ll need the 10-digit PIN you received when the freeze was originally placed. If you don’t have your PIN or need to replace it, you may request a new one in writing by following the instructions below.
Placing, lifting and removing a security freeze on your Equifax credit report is free.
To place, temporarily lift, or permanently remove a security freeze to your Experian or TransUnion credit report, you will need to contact them directly.
Experian: www.experian.com/freeze
TransUnion: www.freeze.transunion.com
If you currently have a security freeze on your Equifax credit report, you have several options:
- You may request a temporary lift for a specific credit grantor
- You may request a date range lift for a specific period of time, ranging from one day to one year, or
- You may request a permanent removal.
Placing, lifting and removing a security freeze on your Equifax credit report is free.
To be able to easily lift or remove your Equifax security freeze, please have your 10-digit PIN from Equifax on hand when contacting Equifax. To lift or remove your Equifax security freeze:
Visit www.freeze.equifax.com, Call 1-800-685-1111 (NY residents please call 1-800-349-9960), or mail Equifax Security Freeze, P.O. Box 105788, Atlanta, GA 30348.
If you do not have your 10-digit PIN available:
- When contacting us online or by phone, you will be asked to answer a series of knowledge based questions in order to validate your identity.
- When contacting us by mail, you will need to include your complete name including any suffix (e.g. Jr., Sr., etc.), address, Social Security number and date of birth. You will also need to provide two forms of identification. For a complete list of acceptable forms of identification, please visit: https://help.equifax.com/s/article/ka137000000DRCgAAO/What-documentation-should-I-send-in-to-validate-my-ID-or-address.
Click here for a list of security freeze fees by state.
Credit monitoring alerts are generated when certain changes to your credit reports occur. They are available within your TrustedID Premier product. In addition, you may customize your alert preferences at any time to receive notifications about new alerts by email and text message. Please note that standard message and data rates may apply.
Yes. There may be instances when your credit file cannot be monitored at one or more of the credit bureaus. You will receive monitoring at the credit bureaus where your credit file exists and can be monitored.
If you are enrolled in TrustedID Premier, it includes access to copies of your Equifax credit report. Otherwise, you are entitled to a free copy of your Equifax credit report once every 12 months through annualcreditreport.com.
Yes, Equifax call center agents have Spanish-speaking capabilities.
Yes, Equifax call center agents are able to assist consumers who are hearing impaired.
No. Equifax customer care agents will not be able to tell a consumer if their driver’s license information has been impacted. Over the coming weeks, Equifax will notify these impacted consumers via U.S. Postal mail if their driver’s license information has been impacted.
During routine monitoring, Equifax detected anomalous outbound traffic believed to be suspicious from an online U.S. consumer portal.
Equifax has been intensely investigating the scope of the intrusion with the assistance of a leading, independent cybersecurity firm to determine what information was accessed and who has been impacted. We have found no evidence of unauthorized activity on Equifax’s core consumer or commercial credit reporting databases.
Equifax is conducting an investigation relating to those issues.
We recommend that consumers monitor their personal information and visit the Federal Trade Commission’s website, www.ftc.gov/idtheft, to obtain information about steps consumers can take to better protect against identity theft as well as information about fraud alerts and security freezes.
You will only be called if you have left a message with the call center. Otherwise, you will not be called by Equifax and should not provide personal information to anyone who calls you or sends you a message about this incident.
If you believe that your bank account has been compromised, please work with your local financial institution and local law enforcement agencies.
For U.S. consumers, to determine if your personal information may have been impacted, please visit www.equifaxsecurity2017.com. In addition, Equifax will be mailing letters to consumers whose driver’s license information may have been impacted as referenced in the March 1, 2018 announcement.
Equifax initially offered a credit file monitoring and identity theft protection product, TrustedID Premier, but the enrollment period ended on January 31, 2018.
However, consumers impacted by the March 1, 2018, announcement, will receive further information about a credit monitoring and identity theft protection product.
We do not believe that this incident has impacted the dispute resolution process.
If you are concerned about the personal information of your deceased spouse/relative, please notify the Social Security Administration. The Social Security Administration will notify the nationwide credit reporting agencies, which will place a notation on the deceased’s credit file.
As one of the three major credit bureaus, Equifax receives information from a variety of businesses and other sources.
If you believe you are the victim of identity theft, you should contact the appropriate authorities, including local law enforcement.
If you believe you are the victim of identity theft, you should contact the appropriate authorities, including local law enforcement.
For more information about how to dispute information on your Equifax credit report, please visit our online dispute page at www.equifax.com/personal/disputes.
As part of your TrustedID Premier product, you will receive identity theft insurance up to $1 million. The identity theft insurance provided in TrustedID Premier is underwritten by American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida or its affiliates. This description is a summary and intended for informational purposes only and does not include all terms, conditions and exclusions of the policies described. Please refer to the actual policies for terms, conditions and exclusions of coverage. Coverage may not be available in all jurisdictions.
To cancel an existing subscription to an Equifax credit monitoring product, you will need to log into the product and proceed with the cancellation process, which can be found in the Manage Billing portion of your online account.
Equifax is continuously working to enhance and improve consumers’ experience with the incident website. Equifax is now able to provide a more definite impact response to U.S. consumers that takes advantage of the “Am I impacted?” search tool which can be accessed by going to the home page of this site: www.equifaxsecurity2017.com.
Please note that the “Am I impacted” search tool will not inform a consumer if his or her driver’s license information has been impacted as a part of the March 1, 2018 announcement. Those consumers will be notified via U.S. Postal mail.
Following the initial launch of the “Am I impacted?” search tool, on September 7th, the company resolved some technical issues with the search functionality. In addition, following completion of the forensic investigation on October 2nd, the company has:
- Mailed written notices to the approximately 2.5 million additional U.S. consumers that were potentially impacted; and
- Updated the “Am I impacted?” search tool, on the website to include the entire impacted population of approximately 145.5 million U.S. consumers
Following the initial launch of the “Am I impacted?” search tool on September 7th, the company resolved some of the technical issues with the search functionality. In addition, following the completion of the forensic investigation on October 2nd, the company has:
- Mailed written notices to the approximately 2.5 million additional U.S. consumers that were potentially impacted; and
- Updated the “Am I impacted?” search tool on the website to include the entire impacted population of approximately 145.5 million U.S. consumers.
As part of our investigation, we have identified unauthorized access to limited personal information for certain UK and Canadian residents.
More information for UK and Canadian residents can be found at the following websites:
UK – www.equifax.co.uk/incident
Canada – www.consumer.equifax.ca/canada/equifaxsecurity2017/en_ca/
Letters were mailed to impacted consumers in the UK and Canada that will contain further information on complimentary credit monitoring and identity theft protection services. More information for UK and Canadian residents can be found at the following websites:
UK – www.equifax.co.uk/incident
Canada – www.consumer.equifax.ca/canada/equifaxsecurity2017/en_ca/
For men and women on active duty, there are three options:
Place a Security Freeze
Any service member may place a security freeze on his or her Equifax credit report online on the Equifax security freeze page or by phone, fax or U.S. mail.
- Online: www.freeze.equifax.com
- Phone: (888) 534-0203 or (470) 373-1187
- Fax: (888) 826-0689
- U.S. Mail:
Equifax Information Services LLC
PO Box 740244
Atlanta, GA 30374
Your PIN will be mailed to your address on file or, if overseas, to the address you designate. You will need this PIN to lift or remove the security freeze.
For more information regarding security freezes, including the difference between a security freeze and a credit report lock, please review the “General FAQs” and “Consumer FAQs” sections of this site.
Enroll in Lock & Alert™
- Lock & Alert is a new service that allows U.S. consumers who are 18 or older to quickly lock and unlock their Equifax credit report for free, for life.
- This ability to lock and unlock your Equifax credit report empowers you to help restrict access to your Equifax credit report, which may help better protect against unauthorized access.
- You’ll also receive a confirmation every time you lock or unlock your Equifax credit report.
- In most cases, the enrollment process for service members will be the same as for any consumer. Service members may enroll online or download the Lock & Alert app from the Apple® App Store or Google Play™ store.
Place an Active Duty Alert
Any active duty service member may request an active duty alert for their Equifax credit file online or by phone, fax or U.S. mail using the below contact information.
- Online: www.alerts.equifax.com
- Phone: (888) 534-0203 or (470) 373-1187
- Fax: (888) 826-0689
- U.S. Mail:
Equifax Information Services LLC
PO Box 740244
Atlanta, GA 30374
For more information on active duty alerts, please see the next question and answer.
An active duty alert is one type of fraud alert. A fraud alert is a notice on your credit report that alerts creditors you may be a victim of fraud, including identity theft. A fraud alert can make it harder for someone to open unauthorized accounts in your name. It encourages lenders and creditors to take extra steps to verify your identity, such as contacting you by phone, before opening a new credit account in your name or making changes to existing accounts. If you are an active duty military service member, you can place an active duty alert yourself or someone with a Power of Attorney can place it on your behalf.
An active duty alert lasts 12 months, unless you choose to remove it sooner, and can be renewed for additional one-year periods. You name is also removed from prescreened credit card or insurance offers for two years. In addition, if you place an active duty alert with one of the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) it will be referred to the other two, so you need only contact one.
For information on how to place an active duty alert, please see the question and answer above.
Yes, if you are unable to take action such as placing, lifting or removing a security freeze, placing an active duty alert or enrolling in a service, someone with a Power of Attorney can do it for you.
Equifax will accept either a general Power of Attorney or a limited Power of Attorney. For limited POAs, the document should include a grant of authority to take action on the service member’s credit reports.
The person with the Power of Attorney will need to send the following required information to the contact information below:
- A cover letter including:
- The authorized representative’s first and last name;
- The authorized representative’s contact information such as telephone number and/or email address, if applicable;
- A brief summary of the request;
- The service member’s first and last name, and Social Security number
- A copy of the notarized POA document
- A copy of the authorized representative’s driver’s license or valid state identification that has his or her name as shown on the notarized documents
The authorized representative will need to submit the required information described above via fax or mail:
- Fax: (888) 826-0689
- U.S. Mail:
Equifax Information Services LLC
PO Box 740244
Atlanta, GA 30374
Security clearance may depend on various factors. You might consider temporarily lifting a security freeze or unlocking your credit report while going through a security clearance process.
Yes. Please review the FAQ sections of this site to learn more about the 2017 cybersecurity incident and other relevant information for consumers.