As if the Equifax data breach disclosing personal information for 143 million people wasn’t enough, now scammers are taking advantage of the confusion and anxiety affecting customers. If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be part of Equifax, don’t believe it.
Lisa Weintraub Schifferle, an attorney at the Federal Trade Commission, posted an article on the FTC’s blog, alerting customers to the threat of duplicitous phone calls from people claiming to be associated with Equifax. “Stop,” wrote Schifferle. Don’t tell them anything. They’re not from Equifax. It’s a scam. Equifax will not call you out of the blue.” Good to know.
Schifferle also offered tips and suggestions to avoid getting duped by scammers and imposters:
Don’t give personal information. Don’t provide any personal or financial information unless you’ve initiated the call and it’s to a phone number you know is correct.
Don’t trust caller ID. Scammers can spoof their numbers so it looks like they are calling from a particular company, even when they’re not.
If you get a robocall, hang up. Don’t press 1 to speak to a live operator or any other key to take your number off the list. If you respond by pressing any number, it will probably just lead to more robocalls.
If you do get one of these calls, head to the Federal Trade Commission’s Complaint Assistant page to report it.
Equifax is keeping consumers up to date as to the status of the data breach on its cybersecurity page. While you shouldn’t expect a call from the credit bureau, you can always call Equifax yourself at 866-447-7559 if you have further questions or concerns.
If Someone Calls You From Equifax To Verify Your Account, It’s A Scam | Consumerist