367,737 Montanans Affected By Equifax Data Breach

Equifax, one of the three major credit reporting agencies, was hacked in June and July of 2017 and millions of people's credit information was compromised. This not only included credit card info but also banking information, investments and other confidential financial data.

It would be advisable to change your passwords, and other safeguards that might be available to your computer and financial information.

Here are some excerpts from Attorney General Tim Fox Press Release about The Equifax Computer hacking breach.

“We know that 367,737 Montanans were affected by the Equifax data breach,” said Mark Mattioli, Chief of Montana’s Office of Consumer Protection. 

“That’s nearly one-third of the state’s population; this is a huge data breach and consumers should take this news very seriously.  While we expect Equifax to send notification letters to Montana consumers impacted by the breach, we urge people to visit the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) website learn more about next steps following this announcement.”  That link is:  https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2017/09/equifax-data-breach-what-do. 

 The Equifax press release announcing the breach can be read by visiting:   https://investor.equifax.com/news-and-events/news/2017/09-07-2017-213000628. 

Montana consumers who would like more information on how to place a freeze on their credit file can visit the Montana Office of Consumer Protection website at:  https://dojmt.gov/consumer/identity-theft/.