ALTON – As millions of Americans work to secure their credit and identity after the data breach at Equifax, state Rep. Dan Beiser, D-Alton, is sponsoring legislation to help make this a little bit easier by getting rid of fees charged to consumers to freeze their credit.
“When someone has their identity stolen, it takes countless hours and hundreds of dollars to re-secure their personal information,” Beiser said. “Many people use Equifax or similar companies to check their credit and make sure sensitive information doesn’t fall into wrong hands. In spite of doing everything to protect their identity, millions of Americans have to take steps to protect their social security numbers, credit card numbers, and bank accounts. They should not be charged by the same companies that promised to help protect this information to freeze their credit.”
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
Earlier this month consumer reporting agency Equifax reported that hackers had obtained the personal information of 143 million Americans, including an estimated 5.4 million people in Illinois. As a result, people across the state are working to secure their personal information, bank accounts and credit information. To help make this process a little less costly, Besier is backing House Bill 4095 which would prevent credit agencies from charging a fee for freezing their credit.
“Over 40 percent of Illinois residents had their personal information put at risk as a result of the Equifax data beach,” Beiser said. “This legislation will help provide some financial relief to those individuals and help them as they move forward.”
For more information, please contact Beiser’s constituent service office at 618-465-5900.
More like this:
