As many as 12.5 million people may be affected, although thankfully there has been no indication so far that the data has been misused.

Still, it's important to keep an eye on your credit report, and the easiest way to do that is to take BNY Mellon's offer of two free years of Experian's Triple Alert, giving you daily monitoring of your credit reports. Just make sure to cancel it when two years are up if you do not want to pay for it yourself after that time.

The company has established a Web site for consumers to learn about the data breach at:

www.bnymellon.com/
tapequery/faqs.html

and has established a toll-free help line that you may contact at 1-877-278-3451.

Here are some other things you can do, if you do not wish to take the offer of two free years of Triple Alert:

n Call one of the three major credit bureaus and place a one-call fraud alert on your credit report - Equifax: 800-525-6285; Experian: 888-397-3742; TransUnion: 800-680-7289.

You only need to call one. It is required by law to contact the other two. This fraud alert will remain in your credit file for at least 90 days and requires creditors to contact you before opening any new accounts or increasing credit limits on your existing accounts. When you place a fraud alert, all three credit bureaus are required to send you a credit report free of charge.

n Look for unauthorized or unexplained activity on your credit report. To get one without filing a fraud alert, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call 877-322-8228.

If you find problem activity, place an extended fraud alert on your credit report. To do this, file a police report with your local police department, keep a copy for yourself, and provide a copy to one of the three major credit bureaus. Then an extended fraud alert can be placed on your credit file for a seven-year period, requiring companies to take extra precautions to ensure that you have authorized any additional credit.

n Monitor your financial accounts including bank, credit and other financial statements, for suspicious activity and report any to the fraud department of your financial institution.

For additional information about what to do if you believe you are a victim of identity theft, visit:

www.identitytheft.org
or www.privacyrights.org

You can also call the Federal Trade Commission at 877-FTC-HELP.

Visa settlement

Dear Consumer Action:

What's the status of the class-action suit against Visa for overcharging when people used their credit card in foreign countries?

It was supposed to be settled in June, but I haven't heard anything. I'm due money. - R.C., Galloway Township

Consumers who used their Visa and MasterCard credit or debit cards overseas between Feb. 1, 1996, and Nov. 8, 2006, and who filed for a refund of as much as a 3 percent currency conversion fee by the extended deadline of May 2008 will receive refunds.

The settlement administrator is in the process of auditing and validating claims, and no checks may be issued until that process is complete, according to the official settlement web site at:

www.ccfsettlement.com.

You can find out more information on the Web site or by calling 800-945-9890.

(The lawsuit didn't eliminate the fee, but did lead to better disclosure of it.)

Consumer Action will respond to each properly submitted letter about a problem or question, either in this column or by letter or phone. Letters must include copies - not originals - of all relevant documentation and a name, address and phone number at which you can be reached. Send letters to: Consumer Action, The Press, Devins Lane, Pleasantville, NJ 08232.