My credit report changed completely after one data breach 3 years ago

Back in 2021, I got hit by the T-Mobile breach. My social security number got leaked along with a bunch of other stuff. Before that, my credit report was clean, just some old student loans. After the breach, someone opened three credit cards in my name over the next six months. I had to freeze my credit with all three bureaus, which I never even thought about doing before. Now I check my report every three months like clockwork. It's a pain, but I figure the criminals won that one, they made me change my whole routine. Has anyone else had to completely change how they handle their finances after a breach?

3 comments

3 Comments

martin.paige25d ago

Man that sucks, I totally get the paranoia part. Do you think freezing your credit actually stopped the attempts or did they just get better at hiding them?

jordan_young25d ago

Did you notice any weird inquiries or soft pulls before you locked it down, @martin.paige? I've heard mixed things about whether freezing actually stops the more persistent ones.

piper91225d ago

Ugh that's rough, freezing should slow them down but some of these guys are sneaky. Hope you caught it before anything major happened.