I have lost track.
Maybe you have, too. It might
have been three or four or five times last year. It seemed that notice after notice came
saying that my personal data security had been breached. From major retailers to a state department to
my employer and probably a few entities I really did lose track of, I received
notices that my security had been compromised.
In a few cases, “suspicious” activity had been under investigation for
months before I was notified, giving someone with bad intentions plenty of time
to steal my identity and establish credit in my name before I was notified of
the breach. With our digital environment, someone halfway around the globe can
be quietly hacking computers for personal data.
My name, birth date, social security number and numerous other details
are stored in who knows how many databases on who knows how many computers and
networks. I remember a day and age when
a person only worried about their credit cards getting used by someone else if their
wallet got stolen. In today’s world, a
person has to be increasingly diligent to guard their financial security.
Fortunately for me, a long time before all these breaches
with my data, I lost my wallet. I was on
my way to 4-H camp and had several youth traveling with me. In the chaos of getting the last-minute camp
supplies and loading everyone back into the vehicle, I believe I misplaced my
wallet. From a payphone (remember them)
at 4-H camp, I coordinated with my husband, accessing files at home to cancel
credit cards and go through necessary procedures to protect us from unwanted
access to our finances. When I got back from camp, I placed a security freeze
on my credit. I had originally read
about the Montana Security Freeze options through an MSU Extension
publication. The process was relatively
simple.
The current information about a security freeze from the
Experian website states that consumers in the state of Montana have a right to
place a “security freeze” on their credit reports. This freeze prohibits major credit reporting
companies from releasing any information on their credit reports without their
express authorization, except those with whom the consumer already has a
relationship. According to the MontanaDepartment of Justice website, “It costs $3 to place a security freeze on your
credit files with a credit bureau, for a total of $9 to freeze your files with
all three credit bureaus. For a security freeze to be effective for married
couples, both spouses have to freeze their separate credit files. The total
cost for a couple is $18.” Basically, a security freeze makes it difficult
for someone else to apply for a credit card in your name or to steal your
identity for financial gain. A security
freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans and services in your name without
your consent.
In the past decade, the security freeze has seemed to work
for me. I check my credit reports regularly and there have been no “surprises” there. I have also applied for two loans since placing
a security freeze and each time, I had to expressly unlock my security freeze,
again for a nominal fee of $3, to allow the local bank to access my records.
If you have lost track, too, of how many times you have
received letters saying your data security was breached, I encourage you to put
a security freeze on your accounts.
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