Massive Equifax hack puts Bay Area residents at risk

ATLANTA (KGO) -- The Equifax hack affects nearly half of the U.S. population, and it could be the largest breach involving social security numbers ever.

RELATED: Equifax says data from 143 million Americans exposed in hack

"I worry about someone taking my identity," said one woman. "It's very scary."

This is exactly what nearly 143 million people could face now that Equifax's files have been hacked. The breach lasted a month and a half.

Equifax found out about it July 29, but only went public with the information Thursday.

"This is clearly a disappointing event and one that strikes at the heart of who we are and what we do," said Equifax CEO Rick Smith. "I deeply regret this incident and I apologize to every affected consumer."

"Sorry doesn't cut it. If my info has been stolen and my ID Has been compromised that doesn't fit the bill," said Oakland resident Morgan Farrelle.

Equifax is offering a way to find out.

Click here for more details on the hack and to find out if your info was impacted.

You'll get one of three messages. ONe says your personal information was not impacted, another says you have been impacted, and the third, which is causing frustration, simply tells you to enroll in their free credit monitoring service.

A customer representative told ABC7 News the company knows the message is confusing and simply that enrolling is highly recommended to those users for a reason.

Jeff Blyskal is a fraud and credit report expert. "It's all of your personal, social security, your sensitive stuff -- they should have better security I would think," he said.