The New York Times provides a reminder for consumers as to what to do if you if you receive a breach notification letter. Spoiler alert: do not just ignore it or trash it.
Data incidents have become so common that you may succumb to “breach fatigue” and be tempted to throw away notification letters. That’s especially true if the company is a vendor that you may not recognize, said Pam Dixon, executive director of the World Privacy Forum, a nonprofit research group focused on data protection. “People look at it, they say, ‘Oh, this isn’t a hospital,’” she said, “so they just trash it.”
But don’t ignore the letters, Ms. Dixon said. “See what services they are offering, and take them up on it,” she said. Some offer free credit monitoring for a year or two to help you spot fraudulent activity. At least one version of the Conduent letter offered credit monitoring plus identity theft “restoration” services.
Read more about how to protect yourself at The New York Times.
Two great resources to bookmark and explore: the Identity Theft Resource Center and Frozen PII.
