September 15, 2017

Equifax Information Breach

Regarding the recent Equifax Information Breach—Your concerns are definitely our concerns.  Below is some helpful information for you as our valued clients and friends.  We are working with our broker/dealer to get more information on this out to you as it becomes available.

 

In addition, please SAVE THE DATE for our Fall Educational Event:  Cyber Security and Safeguarding Social Security Benefits seminar.  It will be held on Thursday, October 26 from 6pm-8pm at the 1757 Club, Ashburn, VA.

 

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  • Check potential impact. All clients should visit the Equifax Security 2017 response center at https:/www.equifaxsecurity2017.com and click "Potential Impact" at the bottom of the page to see possible impact. Be aware there are enough bad actors sending emails impersonating Equifax that it's critical clients do not click on any links, in any email, related to this incident. Instead, clients should visit the Equifax website directly via the link provided above.
  • Enroll in the free credit monitoring. All clients, regardless of potential impact, should enroll in the free credit monitoring provided by Equifax. There are no exceptions.
  • Check your credit reports. The impact is large enough that all clients should check their credit by obtaining a free copy of their credit report from all three reporting bureaus at https://www.annualcreditreport.com. Others have recommended sites such as Credit Karma that provide this information in a more helpful format, and allow you to get regular updates to your credit information. Due to the high volume of requests, this step may take longer to process than normal.
  • Consider placing a credit freeze at each reporting bureau. Because of the nature of the release, we encourage considering a credit freeze at each of the three reporting bureaus. This is a personal decision for each client, and requires thawing your account each time you apply for new credit. However, it will protect clients from identity theft in virtually all other cases. Clark Howard has a helpful guide on the process available here. The trade-off is peace of mind vs. the cost and hassle of dealing with a credit freeze.
  • Closely monitor credit cards and bank accounts for charges you don't recognize.

Understand the risk will continue. Much of the information disclosed is evergreen, and will last beyond the one-year credit monitoring currently being offered. Your options for mitigating this risk are placing a credit freeze, as noted above, or opting to pay for your own monitoring once the free offers expires. Visit https://www.identitytheft.gov/Info-Lost-or-Stolen to learn more about protecting your personal information.

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Securities offered through Triad Advisors, Inc Member FINRA/SIPC

Advisory Services offered through AMJ Financial Wealth Management LLC

AMJ Financial Wealth Management LLC is not affiliated with Triad Advisors, Inc.

Securities offered through Triad Advisors, LLC, Member. For more information, click a link below:
FINRASIPC 
Investment advisory services offered through AMJ Financial Wealth Management LLC

AMJ Financial Wealth Management LLC is not affiliated with Triad Advisors, LLC
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