Readers may have heard about the staggering data breach at National Public Data, where cybercriminals compromised Social Security Numbers (SSNs) and other personal information last week of more than 272 million Americans, including many who are now deceased.

How can you check to see if your data was compromised? What should you do if it was?

Check to see if your SSN was part of the breach here. Enter your first and last name, select your state, and enter your birth year, then Search. There, you’ll see a list of compromised accounts, including name, address, state, and the last two digits of the leaked SSNs.

What should you do if your SSN is found in the breach?

• Freeze your accounts with the three major credit bureaus; Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Freezing your accounts is simple and only takes a few minutes.
  • Link to freeze with Equifax
  • Link to freeze with Experian
  • Link to freeze with TransUnion
• If you’re not planning to take out a loan or open a new credit card soon, the freeze shouldn’t affect you.
• Once accounts are frozen, there is no need to check further as the credit bureaus are national entities.

If your SSN is compromised and you don’t want to freeze your accounts, National Public Data recommends the following:

• Closely monitoring your financial accounts. Many people don’t regularly check their bank balances or review every charge on their credit cards, which is what hackers count on.
• Setting up credit monitoring to ensure no one is misusing your personal information.
• Setting up a fraud alert with one of the three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion). Once set up with one bureau, it automatically applies to the others. The alert lasts for one year and can be renewed.

If you didn’t find your SSN in Massachusetts, check every state where you’ve lived. If you still don’t find your SSN, you were not affected. Buy a lottery ticket!