Capital One recently publicized a massive data breach that has exposed the accounts, social security numbers, and banking information of nearly 100 million customers.
If you are a Capital One customer who is worried about your financial safety, here are some practical steps you can take to keep yourself safe.
- Take Advantage of Capital One’s Offer
- Following the hack, Capital One announced that it will be offering free credit monitoring and identity protection services. If you were impacted by the breach, take advantage of these services and keep a watchful eye on your finances.
- Update Your Security Information
- Regardless of whether you were directly impacted by this breach or not, take this opportunity to change the passwords and security questions on all of your financial accounts. You never know what bank or financial institution will be the next target.
- Freeze Your Credit Access
- In short, this means that no one will be able to access your credit report. The benefit of this is that no one will be able to take out a loan or credit card in your name and if they try, the bank won’t authorize it. This is a good step to take if you know you were affected by the Capital One breach, but it is not necessary as a precaution.
- Beware of Scams
- Often after a data breach, hackers will sell your information for money. This means that anyone in the world could gain access to your email, phone number, or address. It is very common for secondary attacks to happen, targeting the same people who were affected in the first place. Make sure to double-check any odd phone call or email, especially if it asks you for any kind of login or financial information.
For more tips check out this link!
