Written by Equifax Experts on January 24, 2013 in Credit  |   No comments

When you search for reviews of a new restaurant or book travel tickets online or post a happy birthday message on a social networking site, you might not be thinking about how these actions could affect your finances, but they might be revealing more about you than you think.

Your online activity could leave a trail of breadcrumbs about your personal and financial information. Technology advances have made it possible for companies to put together a detailed profile on you that can be sold, repackaged and sold again. If your name, age, address, income, personal family and financial information appear on the internet, you’re at risk of ad tracking, identity theft, and even stalking.

Equifax® announced today that Reputation.com’s online personal data monitoring and removal technology will be offered with Equifax’s subscription-based credit monitoring and identity theft protection products.

“Equifax is committed to empowering consumers with information and tools to be their financial best,” said Trey Loughran, president of Equifax Personal Solutions. “By incorporating Reputation.com’s privacy monitoring capabilities, we are enabling consumers to better monitor and manage a broader scope of their online personal information as a natural extension of our product set.”

As consumers are learning more about how social networking sites and search engines are using their personal information, they are uncomfortable with how their data could potentially be shared with advertisers. Personally identifiable information can also be an open door for hackers and identity thieves.

Identity theft can have a catastrophic impact on individuals and the ripple effect can touch their families, livelihood, sense of security, etc. The FTC reports that identity theft has been the number one consumer complaint for the last several years.

As identity theft continues to be a growing problem, it’s important to guard your online reputation as closely as you do your wallet and credit cards.

Reputation.com will provide Equifax ID Patrol ™and Equifax Complete™ Advantage subscribers with ongoing monitoring and real-time alerts when personally identifiable information is at risk online. Additionally, for Equifax Complete™ Premier and Equifax Complete™ Family Plan members, Reputation.com will remove this sensitive information from the web at the customers’ request.

“So much about each of us is revealed online – and these digital breadcrumbs add up to vulnerability for consumers,” said Michael Fertik, founder and CEO of Reputation.com. “Your online identity is worth protecting and we’re proud to partner with Equifax, a recognized leader in consumer empowerment, to identify and safeguard individuals’ sensitive information.”

To learn more about Equifax’s product offerings and how the partnership with Reputation.com can help you protect your online personal information, visit Equifax.com.

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