MOSES LAKE — On Sept. 7, Equifax announced a cybersecurity breach that could potentially impact 143 million American consumers. The breach was large and widespread, with hackers stealing information ranging from birth dates to Social Security numbers. With news of the incident making waves worldwide, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is offering several steps that people can take to protect themselves again a personal data breach.

Information from Equifax indicates the security breach occurred from mid-May through July. During that time period hackers were able to access people’s names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and some driver's license numbers. The company estimates the hackers stole credit card information for about 209,000 people and dispute documents that had personal identifying information for about 182,000 people.

“Equifax discovered the unauthorized access on July 29 of this year and acted immediately to stop the intrusion. The company promptly engaged a leading, independent cyber security firm that has been conducting a comprehensive forensic review to determine the scope of the intrusion, including the specific data impacted,” reads a statement from the company. “Equifax also reported the criminal access to law enforcement and continues to work with authorities. While the company's investigation is substantially complete, it remains ongoing and is expected to be completed in the coming weeks.”

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson promised state residents that his office will be working to make sure consumers are kept safe.

“This is a very serious data breach affecting millions of Washingtonians,” Ferguson said. “My team and I will do everything we can to protect consumers.”

The FTC suggests people take the following steps to protect against a personal data breach:

Check credit reports via Equifax, Experian and TransUnion by visiting www.annualcreditreport.com/index.action. If you suspect you have been a victim of identity theft visit www.identitytheft.gov to start the process of reporting the theft.

Weigh the possibility of placing a credit freeze on your files, but keep in mind that a credit freeze does not prevent a thief from making charges to existing accounts.

Closely monitor your existing credit cards and bank accounts.

If you don’t place a credit freeze on your files, consider placing a fraud alert on your files instead. Fraud alerts warn creditors that a person might be an identity theft victim and they should confirm that a person seeking credit in your name is indeed you.

File your taxes early when you have the information that you need and respond as soon as possible to letters from the IRS.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email city@columbiabasinherald.com.