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It’s the security breach that never ends. Reuters reports that 2.5 million more people were affected by last year’s massive Equifax data breach than previously reported, bringing the total to 147.9 million.


The company told Reuters the latest hacking victims had their names and driver’s license information stolen, “but noted less information was taken because it did not include home addresses, driver’s license states, dates of issuances, or expiration dates.” Well, isn’t that a relief!

Reuters also reports that Equifax will notify the affected consumers directly, and offer them free identify theft and credit monitoring services.


If you don’t trust Equifax (which you shouldn’t), you should take additional steps to protect yourself. First, check your credit report! A recent report from CreditCards.com found that half of U.S. adults have not checked either their credit score or their report since the breach. Please do that.

And remember, this hack has long-lasting implications. You’ll need to be proactive in checking your credit reports, bank accounts, and investments for fraud from here on out, and you’ll want to be careful about your tax return this tax season. Even if you don’t think you were affected, keeping an eye on the security of your financial accounts should be a priority of yours in the digital age. Try to schedule a review of your financial accounts once a month or once every couple months so you can catch any suspicious activity as early as possible.