The Iowa Attorney General’s office is calling on Iowans to “act now” following a massive data breach involving the credit reporting company Equifax.
Geoff Greenwood, spokesman for the AG’s office, says approximately 143 million consumers nationwide are affected by the breach.
“Here in Iowa, it affects in the neighborhood of 1.1 million,” Greenwood said. “So, that’s a lot of people affected by this.” The data includes Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and, in some cases, driver’s license numbers and credit card numbers.
Iowans can check if the breach exposed their personal information at www.equifaxsecurity2017.com. Greenwood suggests victims of the breach should immediately take action.
“The steps can include something as simple as monitoring your bank statements, your credit card statements, your overall financial statements,” Greenwood said. Equifax disclosed the breach occurred between mid-May through June, and that so far there’s no evidence of unauthorized activity.
“Equifax is offering a free credit monitoring service for a year. We urge Iowans to take advantage of that,” Greenwood said. “Regardless of whether you have been a victim of this breach, the company is offering this free of charge for one year.”
Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller said his office is investigating the breach. “We intend to hold Equifax accountable for what happened, and ensure that something of this magnitude never happens again,” Miller said.