There's a good chance you were affected by last week's cybersecurity breach of Equifax's database; information from 143 million people — or 44% of the population of the United States — was leaked.
Now, the Federal Trade Commission warns that there's a scam phone call going around, taking advantage of people whose information has been compromised. According to Consumerist, the FTC has posted a consumer fraud alert warning that if someone calls you and says they're from Equifax, they're most definitely not.
So if you get a phone call and the person on the other line says, "This is Equifax calling to verify your account information," just hang up. "Don't tell them anything," says the FTC. "They’re not from Equifax. It’s a scam. Equifax will not call you out of the blue." Additionally, if prompted, don't press any buttons or give them any personal or financial information. And, don't trust caller ID: "Scammers can spoof their numbers so it looks like they are calling from a particular company, even when they're not."
The FTC also recommends reporting the scam to its online "Complaint Assistant," which helps the agency trace these phone calls and find the guilty party. For more information about the security breach, you can visit the company's website at www.equifaxsecurity2017.com or call the Equifax call center at 866-447-7559.