What to do about the Equifax leak

WHAT SERVICES IS EQUIFAX OFFERING?

The company established www.equifaxsecurity2017.com, to help consumers determine whether their information may have been impacted. Through this website, customers can sign up for a free credit file and identity theft monitoring, via a service called Trusted ID Premier, which is owned by Equifax.

WHAT DOES THAT INCLUDE?

Monitoring of Equifax, Experian and TransUnion credit reports Copies of Equifax credit reports The ability to lock and unlock Equifax credit reports Identity theft insurance Internet scanning for Social Security numbers

WHAT’S THE CATCH?

This service is only available to U.S. consumers for one year — a paltry amount of time considering Social Security numbers can be used for years on end, experts say. After one year, users will be charged a fee. Consumers should also be aware of the arbitration clause in the fine print, which bars users from participating in any class-action lawsuit related to this incident — though on Friday Equifax said the arbitration provision would not apply for this incident.

WHAT INFORMATION WAS COMPROMISED?

According to the company, Social Security numbers, credit card information, birth dates, addresses and, in some instances, driver’s license numbers.