More than 15 million Californians affected by Equifax hack

Commissioner of Business Oversight Jan Lynn Owen today urged all Californians to check immediately and take protective measures if they are among those who personal information may have been compromised in the massive Equifax data breach.

Equifax, a credit reporting company, disclosed on September 7 that criminal hackers gained access to personal information – names, Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, birth dates, addresses, and in some cases, driver license numbers – of 143 million U.S. consumers, including more than 15 million Californians.

“This is a real threat to anyone whose personal information has been stolen,” Commissioner Owen said. “The exposure is ongoing and indefinite. The hackers can sell the information whenever they like – today, tomorrow or months from now. The potential for harm from this breach will have a long shelf life.”

To check whether you may have been impacted by the Equifax data breach, go to https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com/. (This link takes you away from our site. Equifaxsecurity2017.com is not controlled by the DBO.) Equifax is offering free credit file monitoring and identity theft protection to all U.S. consumers, available through the dedicated website. For more information, see the Department of Business Oversight’s release.