September 11, 2017

Las Vegas – Today Rep. Dina Titus of Nevada’s First Congressional District released the following letters she wrote to Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt and Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Richard Cordray, in response to Equifax admitting to a data breach affecting 143 million people. Rep. Titus also announced the details of a Consumer Credit Protection Workshop to help raise awareness about how community members can protect their personal data online.

 Below are the two letters and workshop details:

September 11, 2017

The Honorable Adam Laxalt

Attorney General, State of Nevada

100 North Carson Street

Carson City, NV 89701

Dear Attorney General Laxalt,

It was announced last week that Equifax, a credit reporting agency, was the target of a cyber-attack. As a result of the attack, the personal information, including credit history, Social Security numbers, and addresses, of 143 million Americans may have been compromised. According to the Las Vegas Review Journal, your office is currently unaware of the number of Nevadans who may be victims of this attack. As the Review Journal also reported, it is likely that many Nevadans may be at risk due to the rapidly rising mortgage lending market in Southern Nevada.

I respectfully request that you devote sufficient resources to addressing this issue on behalf of Nevadans. It is important that your office be aggressive not only identifying potential victims, but also working on mitigation efforts for individuals whose information has been compromised. Nevadans must be made fully aware of the potential risks this breach has caused and of ways they can protect their personal information.

Thank you for your attention. I look forward to working with you on this important effort. If you need assistance accessing federal resources, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office.

Sincerely,

Dina Titus

Member of Congress

September 11, 2017

The Honorable Richard Cordray

Director

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

1275 First Street NE

Washington, D.C., 20002

Director Cordray:

As the nation grapples with the Equifax breach that exposed the private information of 143 million Americans, I respectfully request that the Bureau work with Congress to help craft new laws that may help prevent future attacks on personal data.

Consumers’ Social Security numbers, tax histories, and bank accounts are the foundation of our financial and personal privacy. Time and again, Equifax has not been able to protect the integrity of this data, being hacked by what experts call a simple vulnerability in its system. I am afraid that the company is not alone in its carelessness and susceptibility to cyberattacks and that the credit reporting industry may be in need of major reforms.  

Along with the recent hacks, the New York Times reported that identity thieves obtained W-2 tax and salary data from Equifax and one of its subsidiaries twice within the past year. Furthermore, the CFPB disclosed in January, Equifax and its competitor TransUnion paid some $23 million in fines and restitution for deceiving customers about the value and cost of the credit scores they sell to Americans.

I do not expect the threat of cyberattacks to go away, but we must demand that companies are working round the clock to ensure that consumer data are immune to attacks.  To do anything less is unacceptable. 

Please know that I support the CFPB’s rule to prohibit forced arbitration clauses from blocking access to the courts and will be a vocal advocate for helping provide consumers with a long-term solution to defend against future cyberattacks on consumers’ private financial data. 

Sincerely,

Dina Titus

Member of Congress

Consumer Credit Protection Workshop

When:

Friday, October 6, 2017, 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM PT

Where:

Office of Rep Dina Titus

Las Vegas City Hall, 3^rd Floor

495 South Main Street

Las Vegas NV, 89101

What:

Rep. Titus will be joined by officials from the Nevada Department of Business and Industry and the Financial Guidance Center to discuss how to avoid ID theft, protect credit scores, and learn about cybersecurity threats.