Consider joining their mailing list and supporting their efforts.
From MASSPIRG:
Target now admits it wasn't 40 million
consumers who had their credit and debit card numbers stolen in December
-- it was between 70 and 110 million consumers.[1]
And it wasn't just credit card or debit
card numbers and their security codes and expiration dates that were taken.
Target now admits that the heist included names, mailing addresses, phone
numbers, and email addresses.
Passwords were also taken from Target
customers, but they were encrypted, so you shouldn't have to worry about thieves
cloning your card to use in ATM machines.[2]
Companies need to do a better job
protecting our personal information. That’s clear. And we will help make sure
Target is held accountable.
But what should you do now to help protect
yourself? Here are tips from our
expert on fraud and identity theft, consumer program director Deirdre
Cummings:
(1) Don't panic. Do check your credit
card and bank account statements regularly for fraudulent transactions and
report them immediately to your provider. The most likely use of the card
numbers will be to attempt fraud on your existing accounts. You have strong
anti-fraud protections by law.
(2) Beware of "phishing." Now that we
know that email addresses and phone numbers were also taken, be aware of
"phishing" emails or phone calls, even calls or emails purporting to be from
your bank's fraud department. When a thief has some of the information needed to
commit identity theft, he will call or email you to try to get the additional
information needed to open new accounts in your name.
Never click on any links in emails, even if
they appear to be from your bank. Never give any information to anyone who calls
you, even if the caller says something like: "I am going to tell you your
account number to verify that this is a legitimate call."
If you are concerned about information from
a call or email, don't reply directly. Instead, call the number on the back of
your card and ask for the fraud department.
(3) Don't pay for expensive credit monitoring
services. You have the right under federal law to look at each of your
three credit reports once a year for free at annualcreditreport.com. You can
stagger these requests -- one every four months -- to do your own credit
monitoring at no cost.
If you suspect you are a victim of identity
theft, you can call each bureau directly for an additional free credit report.
And because you live here in MA, under state law you are eligible for yet
another free report annually by calling each of the three major credit bureaus.
You can also choose to set up a security freeze, preventing credit bureaus from
giving creditors access to your report.
(4) So long as you can avoid running up credit card debt, always use credit cards in stores or online. Your rights are stronger by law with credit cards than debit cards, and you don't run the risk of missing funds from your checking account for weeks while the bank conducts a fraud investigation.
You can find more detailed tips on identity theft here.
Please let us know if there is anything else we can do to help.
Sincerely,
Janet S. Domenitz
MASSPIRG Executive Director
[1] Elizabeth A. Harris and Nicole Perlroth, "For Target, the Breach Numbers Grow," New York Times, January 10, 2014.
[2] Aaron Katersky and Susanna Kim, "Target Admits Customer PIN Data Removed but Says It's 'Secure'," ABC News, December 27, 2013.
Support MASSPIRG. Contributions by people
just like you make our advocacy possible. Your contribution supports a staff of
organizers, attorneys, scientists and other professionals who monitor government
and corporate decisions and advocate on the public’s behalf.
No comments:
Post a Comment