The identity theft lowdown

How much do you know about the recent Equifax data breach? Were you affected? Was your family? Identity theft and corporate breaches continue to make the news and it can be a long road to recovery if you don't protect yourself from hackers. What started as exposed emails, names, and phone numbers, has grown to include credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, and addresses. While preventing such a breach might be out of your control, it is within your control to use the tools available to you to stay on top of your personal financial information.

iGrad has a variety of resources on the subject including a just-published article, “How to Recover from The Equifax Breach.”

Take Advantage of Free Credit Reports

Did you know that The Fair Credit Reporting Act mandates that the three credit reporting agencies — also known as credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, provide you with a no charge credit report annually upon request? Find out all you need to know about free credit reportsit's you're legal right to know!

David Birch: A New Way to Stop Identity Theft

Bartenders need to know your age, retailers need your PIN, but almost no one actually needs your name -- except for identity thieves. ID expert David Birch proposes a safer approach to personal identification -- a "fractured" approach -- that would almost never require your real name.