Equifax Data Breach Information
On September 7, 2017, Equifax, one of the three national consumer credit reporting agencies, announced a major data breach. There was no breach of ValueBank Texas systems or the data we maintain; however, we understand that this breach will impact our customers. According to Equifax, the data breach occurred from mid-May through July 2017 and affects approximately 143 million Americans. The information accessed includes names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses and, in some cases, driver’s license numbers.
We encourage you to contact Equifax to verify if your personal information has been compromised at www.equifaxsecurity2017.com or call (866) 447-7559.
ValueBank Texas ID Protection Plans
We are just as concerned about protecting your identity as you are. To help prevent fraud, we offer two affordable identity protection plans.
Our plans alleviate the stress that comes from dealing with fraud and restoring your identify.
Plan I – ID Restoration $1.95 per month
- Affordable fraud protection plan
- A certified resolution specialist manages your fraud and ID theft case
- A personalized online dashboard – offers visibility of your account status
- Education and preventative tips and best practices to help safeguard against a variety of ID crimes
- Online Identity Vault and Wallet Encrypted online storage for your important personally identifiable information (PII) including SSNs, credit cards, financial account information and birth dates along with other important documents (i.e. mortgage, titles, etc.)
- Breach and Threat Alerts Prompt email alerts that keep you up-to-date on large-scale breaches and fraud-related threats.
- End2End DefenseSM A three-phase, proprietary fraud resolution process that includes (1) discovery; (2) isolation/restoration; and (3) prevent
- 24/7 Live Support
Plan II – ID Protect Plus $7.95 per month
- Daily monitoring of your Online Identity Vault™
- Prompt alerts if your information is found on the online black market
- Credit Monitoring with Experian
- A personalized online dashboard – offers visibility of your account status and expert tips and suggestions to help protect your identity
- Education and preventative tips and best practices to help safeguard against a variety of ID crimes
- Online Identity Vault and Wallet Encrypted online storage for your important personally identifiable information (PII) including SSNs, credit cards, financial account information and birth dates along with other important documents (i.e. mortgage, titles, etc.)
- Breach and Threat Alerts Prompt email alerts that keep you up-to-date on large-scale breaches and fraud-related threats.
- End2End DefenseSM A three-phase, proprietary fraud resolution process that includes (1) discovery; (2) isolation/restoration; and (3) prevent
- 24/7 Live Support
Additional Suggestions to Proactively Protect Your Personal Information
- Review your account statements to spot any suspicious transactions. You can also monitor your account activity daily within ValueBank Texas Online Banking. Sign up for online banking through our website, www.valuebanktexas.
- If you spot any suspicious transactions, please contact us immediately at (361)888-4451.
- Consider if you should place an initial fraud alert on your credit report (see https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0275-place-fraud-alert).
- Consider if you should freeze your credit file (see https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0497-credit-freeze-faqs).
- The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau offers 10 tips for consumers affected by the Equifax breach. Review the tips by going to https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/blog/top-10-ways-protect-yourself-wake-equifax-data-breach/.
- Review your credit reports for accuracy. Call any one of the three credit reporting agencies to receive your free annual credit report or visit www.annualcreditreport.gov.
- Experian, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 Tel: (888) 397-3742
- TransUnion, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016 Tel: (800)680-7289
- Equifax, P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta GA 30374 Tel: (866)349-5191
- You should also contact the credit reporting agencies to notify them of any suspected fraud or identity theft.
If you believe you have been the victim of identity theft, contact your local law enforcement office and/or your state attorney general. Finally, you may also want to consider reviewing information about recovering from identity theft, which is available from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at https://www.identitytheft.gov/ or by calling 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338). The FTC also offers general information to protect your online presence at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/topics/privacy-identity-online-security.
If you suspect your identity has been stolen: 1) Call The Federal Trade Commission (877) ID THEFT, 2) Contact the three major credit bureaus to place a fraud alert on your record, 3) Maintain a log of each contact with authorities, 4) Or contact EZShield Resolution Specialist (866) 460-0095
