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Although we’ve tried to guide you on what steps to take if you were impacted, it won’t help much if you can't access Equifax’s website due to tech issues. Here’s the most recent update we have regarding the breach. (Note that Equifax’s responses seem to evolve rapidly, so we will continue to update as new details come in.)
The free credit freeze offer is valid until Nov. 21, extending to the end of January
Updated 10/5/17: On Sept. 27, Equifax’s interim CEO published a letter of apology in the Wall Street Journal, stating that credit freezes, thaws, and credit monitoring (see below) would be offered for free until the end of January 2018.
You also have until Nov. 21, extending to the end of January, to register for free credit monitoring, though you might reconsider
Equifax is offering a year of Trusted ID Premier for free, which includes credit monitoring and identity theft protection. When the free monitoring was first introduced, people understandably became concerned due to fine print that stated by enrolling, you were agreeing to forgo legal action against Equifax over the breach. Equifax claims the fine print has been updated, but Mytour’s Kristin Wong still advises against using credit monitoring:
Before you sign up for Equifax’s free credit monitoring, reconsider. You can monitor your credit yourself by checking all three bureaus once a year at annualcreditreport.com, and there are several free tools and services to help you track your credit too.
If you signed up for credit monitoring but haven’t yet received the confirmation email
Equifax mentions that it could take up to 72 hours to send the confirmation, so be patient.
If you’ve signed up for credit monitoring and are concerned it might auto-renew and charge you
According to Equifax, or more specifically @Equifax, the protection lasts for a year, does not renew automatically, and there will be no charges since they aren’t requesting any payment method when you enroll.
If you’re having trouble setting up a freeze on the website
You can attempt to place a security freeze on Equifax’s website. If the site is down, try calling 1-800-685-1111. If that doesn’t work, you can send your request by mail. If that fails, perhaps carrier pigeon or semaphore signals could be your next step.
If you’re struggling to obtain a PIN for your freeze
Ron Lieber of the New York Times has been gathering consumer questions about the hack and submitting them to Equifax, a task similar to shouting into an empty cavern. He finally received some responses, but they mainly consist of “Yes, we know, we’re on it.”
Many people have told Lieber that they are able to sign up for a freeze online, but cannot obtain their PIN on Equifax’s website. If you’re in the same situation, try calling Equifax for your PIN—currently, they aren’t mailing PINs to those who signed up online. However, if you freeze your credit via phone or mail, you will receive your PIN by mail. You’ll need the PIN if you want to temporarily unfreeze your credit, such as when applying for a mortgage or a new credit card.
If you received one of those flawed, insecure PINs and wish to change it
Initially, the PINs Equifax gave to people signing up for credit freezes were not random and could potentially be guessed by criminals. This issue has been resolved, but Equifax told Lieber that if you received a faulty PIN and want a new one, you need to call 1-866-349-5191.
If by some chance you got a PIN—and then misplaced it
To request a new PIN, you’ll have to do it by mail. Here are the instructions. (I know, it’s inconvenient.)
If you paid to sign up for a credit freeze with Equifax after the hack was revealed but before they made freezes free
Equifax will automatically issue a refund to your card. If you paid via check or money order, they’re still working out how they’ll process your reimbursement.
Updated 10/5/17, 5:22 p.m. ET:
You can now enroll for a free credit lock at any time.
A credit lock functions similarly to a credit freeze, but it’s an Equifax-exclusive service introduced in the Equifax CEO’s “sorry, folks” letter on Sept. 27.
Updated 9/15/17, 1:44 p.m. ET:
If you receive a call claiming to “verify your Equifax account,” just hang up.
Have more information on the Equifax breach that we should add? Share it with us in the comments.
