This week, I received a breach notification letter from a large financial institution stating that my personal information, including my name, Social Security number, account name and number, contact information, date of birth, and asset information may have been compromised. UGH—that is highly sensitive information. Unfortunately, this is not the first time my personal information has been compromised. Even more unfortunate is the fact that this incident apparently occurred four years ago.

The letter advised me that I can sign up for credit monitoring and identity restoration services, which I will do.

And that’s my point this week. Data breaches are becoming more common. Although this incident was not a hacking incident, hackers are becoming more sophisticated and bolder. It is almost inevitable that our personal information will be compromised if it has not been already. It is important that when we receive these letters advising us that our information has been compromised that we do what we can to protect ourselves, including signing up for credit monitoring and placing a credit freeze on accounts if that is appropriate. Here is more information about how to protect yourself in the event you, too, receive a breach notification letter [view related post].