HELENA – Attorney General Austin Knudsen is encouraging Montanans to be on high-alert and take measures to protect their identity following reports that billions of records, including social security numbers and other sensitive information, may have been compromised.

According to reports, a hacking group USDoD allegedly stole personal records of 2.9 billion people and claims to be selling it online for millions. The data includes names, address histories, relatives, and Social Security numbers dating back at least three decades.

Attorney General Knudsen urges Montanans who believe they have been impacted by a data security breach to take the following steps to protect themselves:

• 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;
• 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: https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze/or +1 (888) 766-0008
  • Experian: https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html or +1 (888) 397-3742
  • TransUnion: https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze or +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; and
• Additional Resources. If you believe you are a victim of identity theft, go to identitytheft.gov for assistance on how to report it and recover from it—or contact the Department of Justice’s Office of Consumer Protection at 406-444-4500 for help.

For more tips and information on how to recover from identity theft, click here.