Dealing with Data Breaches, Digital Dread, and Maybe a Song About It

Because nothing says Digital Dread like a quaint little ragtime-techno tune.

This morning, I finally got around to opening yesterday’s snail mail.

First, Swedish/Providence would like to help me schedule a personal Medicare consultation with a trusted expert. Next, AAA tells me it has the best life insurance I’ll ever see. And then—just for good measure—there’s one more thick envelope: Notice of Data Breach. Again.

My inbox isn’t much better.

Several more notices: “Your email was found on the dark web.” “Your social security number was found on the dark web.” Lovely.

I’m not sure how email and snail mail teamed up to surprise me together on Friday the 13th, but somehow, it feels fitting.

These notices are so common now, I don’t even panic or faint anymore. But I do sign up for the free credit monitoring they offer and double-check my credit freeze. Here are the links, in case you need them. My credit is frozen solid.

• my.equifax.com - look for the option to Manage a Freeze

• www.experian.com - look for the Protection option and then credit freeze

• www.transunion.com/credit-freeze

They also have an option to add a fraud alert. You can read up on that. I’m not here to give advice on which thing(s) to do. Just passing out links like Halloween candy. Here you go.

This is something my ancestors never had to deal with. Mom and Dad didn’t even have a checking account—if they needed to pay the electric bill, they just took cash down to the electric company.

But before banks became widespread, counterfeit money was a big concern. And in places without banks, people had to worry about where to hide their money. There were other dangers, too—land swindlers were common. And what about those stories of train and stagecoach robberies?

I guess I should be thankful I’m not out digging a hole to bury my money. No one robbed my stagecoach today. I just have to worry about the dark web. Wherever that is… I don’t even know how you get there.

Music Credits:

• Songwriting: Nancy Carver

• AI Composition & Production: Suno AI

• AI Vocal Performance: Kits AI