House Democrats Urge Equifax to Extend Identity Theft Protections

 
House Democratic lawmakers have asked Equifax to extend free credit monitoring and identity theft protection from one year to three years following the massive 2017 data breach affecting 145 million Americans. The lawmakers’ request is based on studies showing that identity thieves often wait longer than a year to act on the stolen data. While not making a decision on this request, Equifax replied in a statement to The Associated Press that it has launched a service allowing consumers to lock and unlock their credit file with the company for free.

Congress' request makes it clear that the effects from the Equifax data breach will continue for years to come. As a result, Nevada consumers should continue to monitor their credit profiles closely and dispute any fraudulent or inaccurate information immediately in writing with all three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union). If these bureaus fail to update, consumers have the right to hire an attorney for no out-of-pocket expense to bring claims under the Fair Credit Reporting Act to restore their credit and receive compensation.