Potential Phishing Scams Related to Equifax Data Breach

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has released an alert on phishing attacks related to the Equifax data breach. Phishing attacks try to trick message recipients into sharing sensitive information with cyber criminals. FTC warns consumers to be wary of calls or emails purporting to be from Equifax agents. Legitimate Equifax representatives will not contact consumers to ask for verification of their information.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) also released a statement on the Equifax breach, warning potential victims to be vigilant against phishing because the volume of scam emails often increases after major data breaches. Scammers can use stolen data to make phishing messages seem more credible and trick users into revealing more data.

US-CERT encourages consumers to report fraudulent calls and emails to the FTC Complaint Assistant. For more information, refer to the following resources:

• FTC Alert Equifax Isn't Calling,
• US-CERT Tip on Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks,
• US-CERT Tip on Preventing and Responding to Identity Theft, and
• NCSC article on the Phishing Threat Following Data Breaches.