So you think your information has been compromised?

Here’s a quick cheat sheet on how to protect what you can.

1. Pull out your emergency visa gift card.
   ( 50 dollars minimum Must not expire after 2017 or it won’t work on Experian, you can buy this at most retailers for $55!! Though the form submission post allowed for the value to be set to 2019 and my Target Gift Card validated. )
   
   
2. On a hard line call your credit card companies and put a freeze on your accounts.
   
   
3. On a hard line call your bank and report your cards lost.
   
   
4. Get on Equifax’s website, enable a freeze.
   (https://www.freeze.equifax.com/ as of 08.02.2010)
   It costs an average of $10.
   
   
5. Get on Transunion’s site and enable a freeze. (https://annualcreditreport.transunion.com/fa/securityFreeze/landing)
   It costs an average of $10.
   
   
6. Get on Experian’s site and enable a freeze.
   (https://www.experian.com/freeze)
   It costs an average of $10.
   
   
7. Call your office and deactivate any badge codes or accounts you think may be compromised with the information in your wallet.
   
   
8. The next day: Don’t forget, your license was in your wallet/purse too get it reissued and get a temporary or the added irony of getting pulled over and cited could be added to your list of inconveniences.
   

Your personal information is now protected against the larger credit companies and most large purchases. What this means is, you will now be protected from transactions that require a credit history look-up, since any attempt to view that data will fail. With the only downside being if you are filing for a loan you will need to release the credit freeze at the additional cost. The other bit to note is any accounts that have been opened before you lost control of your information will also be at risk, so make sure you contact those agencies (your phone company, utility companies, credit unions, insurers and make sure to set up security pins separate from any other data that your future identity attackers (it’s not a thief if they affect you forever) will use.

And yeah, I spent a week and a half at security conventions plus training in Vegas, and lost my wallet the day I got home. Loki loves to give me irony in large doses apparently.