Here’s what you need to know

Considered to be one of the largest data breaches in history, the Capital One hack has exposed more than 100 million Americans and six million people in Canada. According to reports, the breach resulted in the hacker gaining access to the personal information of Capital One consumers, applicants and small businesses who applied for credit cards between 2005 and 2019. Data that was stolen includes social security numbers, birthdates, addresses, bank account numbers, credit scores, bank transactions and linked bank account numbers. If you’re concerned about whether or not you’ve been affected by this latest breach, here’s what you need to know:

Was your information stolen?

Capital One has stated that it will be contacting those whose social security numbers or linked bank account numbers were part of the hack by mail—there is no website set up as of yet to check on your information. They are warning customers not to respond to calls or emails claiming to be Capital One representatives, this could cause you to become a victim of another scam.

What is Capital One doing about the hack?

The first thing to be aware of is that the suspected hacker has been apprehended by federal authorities—a woman named Paige Thompson of Seattle, who was a former software engineer for Amazon Web services is in custody. The criminal complaint states that Thompson attempted to sell the stolen information online.

Capital One has stated that they have fixed the issue that allowed the hacker to breach their system and they are working with federal agencies on the breach.

What should you do right now?

If you are a Capital One customer and suspect that your information may have been part of the breach, there are steps you can and should take right away, take a look:

• Monitor your credit report—look for any new accounts or other unusual activity.
• Sign up for credit monitoring—Capital One will be offering free credit monitoring to those affected. There are also other companies that provide this service for free or for a nominal fee.
• Place a fraud alert with the three credit reporting agencies—this notifies creditors that you have been a victim of a breach and ensures that they will be verify your identity before taking any action. A Fraud alert does not affect your credit score and is free.
• Freeze your credit—This stops anyone from opening any new accounts in your name. It doesn’t affect your credit, however if you plan on applying for any new credit you’ll have to unfreeze your account first. 

Protecting your identity

Data breaches are alarming to everyone and according to experts, they will continue to occur. The most important thing to remember is to be vigilant and monitor your accounts on a regular basis. Stay on top of shredding outdated documents, junk mail and other paperwork that, if stolen, could compromise your identity.

All Points Mobile Shredding provides onsite shredding and destruction for residential and commercial clients throughout South Florida. Our shredding trucks will come to your home or office and provide a certificate of destruction. Get in touch with us today to find out how we can help you.