Equifax Breach Causing Government Verification Issues

When Americans apply for government benefits, they often have to go through a verification process via Equifax in order to verify who they are. Several government agencies use the following process:

This verification method asked applicants questions like their date of birth, Social Security numbers and addresses, assuming that only the applicant would have that information. But in Equifax’s breach in 2017, that information had been stolen from 145.5 million Americans, rounding out to more than half the US population.

The problem arises when hackers can obtain the personal information of consumers. Lawmakers are aware of the problem and have stated:

“It is troubling that almost two years after the massive 2017 Equifax data breach federal government agencies continue to use outdated identity-proofing methods that put citizens at increased risk of identity theft,” the lawmakers said in a statement. “We need to do more to prevent these kinds of breaches, and the government needs to be better and smarter about protecting citizens.”

If your personal information has been accessed by third-parties or otherwise compromised, please give our office a call to discuss your rights.