Attorney General Todd Rokita warns Hoosiers to use caution during National Cybersecurity Awareness Month

Hoosiers can educate themselves and stay on high alert

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and Attorney General Todd Rokita wants Hoosiers to be prepared for cyber criminals. 

 “The world we live in relies more and more on technology every day,” Attorney General Rokita said. “This is making our businesses and even our schools vulnerable to these types of attacks. The best thing Hoosiers can do is educate themselves and stay on high alert.”  

 Making sure your business has the appropriate cybersecurity controls has become a necessary step in today’s economy. The average cost incurred by a business from a data breach is now more than $4 million, and the average cost of a healthcare data breach has skyrocketed to over $10 million. 

 Cyber-attacks do not only affect schools and businesses, but they also affect individuals and can potentially destroy people's lives by taking their hard-earned money. 

 To keep you and your family protected, Attorney General Rokita is sharing the following tips: 

• Monitor your credit. Credit monitoring services track your credit report and alert you whenever a change is made, such as a new account or a large purchase. Most services will notify you within 24 hours of any change to your credit report. Most major credit cards now offer these monitoring services at no cost to the consumer. 

• Place a fraud alert on your credit report. A fraud alert tells lenders and creditors to take extra steps to verify your identity before issuing credit. You can place a fraud alert by contacting any one of the three major credit bureaus. 

• Consider placing a free credit freeze on your credit report. Identity thieves will not be able to open a new credit account in your name while the freeze is in place. You can place a credit freeze by contacting each of the three major credit bureaus: 

• Equifax: 1-888-766-0008 
• Experian: 1-888-397-3742 
• TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289 

• Contact Attorney General Rokita. If you believe you are a victim of identity theft, visit gov/attorneygeneral or call us at 1-800-382-5516. For additional tips, you may also visit identitytheft.gov, a site maintained by the Federal Trade Commission.