INDIANA – Attorney General Todd Rokita warns Hoosiers of predatory cyber criminals during National Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
“Cybersecurity has been an important issue for years, but after COVID-19, businesses, and schools have relied more and more on technology,” Attorney General Rokita said. “This makes them even more vulnerable to these types of attacks, and I encourage Hoosiers to educate themselves and stay on high alert.”
Implementing appropriate cybersecurity controls has become a necessary part of doing business in today’s economy. The average cost incurred by a business from a data breach is now more than $4 million, and the average cost of a healthcare data breach has skyrocketed to over $10 million.
Cyber-attacks do not only affect schools and businesses, but they also affect individuals and can potentially destroy the lives of hardworking, honest people.
Security breaches involving your personal information, also referred to as data breaches, can create a significant risk of fraud or identity theft if the information is acquired by the wrong person.
To keep you and your family protected, Attorney General Rokita encourages Hoosiers to follow these tips:
- Monitor your credit. Credit monitoring services track your credit report and alert you whenever a change is made, such as a new account or a large purchase. Most services will notify you within 24 hours of any change to your credit report. Most major credit cards now offer these monitoring services at no cost to the consumer.
- Consider placing a free credit freeze on your credit report. Identity thieves will not be able to open a new credit account in your name while the freeze is in place. You can place a credit freeze by contacting each of the three major credit bureaus:
- Equifax: 1-888-766-0008
- Experian: 1-888-397-3742
- TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289
- Place a fraud alert on your credit report. A fraud alert tells lenders and creditors to take extra steps to verify your identity before issuing credit. You can place a fraud alert by contacting any one of the three major credit bureaus.
- Contact Attorney General Rokita. If you believe you are a victim of identity theft, visit gov/attorneygeneral or call us at 1-800-382-5516. For additional tips, you may also visit identitytheft.gov, a site maintained by the Federal Trade Commission.
