Attorney General Steve Marshall is warning Alabamians to beware of scams related to the recent Equifax data breach.

Equifax recently suffered a massive data breach potentially compromising the credit of 143 million people.

Marshall said consumers should be on the lookout for scammers hoping to take advantage of consumers’ concerns over the breach.

“Although Equifax has informed attorneys general that it will not be emailing, texting or calling impacted consumers, the Federal Trade Commission is reporting that fraudsters are already attempting to cash in on the unsuspecting public through phone scams,” Marshall said. “I urge anyone who receives such a phone call, text or email to report it to the Alabama Attorney General’s Office at 1-800-392-5658.”

Don’t be a victim

Follow these rules to avoid becoming a scam victim:

• Don’t give personal information. Don’t provide any personal or financial information unless you’ve initiated the call and it’s to a phone number you know is correct.

• Don’t trust caller ID. Scammers can spoof their numbers so it looks like they are calling from a particular company, even when they’re not.

• If you get a robocall, hang up. Don’t press 1 to speak to a live operator or any other key to take your number off the list. If you respond by pressing any number, it will probably just lead to more robocalls.

• If you gave your personal information to an imposter, it’s time to change any compromised passwords, account numbers or security questions.

• Verify your credit reports with all three credit bureaus, Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian, by visiting https://www.annualcreditreport.com.

• Monitor existing accounts closely. Check bank and credit card statements for unauthorized charges.

For more information about the Equifax breach, visit Equifax’s website, www.equifaxsecurity2017.com, or contact their call center at 1-866-447-7559.