No, that email from Equifax is not a scam. You are entitled to free credit monitoring for four years.

I don’t trust any email I receive — even when it’s coming from someone I know.

So, when an email popped into my inbox with the subject line, “Equifax Breach Settlement (Credit Monitoring Instructions and Activation Code),” I nearly deleted it.

But, no, it’s real.

IRS abandons facial recognition plan after firestorm of criticism

In September 2017, Equifax announced a massive breach had exposed the personal information of approximately 147 million people. At the time, the company said hackers exploited a “website application vulnerability.” People’s names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses — and in some instances driver’s license numbers, credit card numbers and other personal information — were compromised, putting millions of folks at risk of identity theft and other fraudulent activity.