Latest news with #creditmonitoring
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How to delete your Experian account
Deleting your Experian account removes access to features like credit monitoring, FICO Score updates and identity theft protection, but your credit report and score remain intact. You can cancel your Experian membership online or by phone. Downgrading to a free Experian account allows you to maintain access to basic features without paying monthly fees. With features like daily FICO Score updates, credit monitoring alerts and identity theft protection, your Experian account can be a powerful tool for managing your credit. However, if you no longer use these services or you're looking for a way to cut back on monthly expenses, you might consider deleting your account. Before deciding to cancel your account, know which features you keep with a free account and which features will go away. Experian is one of the three major credit reporting agencies in the U.S. The company also offers tools to help consumers monitor and protect their credit with free and paid membership options. Here are the features you get with each type of membership: Free membership Paid membership Alerts when your spending or credit utilization ratio changes ✔ ✔ Customized alerts when there are changes to your personal information, new inquiries or new accounts ✔ ✔ Tracking of your FICO Score (based on the FICO Score 8 model) ✔ ✔ Advanced identity theft monitoring ✔ Credit monitoring and alerts with all three credit bureaus ✔ Daily Experian FICO Scores ✔ Identity theft protection, including dark web monitoring and identity theft insurance ✔ Personalized credit card and loan offers based on your credit profile ✔ Once you've made your decision, canceling an Experian account is easy. The company currently offers two options, online or by phone. To cancel online, log into your Experian account using your credentials. Go to your membership settings and choose the option to update your membership. From there, you'll have the option to switch to a free plan with no monthly fees or cancel your account entirely. If you have questions or prefer to speak to a person, you can contact Experian at 866-617-1894. Representatives are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. CT and on weekends from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT. Once connected, you'll provide your account details and request to either downgrade your membership to a free plan or cancel it altogether. Keep in mind that cancellation policies may vary. Canceling your membership or deleting your Experian account may not happen immediately. The company may need time to process your request, and paid subscriptions may also have specific terms for billing cycles or refunds. Review the details of your membership before submitting your request. If you're concerned, contact Experian's customer service team to confirm how long the process will take. Understanding exactly what you will — and won't — lose will help you make an informed decision about whether to delete your Experian account. Credit monitoring alerts Regular FICO Score updates Identity theft protection Experian platform access Experian credit reporting Your credit score Credit bureau protections Other credit bureau accounts Keep in mind: Deleting your Experian account does not erase your credit history or make you invisible to lenders. If you've decided to delete your Experian account, taking a few proactive steps can help you avoid unnecessary complications. Save a copy of your current Experian credit report for your records. This can be helpful if you need to reference it later, dispute an error or provide documentation for financial applications. If you've started disputing inaccuracies on your credit report through Experian, consider waiting until the process is complete before deleting your account. Closing your account during a dispute may interrupt or delay resolution. If you've set up fraud alerts or a credit freeze using Experian, contact customer service to confirm how you'll manage them going forward. If you're paying for an Experian subscription, consider switching to a free Experian account instead of canceling completely. A free account still provides access to your credit report and basic monitoring without monthly costs. You could also consider other free or low-cost options to stay informed about changes to your credit report, such as if an organization you're part of offers a free Experian membership. Deleting your Experian account may be a good way to cut back on monthly expenses or step away from services you no longer need. While you'll lose access to features like credit monitoring, FICO Score updates and identity theft protection, your credit history and score will not be affected. Before deleting your account, consider downloading your credit report, resolving any disputes and evaluating whether downgrading to a free membership might be a better option. If you decide to move forward, Experian makes it simple to delete your account online or by phone. How do I delete Experian data? While you can delete your Experian account, you cannot delete the data Experian holds about you. As one of the three major credit bureaus, Experian is required to maintain your credit history as part of federal regulations. Even if you cancel your Experian account, your credit report and score will still exist, and lenders can access them during credit checks. Experian will also continue updating your report as things change. Can I create a new Experian account after deleting my old one? Yes, you can create a new Experian account at any time, even after canceling your previous membership. Keep in mind that a new account won't restore any settings or preferences you had in your old account. If you're considering rejoining later, switching to a free membership instead of fully canceling might be a better option. Does logging in to Experian hurt your credit? No, logging into your Experian account does not affect your credit score. Checking your own credit report or score through Experian is considered a 'soft inquiry,' which does not impact your credit. Hard inquiries, such as those made by lenders during a loan or credit card application, are the ones that may temporarily lower your score by a few points. Can I still dispute errors on my credit report without an Experian account? Yes, you can still dispute errors on your Experian credit report even if you don't have an account. Submit disputes directly through Experian's website or by contacting its customer service team. However, having an account can make the process easier by allowing you to track the status of your disputes online.
CBC
25-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Nova Scotia Power to expand credit monitoring to all customers, past and present
Nova Scotia Power is expanding its offering of free credit monitoring in the wake of a massive cybersecurity breach that resulted in the data of hundreds of thousands of customers being stolen by hackers. The company is now providing five years of credit monitoring, up from the two years that were initially offered. People who have already signed up will have their service automatically extended. The utility also announced it will pay for monitoring for all its customers, past and present, instead of just the customers who were believed to have been affected. An update on the company's website Wednesday said the information of former customers was also taken — not just that of current customers. Nova Scotia Power announced publicly on April 28 that it was dealing with a cybersecurity incident it discovered three days earlier, on April 25. The company later said the actual hack had occurred more than a month earlier, on March 19. About 280,000 customers have been affected by the attack — about half of the utility's total customers. The company said in its update it is still trying to determine the full scope of data that was accessed, but it "cannot rule out the possibility" that the stolen information includes name, date of birth, bank account number, social insurance number, driver's licence number, phone number, email address, mailing and service address, and customer account information. The company also said it has "heard concerns" about social insurance numbers, which Nova Scotia Power "historically collected for customer authentication purposes." "We are committed to permanently deleting all instances of SINs from our systems as soon as our investigation allows," the statement said.
CTV News
17-06-2025
- CTV News
Nova Scotia Power sees big turnout for cyber security breach information session in Cape Breton
Victims of the Nova Scotia Power cyber security breach, line up for information session at New Waterford Fire Hall. (CTV Atlantic/ Ryan MacDonald) People were lined up out the door of the New Waterford Fire Hall on Tuesday, many of them with letters in hand telling them they had been impacted by Nova Scotia Power's recent security breach. 'Ridiculous,' said one customer who was waiting in the lineup outside. 'They're trying,' said another. 'They're trying something for us, but maybe they could have done it a little bit different.' The utility was hosting one of a series of in-person sessions in communities across Nova Scotia to help people sign-up for additional protection as part of a response to what happened. 'Essentially, for any customer who did receive a letter we are offering two years of credit monitoring through the TransUnion service 'My True Identity,'' said Chris Lanteigne, director of customer care for Nova Scotia Power. 'You can sign up at using the code that is in the letter.' A lot of the people who showed up at the session in New Waterford were seniors, some of whom said they don't often use internet or email. Nova Scotia Power said part of the goal of these in-person sessions is to try to help people figure out other ways to access the credit monitoring, and to better protect themselves. 'Getting a copy of your credit report,' Lanteigne added. 'You can do that through both Trans Union and Equifax, the two major credit reporting agencies in Canada. There are also options where you can place an alert on your credit file through those organizations.' '[The] lineup was too long, so I'm going to try it at home,' said one customer after exiting the session. Frustrated, some people left before getting any help. Others said they were confused by what they were told. The utility said more opportunities like this one will take place elsewhere in the province the rest of the week and in the near future. 'We are very sorry that this did happen,' Lanteigne said. 'We know that it has caused concerns for our customers. We feel that the most important thing people can do right now is protect themselves.' Line up for information session Victims of the Nova Scotia Power cyber security breach, line up for information session at New Waterford Fire Hall. (CTV Atlantic/ Ryan MacDonald) For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
Finextra
29-05-2025
- General
- Finextra
LexisNexis data breach exposes personal information
LexisNexis Risk Solutions says a data breach at a third-party provider has exposed the personal information of more than 364,000 people. 0 The breach at a third-party platform used by data analytics outfit LexisNexis for software development occurred in late 2024, says the company in a filing with Maine's attorney general. Writing to potential victims, the firm says an unauthorised party may have gained access to names, contact information such as phone numbers, postal or email addresses, Social Security numbers, drivers' license numbers or dates of birth. No financial or credit card information was affected and there is no evidence that the data has been "misused". LexisNexis has called in external cybersecurity experts and notified law enforcement. It is offering victims two years of free identity protection and credit monitoring services.
CBC
28-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Nova Scotia Power customers handed 'to-do list' after ransomware attack
Some people notified by Nova Scotia Power that their information was stolen in a cyber breach are becoming frustrated trying to navigate the situation, saying it's difficult to get through to their banks and the credit monitoring system that's been recommended. Nova Scotia Power announced the security breach in late April and confirmed last week it was the victim of a ransomware attack affecting about 280,000 customers in Nova Scotia. Letters to affected customers began rolling out last week and the company said it is working with experts to restore its systems and improve security. "I'm unsure of the apology from Nova Scotia Power. It feels like really, the responsibility is back on the consumer," said Brian Yee, a retired teacher in Halifax, who recently received a letter from the utility. "What are the items that they're putting in place to ensure that this doesn't occur?" Yee was eventually sent a temporary password to validate a credit monitoring account, but is still irked he is having to take these steps. He's had to spend a lot of time on the phone on hold while trying to get in touch with the credit monitoring agency TransUnion. "So other than here's your to-do list of what to do, I find that frustrating. You know, many folks wouldn't have the time. I'm retired so I can sit on the phone if needed, but if you're working, that would be super challenging to do." Yee said he doesn't feel Nova Scotia Power has provided enough direction to its customers and questioned whether the offered two years of credit monitoring is adequate. "It's still not resolved. And so I guess my question is how much more work is this going to be? And the fact that there is really nothing from Nova Scotia Power saying that this is our followup with you," he said. 'It was a terrible feeling' Diane Newman-Betts, also from Halifax, has spent the last 12 days scrambling to figure out how $30,000 disappeared from her and her husband Michael's bank account. "It was a terrible feeling, we were both really sick to our stomachs the last week and a half. It was awful," she said. Newman-Betts said she noticed two suspicious transactions on her Manulife bank account on May 15: one was $500 from her credit card and another was a $30,000 amount going on a TD line of credit. "We don't deal with TD at all, so I knew that it was not us or that something was wrong and I think myself what they did is they went in with the first amount and realized it worked and so then they went back in for the money," Newman-Betts told CBC News. Then the letter from Nova Scotia Power arrived. "For this to happen to us and then have the letter arrive — that is when we connected it all. It had to be that. There is no other reason," she said. Newman-Betts said she can't be sure it happened because of the ransomware attack, but she did learn her bank will be putting the missing money back into her account. Manulife released a statement saying it takes all reports of unauthorized activity seriously and protecting clients remains a top priority. Nova Scotia Power did not provide any update on the ransomware attack on Tuesday.
