Ring, ring. âThis is Equifax calling to verify your account information.â Stop. Donât tell them anything. Theyâre not from Equifax. Itâs a scam. Equifax will not call you out of the blue.
Thatâs just one scam you might see after Equifaxâs recent data breach. Other calls might try to trick you into giving your personal information. Here are some tips for recognizing and preventing phone scams and imposter scams:
- Donât give personal information. Donât provide any personal or financial information unless youâve initiated the call and itâs to a phone number you know is correct.
- Donât trust caller ID. Scammers can spoof their numbers so it looks like they are calling from a particular company, even when theyâre not.
- If you get a robocall, hang up. Donât press 1 to speak to a live operator or any other key to take your number off the list. If you respond by pressing any number, it will probably just lead to more robocalls.
If youâve already received a call that you think is fake, report it to the FTC.
If you gave your personal information to an imposter, itâs time to change any compromised passwords, account numbers or security questions. And if youâre concerned about identity theft, visit IdentityTheft.gov to learn how you can protect yourself.
For more information about the Equifax breach, visit Equifaxâs website, www.equifaxsecurity2017.com.