Are there things you have to do in addition to signing up the free monitoring services they offer?
I thought signing up for the free monitoring service will result in giving up data privacy rights?
Not anymore. They changed the wording after outcry.
Do they charge after a year?
You waive your right to participate in the class action lawsuit if you take their monitoring service.
There are lots of sites that let you monitor your accounts for free. It is a monumental waste of money signing up for paid services. Unless equifax offers lifetime monitoring and compensation for any misuse of that data if it harms you financially it is useless. You still need to live with their actions after 1 year and even after death they can misuse your info and steal from your estate!!
Just get credit karma for free
I think all credit providers will now take precautions and adjust their risk operating points as a response. You will have to go through more hoops to get a line, etc
Freeze credit. Set up alerts with Credit Karma. Be pro active. We're all Equif*cked - TechCrunch https://apple.news/AATZYsL1vTaO1FF7X126R8A
does freezing credit have any downsides, like not increasing credit score?
Nope. Just takes 15 min to enable if you need credit. Could cost $10 too. Still it's worth it. Hackers can't create credit in your name while it's frozen. They'll need passcode that they won't have and move onto easier targets.
We all have to freeze credit for life. Unless your name or SSN changes, this is a major breach with unique identity information. With this info, hackers will try to open checking accts in your name for decades. We're screwed. If your kid has SSN, them too.
but good time to get into security side of the industry. lol. shit like this just feeds the tech frenzy