The Equifax Hack Was Even Worse Than Originally Thought
What was already a bad situation appears to have gotten worse. The massive Equifax data breach first reported in September 2017 in which hackers gained access to the sensitive information of 145.5 million Americans is reportedly even worse than originally expected.
According to documents provided to The AP by Senator Elizabeth Warren's (D-MA) office, the data breach exposed more of consumers' personal information than Equifax originally disclosed. Originally, Equifax detailed that the hack leaked consumer names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and — for some — driver's license and credit card numbers. However, the new document, which was submitted to the Senate Banking Committee, found that the hackers accessed other information, such as tax identification numbers, email addresses and phone numbers. Plus, some smaller details, such as credit card expiration dates and driver's license issuing state.
"In no way did we intend to mislead consumers," said Meredith Griffanti, an Equifax spokesperson. The credit-rating agency said that it only disclosed the information that affected the greatest number of consumers.
Griffanti also said that as part of the documents, it included all of the potential data points that may have been compromised. The company does maintain that the number of consumers whose information was hacked remains the same.
The news of the additional personal information that could have been compromised comes just one week after it was announced that the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has pulled back its investigation of the hack. If your personal information was compromised as part of the massive data breach, there are a few steps that you can take in order to secure your info as best as possible.
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Cons
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- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
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- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.