Attorney General signs letter calling on credit reporting agencies to halt fees for victims of Equifax

OKLAHOMA CITY – Attorney General Mike Hunter has signed a letter with a coalition of 37 attorneys general urging credit reporting agencies Experian and TransUnion to stop charging fees to consumers looking to freeze their credit after the Equifax data breach.

The letter asks the companies to stop charging fees because consumers must pay the agency to both activate and lift the freeze, a process the attorneys general believe should not be necessary.

In the wake of the Equifax breach, Hunter recommended impacted Oklahomans freeze credit reports to prevent credit bureaus from releasing information without permission, thus blocking identity thieves from opening fraudulent accounts.

Hunter said the letter will hopefully spur action from the companies to help vulnerable citizens.

“More than 143 million Americans and 1.7 million Oklahomans had their personal information compromised by Equifax’s failure to fulfill its lone mission,” Hunter said. “These individuals are confused, angry and vulnerable. We are asking Experian and TransUnion to do what’s right to help those victimized by Equifax’s negligence.”

Further, Attorney General Hunter said the state is continuing to look at possible litigation against Equifax.

To read the letters to Experian and TransUnion, click here: http://bit.ly/2yZXAHs.

In addition to Oklahoma, Attorneys General in the following states signed the letter: Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico; North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.