While the potential reach of the Equifax data breach is large, affecting approximately 143 million Americans, it is important to not overreact. If your information was included in the breach, it does not mean you are a victim of a cyber attack or identity theft. It simply means that some of your information may have been accessed.

What you need to know:

• At this time, it appears there were just over 200,000 credit cards among the 143 million records potentially compromised.
• Equifax has indicated that debit cards were not exposed – therefore criminals are unlikely to have the capability to withdraw funds from a checking account.
• It’s important to understand that Equifax is a credit bureau, not a bank.
• Equifax has set up a website at www.equifaxsecurity2017.com to help consumers determine if their information was breached. Equifax will also mail notices to consumers whose credit card numbers or dispute documents were breached.

What to do if your information was compromised:

As with any potential data breach, you can proactively take these steps to help protect your accounts:

• Internet banking is your friend here. Monitoring your accounts and credit report for unauthorized transactions or accounts is critically important.
• If you suspect you are a victim of fraud or identity theft, alert your bank right away. In the event of a confirmed fraudulent transaction, The Exchange State Bank will make our customers whole as quickly as possible.

If you have further questions about how to protect yourself during the Equifax or any other data breach, call your Exchange State Bank and speak to a representative.