Massive Equifax Data Breach Should Not Affect Credit Reports Ordered by Employers for Background Checks

Written By ESR News Blog Editor Thomas Ahearn

Employers concerned about credit reports used for background checks being affected by the massive Equifax data breach that compromised the personal information of roughly 143 million Americans — almost half the country – “can breathe somewhat easier knowing their employees won’t be affected,” according to the Bloomberg BNA article ‘Should Equifax Data Breach Worry Employers?’

“I don’t think there’s a risk to consumers in terms of credit reports that are ordered by employers,” Brad Landin, president and chief compliance officer of Employment Screening Resources (ESR), a global background check firm located in the San Francisco Bay area, told Bloomberg BNA in an interview on September 8, 2017. Landin has over 25 years of experience in screening industry compliance matters.

Landin explained to Bloomberg BNA that the only way the Equifax data breach could be a liability – which will likely to not be an issue – would be if a hacker tried used the information to try to obtain a job. “Why would a person steal an identity to get a legitimate job?” Landin asked, adding that identity thieves who steal credit report data are “in the business of stealing money, not making money.”

Landin also said that it was “unlikely employer credit checks for hiring purposes will be affected by the hack” since most credit report checks used by employers come through resellers of credit information and not directly from Equifax. “I’m highly confident that the availability of Equifax credit reports is largely unaffected,” he concluded. The complete Bloomberg BNA article is here.

On a personal note, Landin told Bloomberg BNA that “he was relieved to find he wasn’t one of the 143 million Americans who had information compromised by the Equifax hack” but added that a “colleague down the hall” at ESR “was not as lucky.” Both checked to determine if their personal information may have been impacted by the Equifax data breach at www.equifaxsecurity2017.com/.

Equifax – one of three major credit reporting agencies along with Experian and TransUnion – said the data breach that occurred between mid-May and July of 2017 allowed hackers to access sensitive information that included names, social security numbers, birth dates, addresses, and driver’s license numbers.  The Equifax data breach is one of the worst ever, by reach and the information exposed to the public.

In July 2016, ESR News reported that statistics from the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) and CyberScout revealed the number of data breaches in the U.S. tracked through June 30, 2017, hit a half-year record high of 791. At this pace, ITRC anticipates the number of data breaches could reach 1,500 in 2017, a 37 percent increase over the all-time record high number of 1,093 data breaches in 2016.

SOC 2 Audits Help Protect Against Events Like Equifax Data Breach

Employment Screening Resources (ESR) – a strategic choice for businesses needing accuracy and compliance in their screening programs – has successfully completed a SOC 2® Type 2 data security audit for 2017 to ensure that ESR protects the privacy, security, and confidentiality of consumer background check information against events like the Equifax data breach. To learn more about ESR, visit www.esrcheck.com.

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