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Beat Credit Card Breaches

Some of us like to swipe more than the sly fox on Dora the Explorer. But be careful with credit and debit card use. Your identity could be stolen when a hacker breaches retail-store data systems.

A Miami hacker was indicted Monday on charges of performing the biggest retail-store data breach in U.S. history. Police say Albert Gonzalez stole more than 130 million credit card accounts, besting his previous record of 40 million. T.J. Maxx, Barnes & Noble, Sports Authority and OfficeMax were no match for Gonzalez.

A recent article from the Associated Press said the indictment doesn’t necessarily make shoppers immune to having their debit and credit card numbers stolen.

“Accomplices to the crimes are believed to be on the loose in Russia or other countries where U.S. authorities are less likely to get them. And the underlying security holes mined by the hackers still exist in many payment networks.”

So what can you do to protect yourself?

Here are some more tips from N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper.

Step 1: Sign Up for Free Services

Some businesses or government agencies offer security breach victims a free service such as credit monitoring.

Step 2: Notify the Credit Bureaus

Request a fraud alert from one of the credit bureaus: Equifax (800) 525-6285, or Experian (888) 397-3742, or TransUnion (800) 680-7289. This tells banks and other creditors to take extra steps to verify your identity before issuing credit in your name. A fraud alert is free and will last 90 days unless you request an extended seven-year fraud alert and provide a police report.

Step 3: Consider a Security Freeze

A security freeze stops access to new credit in your name. Placing a security freeze prohibits credit reporting agencies from releasing any information about you to new creditors without your approval, making it difficult for an identity thief to use your information to open an account or obtain credit.

Starting Oct. 1, North Carolina consumers can place a security freeze on their credit reports for free under Senate Bill 1017.

Step 4: Monitor Your Credit

Continue to review your credit reports every few months. Your private information that was released in the security breach may not be used right away. You can request a free credit report annually.

Notifying Law Enforcement

Most law enforcement will not issue you a police report until your private information is actually used by an ID thief. If you have any suspicion that your information is being used by a thief, contact local law enforcement immediately.