From the article: "We finally got to a point where the system asked for our information in order to set up a 90-day alert. I provided my Social Security number

From the article: "We finally got to a point where the system asked for our information in order to set up a 90-day alert. I provided my Social Security number, two phone numbers where I can be reached for verification, and a “please hold while we process your request” message." What if someone who got a hold of another person's SSN call the number, and gave them a bogus number to contact? Any lender then tries to call the bogus number and they get a "YES, I ALLOW THAT TRANSACTION TO HAPPEN" brings more problems then. Equifax could have made a system that performs this option and then it would be the person whose SSN has been exposed to provide the authentic number which they can be reached at to alert them of any transaction happening with their SSN number being used.