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Equifax Hack 143 million victims

geekette

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How do you handle the credit lines with a debit card? :confused:

Anyway, to each his own way. It works for you. :) I prefer the credit card after having done it both ways.

There is no "credit line", it's cash, that's the point. If I don't use credit, my credit history slips away eventually. Accounts all closed, paid in full, eventually they are not relevant to anyone for anything.

A few more years on the mortgage ought to do it. My cars are paid, I had planned to pay cash for next one anyhow. I'm gearing up for retirement, not spending sprees.
 

bogey21

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The 4th one is Innovis. They are way smaller than the rest. The phone number I have for them is (800) 540-2505.

My guess is that if you were not charged, you have a 90 day freeze. The permanent ones cost me about $10 when I got them.

For the record, when you temporarily remove a freeze there is also a charge, again it's about $10.

George
 

Talya

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There is no "credit line", it's cash, that's the point.
I'm meaning the 'credit line' (I'm calling it that) that gets put in place when you rent a hotel room or a car, etc.. With a debit card it is (indeed) actually your cash money that is removed from your account - and you have to wait however many business days (as many as 7-12 days) for that money to show back up in your account. For that duration the money is effectively gone and you can't use it.

With a credit card that 'credit line' is just hanging out there in the ethers and disappears when you check out, return the car, or whatever. You can have lots of those hanging out there and never once will it impact your 'real' money - or even what you can purchase with your credit card.

Anyway, I treat my credit cards like cash accounts, except they give me far more flexibility - and protection, since I can dispute a charge. Once that puppy (charge) gets out with a debit card - money is gone. I cannot use that money again until I get it back.
 

Talya

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The 4th one is Innovis. They are way smaller than the rest. The phone number I have for them is (800) 540-2505.
Thank you. Never heard of them. Wonder if it's worth calling them. Who uses them?
My guess is that if you were not charged, you have a 90 day freeze. The permanent ones cost me about $10 when I got them.
How would I know if I have been charged - and how many days it is for? Is there a place I can go to see the status of my accounts?
For the record, when you temporarily remove a freeze there is also a charge, again it's about $10. - George
Thank you. :)
 

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WinniWoman

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I just went online and they are not asking for a credit card for the free protection and you do not waive your right to be involved in a class action lawsuit.

Now I am just waiting for their confirmation email to complete enrollment. They are backed up and they said to be patient.
 

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Looks like Equifax is feeling the heat and offering free credit freezes, and possibly (article touches on this) something similar is coming to credit freezes for the other two big credit agencies.

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/09/12/your-money/equifax-fee-waiver.html

The free credit freezes that Equifax is offering is only the temporary variety which costs you nothing anyway. They may be extending the normal 90 day freeze to a one year freeze but what they are offering for free is not a permanent freeze.

A credit freeze request made at any one of the bureaus is supposed to be effective at all three credit bureaus.
 

geekette

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I'm meaning the 'credit line' (I'm calling it that) that gets put in place when you rent a hotel room or a car, etc.. With a debit card it is (indeed) actually your cash money that is removed from your account - and you have to wait however many business days (as many as 7-12 days) for that money to show back up in your account. For that duration the money is effectively gone and you can't use it.

With a credit card that 'credit line' is just hanging out there in the ethers and disappears when you check out, return the car, or whatever. You can have lots of those hanging out there and never once will it impact your 'real' money - or even what you can purchase with your credit card.

Anyway, I treat my credit cards like cash accounts, except they give me far more flexibility - and protection, since I can dispute a charge. Once that puppy (charge) gets out with a debit card - money is gone. I cannot use that money again until I get it back.
I don't do enough hotel stays or rental cars for this to be an issue for me. Cash is cash, with plenty of it this is not a problem.
 

Talya

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Credit freezes are free in CA if you are over 65 or have been a victim of identity theft. https://www.oag.ca.gov/idtheft/facts/freeze-your-credit
Maybe that's why they said nothing about it costing anything. Thank you. :)
I don't do enough hotel stays or rental cars for this to be an issue for me. Cash is cash, with plenty of it this is not a problem.
You're right, enough cash money and it isn't a problem. :cool: Not my condition. ;)
The free credit freezes that Equifax is offering is only the temporary variety which costs you nothing anyway. They may be extending the normal 90 day freeze to a one year freeze but what they are offering for free is not a permanent freeze.

A credit freeze request made at any one of the bureaus is supposed to be effective at all three credit bureaus.
Oh. I did call all three. So that would mean the 4th bureau is also covered now.....? Don't have to worry about that one. :)

I'm still wondering what I got - a 90 day or a permanent freeze. I think I said permanent freeze when I asked. I'm wondering if I should call back. Maybe I will. :cool:
 

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I just went online and they are not asking for a credit card for the free protection and you do not waive your right to be involved in a class action lawsuit.

Now I am just waiting for their confirmation email to complete enrollment. They are backed up and they said to be patient.
Sounds good! :thumbup:
 

geekette

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You're right, enough cash money and it isn't a problem. :cool: Not my condition. ;)
Not my condition, either, just a plan. More work years ahead of me with new determination to save like it's the last paycheck and be even more aggressive in retiring the mortgage, and then myself.

I've been part of other breaches, companies I elect to do business with. Credit agencies, I do not choose to have my data held. I have little control over where it goes and its accuracy. The only way I can think of to opt out is to not use credit. Just a plan, hatched *quite recently*. Once my mortgage is paid, I don't need another one. Next priciest buy would be a car but my tastes are simple, so would be the cash outlay, defrayed somewhat with a trade-in. I have always been good about "if you can't afford it, you can't have it" and I don't see that changing later.

I appreciate the "what abouts", this is a new plan whose boundaries of reasonableness have not yet been vetted.
 

presley

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A credit freeze request made at any one of the bureaus is supposed to be effective at all three credit bureaus.
That wasn't the case for me. When I set up a fraud alert, I only needed to contact one agency. When I did a credit freeze, I had to contact each one individually. Each agency charges its own $10. and keeps the money. I had a police report and didn't have to pay, but chose to pay for Transunion as it was faster than mailing in my police report. I must have been able to email or fax the report to the other 2 agencies. Innovis didn't charge me anything and didn't require my police report for the no charge.
 

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That wasn't the case for me. When I set up a fraud alert, I only needed to contact one agency. When I did a credit freeze, I had to contact each one individually. Each agency charges its own $10. and keeps the money. I had a police report and didn't have to pay, but chose to pay for Transunion as it was faster than mailing in my police report. I must have been able to email or fax the report to the other 2 agencies. Innovis didn't charge me anything and didn't require my police report for the no charge.
That's what the federal website tells one to do and one assumes they would know. I guess. :cool:
 

winger

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The free credit freezes that Equifax is offering is only the temporary variety which costs you nothing anyway. They may be extending the normal 90 day freeze to a one year freeze but what they are offering for free is not a permanent freeze.

....
If 90 day freezes being $0 is the norm, I take it the article is talking about a permanent freeze. I mean, why else will they be reporting that Equifax is caving into public outrage to be offering this freeze?
 

VacationForever

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We tried doing the credit freeze with the 4 agencies. My husband was able to complete it painlessly. However, I am having problems trying to complete it with Experian, both online and on the phone, and it asks me to send in hard copy of my request and information. I tried several times and my credit card now shows 7 pending $10 with Experian. The message (phone and online) after the payment page indicated that I have to mail the request in with supporting documents.

Do any of you have the same issue with Experian?
 

Talent312

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I did a 90-day fraud-alert with Experian and had no issues.
I had an issue w-my wife's fraud alert (overloaded?), so I did her's w-Equifax.
I also took Equifax's offer of monitoring for us both, w-no CC or waivers.

.
 
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bogey21

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We tried doing the credit freeze with the 4 agencies. My husband was able to complete it painlessly. However, I am having problems trying to complete it with Experian, both online and on the phone, and it asks me to send in hard copy of my request and information. I tried several times and my credit card now shows 7 pending $10 with Experian. The message (phone and online) after the payment page indicated that I have to mail the request in with supporting documents.

I had a similar issue with Experian when I authorized $10 to lift my freeze for 24 hours. They charged me 4 times. I think it had to do with me thinking my transaction hadn't gone through when it had. I waited until the charges were out of pending status then called Experian. They reversed 3 of them the next day without a hassle.

George
 

VacationForever

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I had a similar issue with Experian when I authorized $10 to lift my freeze for 24 hours. They charged me 4 times. I think it had to do with me thinking my transaction hadn't gone through when it had. I waited until the charges were out of pending status then called Experian. They reversed 3 of them the next day without a hassle.

George
The issue is that with everyone of these transactions, the message at the end indicated that they were not able to process my request and required me to submit hardcopy application and supporting documents to their office. :shrug:
 

WinniWoman

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So I went online to enroll yesterday morning and as of this morning I have still not received the confirmation email to finish enrolling in the protection service.
 

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The issue is that with everyone of these transactions, the message at the end indicated that they were not able to process my request and required me to submit hardcopy application and supporting documents to their office. :shrug:
Same thing happened to my brother this morning.
 

amycurl

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Whether freezes are free or not is determined state by state. My husband was hacked; Transunion's site was quicker and easier to navigate to put on the freeze. Mine's been frozen for about five years now, since my wallet was stolen with my SS card in it.


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amycurl

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VacationForver, my spouse got the same message. No way are mailing hard copies of anything to them. That's why we went through Transunion's to do the freeze.


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VacationForever

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VacationForver, my spouse got the same message. No way are mailing hard copies of anything to them. That's why we went through Transunion's to do the freeze.


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I tried another 3 times yesterday. I have been trying between the phone and online. Got rejected online (again). Finally the last phone call it went through. The issue is that Experian charges got posted (out from pending). $10 charge posted for each day. I have to find a number to call. Argh!

Note: I believe you have to do it with each of the credit reporting agency.
 

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I appreciate the "what abouts", this is a new plan whose boundaries of reasonableness have not yet been vetted.
Well, I am currently disputing a large, significant-amount-of-money charge from a big corporation - and it's a relief to have a big credit card company going to bat for me with my dispute. Had I used my debit card - that money would be gone and beyond recovery (David and Goliath scenario). In fact, AMEX has taken the charge off my card for the duration of the dispute (2 months) and from everything I am hearing they have clout with merchants. The cc rep was clear that the outcome could not be guaranteed but at least I have them as a recourse, a hope. So for me that's a big 'what about'. :thumbup:
 
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