From staff reports
Credit reporting agency Equifax has agreed to stop charging fees to consumers attempting to freeze their credit, according to the state Attorney General’s Office.
State Attorney General Josh Shapiro, with a growing, bipartisan group of 32 attorneys general from across the country, on Friday sent a letter to Equifax demanding it stop charging fees to consumers attempting to freeze their credit.
The demand follows the massive data breach affecting 143 million Americans and up to 5.4 million Pennsylvanians.
The letter demanded that Equifax:
— Disable all fee-based services for consumers to check their credit, and offer only free credit-check services to consumers.
— Reimburse consumers for all costs they incur to freeze their credit because of the breach – including costs they incur at other credit reporting agencies.
— Staff hotlines 24 hours daily and more prominently display call numbers on their websites.
— Disclose its plans to communicate with affected consumers, which will help attorneys general detect unauthorized scam and phony communications to consumers.
The attorneys general also said that, although Equifax has agreed to waive credit freeze fees, the other two credit bureaus, Experian and Transunion, continue to charge fees for credit freezes. The attorneys general said Equifax should reimburse consumers who incur any fees to completely freeze their credit.
Pennsylvania is leading the investigation along with a group of other attorneys general, in a probe that was launched the day after Equifax publicly disclosed the data breach on Aug. 7.
— Freeze your credit. This is the surest way to stop cyber thieves from opening accounts in your name. Call or visit websites for the reporting agencies – Equifax, TransUnion & Experian – and freeze your credit. The attorneys general are advocating to ensure no consumer has to pay a fee for these credit freezes.
— Set up fraud alerts. You can also sign up for fraud alerts with the reporting agencies. They’ll alert you if anyone tries to open an account in your name.
— Check your own credit statements. Examine them closely for unauthorized activity and alert your credit card company or vendor immediately if you see anything suspicious.
— Call or email the Pennsylvania attorney general. If you’re a Pennsylvanian and believe you may have been affected by the Equifax breach or any kind of identity theft, contact the Bureau of Consumer Protection at (800) 441-2555 or scam@attorneygeneral.gov.
