TransUnion Hacked. A Rant about Credit Bureaus

[DontTreadOnMe]

Show of hands....how many of you have gotten your information hacked in the last 10 years?
How many more than once?
How many are lining up at LifeLock and similar cons?

Last time one of us got hacked, I froze TransUnion for us...cuz it was free.
Experian wants $24.99 a month to do it.   Equifax wants at lest $9.99 per month to do it.
Sounds more like a scam than a safety feature to me!

I bet I have been hacked a half a dozen times....mostly in the last 5 years.
My partner 2-4 times.
I get that people are corrupt as hell and want to get sensitive data for whatever reason.

But it seems to me these companies are bleeding us dry to get us "safe".
How much of this protection is a waste of time and money?

How much are you protected....really.....if your credit is locked?



Can you really protect yourself from these cyber criminals??

[Quantum12]

So in 2022 Henry Ford Hospital was hacked. My data was sold. They gave me a free service to monitor my credit. That got hacked. The start of Michigan breached my data. Someone started a class action suit. I got $500 from the state and $15 from Henry Ford. 

I am not paying to lock my credit to those scam credit report places. 

The IRS sent me a letter last month asking to verify my identity because someone was trying to use my info. They said call by phone only. I can’t even get a live person lol.

[Bootless]

Show of hands....how many of you have gotten your information hacked in the last 10 years?
How many more than once?
How many are lining up at LifeLock and similar cons?


Can you really protect yourself from these cyber criminals??

I can't find the show hand icon. 

I've gotten a notice that info was probably shared.

That's pretty much why I don't sign up for things.
The less outfits that have my data
the less portals for hacking my data from.

-------
Add: My debit/credit card recently expired/updated.
Only one place, [ redacted ], has my new three digit magic code.

No online retailer or charity has it.

I send cash in the mail to charities.

"Better to chance losing a hundred bucks now and then than to lose the whole kit and caboodle." - unknown

[DontTreadOnMe]

I can't find the show hand icon. 


-------
Add: My debit/credit card recently expired/updated.
Only one place, [ redacted ], has my new three digit magic code.

No online retailer or charity has it.

I send cash in the mail to charities.

"Better to chance losing a hundred bucks now and then than to lose the whole kit and caboodle." - unknown

I tallied your vote 

My partner has a way smaller credit footprint than I as I do most of the online stuff.
We both are hacked equally, and from different hacks.
Seems like lot of the recent hacks were insurance companies and health related entities.

[argentus]

Had no idea until now what TransUnion was.   I can only say that I don't do much online with my phone, and try to use it for only that.  

I feel extremely vulnerable to hackers and other cowards, as I don't have the tech wherewithall to properly protect myself.   Therefore, I don't do any social media, other than here.  I don't click on any link without first inspecting it.  It is entirely possible my identity has been hijacked; I would have no way of knowing.  SS still recognizes me.  I guess I'll settle for that.

[MichSwampbuck]

The dark web has had it all for at least 20 years. No one has used my SS# yet, and I'm not worried about credit scores. I got hacked once through my debit card and I believe it got compromised at a store in town. It never has happened again, but my GF's debit card gets hacked like three times a year from online activity.

[Blaine91555]

I've had my info hacked three times, I think. 

First was Adobe got hit, and they offered me a year of free protection. That was maybe 10 - 15 years ago. Nothing bad came of it. 

Second was my hospital records. The hospital used a company from Salt Lake City that got hit. Nothing bad happened, and that was around 9 years ago.

Third may be happening right now. Came out in the news yesterday. It is the Health Care Clinic I use. Started with their phone system going out, and they had to shut down most everything for a week, which seemed odd to me. They managed to keep the pharmacy open, except you have to go in person with the original scrip in hand. 

 

News Article Link ...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - A spokesperson for the Anchorage Neighborhood Health Clinic confirmed clinic leaders are investigating an anonymous hacker group’s claim that 10,000 patient records — including information such as addresses, social security numbers, driver’s licenses and insurance information — have been leaked onto the internet.
In a statement Thursday, ANHC Director of Communications Ahliil Saitanan said the center is “actively investigating this matter with the support of law enforcement and national cybersecurity experts.”

I guess the idea is they strongarm people by threatening to reveal their histories or something. Best to read the article. 

I think the reason I've had no impact is the care I take with complex random passwords anywhere I'm vulnerable. That and now nothing for them to take. The Pandemic wiped me out in that regard. I could care less if they see my records.

[Knows]

I was a victim a few years back.  I've had no problem since I learned to secure everything. 
 
1. Get a pair of security keys, like "yubikey" and use them to secure your emails. Use them on any important site if possible. If they hack your email they can research what sites your email is connected to and change the passwords.

2. Get control of all 3 credit bureaus and freeze them. If you need to get a loan you can unfreeze them at any time. 

Any questions are welcome about keeping safe.

[MichSwampbuck]

I was a victim a few years back.  I've had no problem since I learned to secure everything. 
 
1. Get a pair of security keys, like "yubikey" and use them to secure your emails. Use them on any important site if possible. If they hack your email they can research what sites your email is connected to and change the passwords.

2. Get control of all 3 credit bureaus and freeze them. If you need to get a loan you can unfreeze them at any time. 

Any questions are welcome about keeping safe.

Point 2 is a good one, the big three have been, and keep getting, hacked. I have refused credit my whole life, and when I last checked my credit score, I had none. No credit, no score, so the bad guys would have to establish credit in my name somehow to then apply for it. Now, if I check my credit score and I somehow have acquired one, then I can assume that someone may have hacked my identity.

The property I am on is co-owned, so the title scammer would have to quit claim myself and three others to try and use the property as collateral. As for other things, the debit cards can still get hacked if I'm not careful or if a company I do/did business with gets hacked. Income taxes, I do those early and never had someone using my SS# for working illegally.

[andy06shake]

The dark web has had it all for at least 20 years. No one has used my SS# yet, and I'm not worried about credit scores. I got hacked once through my debit card and I believe it got compromised at a store in town. It never has happened again, but my GF's debit card gets hacked like three times a year from online activity.

Maybe worth investigating the likes of "DeleteMe" if your girlfriend's debit card gets hacked three times a year.