Important Information Regarding Equifax Breach

The Aerospace Federal Credit Union (AFCU) is aware of the recently announced Equifax data breach.  Nearly ½ of all Americans are potentially at-risk due to the breach.  If you have ever applied for credit or to lease a residence, your personal information has likely been shared with one, or all three, of the national credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion).  Nearly all financial institutions rely on the three major credit bureaus to provide credit background information when a consumer applies for a loan.  This process works because all financial institutions share information on consumer’s credit history with the bureaus.

The AFCU recommends that you take these steps to protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud:

• AFCU recommends that all members monitor the https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com website for information regarding the breach. The site includes a tool that will let you know if your specific information was included in the breach data.  Equifax is providing 12 months of free credit monitoring services to all US citizens, not just those directly affected by the breach.  We recommend that you take advantage of this free service to monitor your credit report for any unauthorized activity.
• Consider putting a “security freeze” on your credit report with all three of the major credit bureaus.  Taking this step will prevent unauthorized users from gaining access to your credit report.  Note that legitimate creditors (such as an Aerospace Federal Credit Union) will not be allowed access to your report until you remove the freeze at the time you are applying for credit.  You can use the following website addresses to learn more about the “security freeze” feature offered by the three major credit bureaus:
•     Equifax - https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze/
•     Experian - https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html
•     TransUnion - https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze
• Beware of the rise of social engineering attacks in the wake of the Equifax announcement.  Cyber attackers are likely to launch millions of phishing emails in attempt to take advantage of this incident.
• If you notice any unauthorized transaction or account activity on your Aerospace Federal Credit Union account, please notify our Member Services department immediately.  We can be reached at 800-795-2325, option 5 during normal business hours.  The Member Services department can also be reached 24/7/365 via email at mbrsrvcs@aerofcu.org.