In this day and age, protecting your data is a must in every aspect of life, in your personal life and in your business. The leaders at CyberCrunch LLC, an electronics recylcing and data destruction firm, understands this essential fact of modern business. One look at current events will drive home how essential data security is to business owners and customers alike.

One of the three largest consumer credit reporting agencies in the U.S., known as Equifax announced September of this year, a cybersecurity breach which happened July 29, 2017. According to an article by CNN the hackers accessed approximately 143 million Equifax consumers’ personal data including Social Security numbers and addresses. Equifax also announced that at least 200,000 customers’ credit card credentials were taken in the attack.

If you have a credit report, there’s a good chance you are one of the consumers whose information was exposed. Here are some steps to protect yourself…

Place a credit freeze on your files – A credit freeze (security freeze) allows you to restrict access to your credit report, which makes it more difficult for an identity thief to open a new account in your name. If this is not something that’s an option, consider placing a fraud alert on your files. This warns creditors that you may be an identity theft victim and that they should verify that anyone seeking credit in your name really is you.

Closely monitor your credit cards and bank accounts – Look for changes that you do not recognize.

File your taxes early – Tax identity theft happens when a hacker accesses your Social Security number to get a tax refund or a job. File your taxes as soon as you have the tax information that is needed.

No matter what industry you are in, data security is of the utmost importance. If you are securing customer information, you need to know who to trust to dispose of your obsolete hardware. If you are a customer yourself, you want a company like CyberCrunch partnering with the businesses that you frequent. These days, you need a seasoned company handling the chain of ownership, right down to final destruction.

Learn even more from the FTC about protecting yourself after a data breach.

Contact CyberCrunch at 866-925-2354. We can provide safe and secure electronics recycling and data destruction solutions to ensure your sensitive information doesn’t fall into the hands of a criminal. With our extensive experience in the industry, regulations and governmental policies, this makes us an obvious choice.