Most people work very hard to protect their reputation, and their credit scores. Now imagine yourself in a job interview and you think your killing it, but you never get that return interview.

A data breach at the credit-reporting firm Equifax disclosed last month—a hack that affected an estimated 145.5 million Americans—cost the company’s CEO, Richard Smith, his job. And, because of many American employers’ hiring practices, the hack could cost many others jobs as well, writes Barbara Kiviat in The Atlantic.

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Pennsylvania state Attorney General Josh Shapiro last week called for Equifax to be held accountable for the breach. Shapiro, a former Montgomery County Commissioner, has been involved in the investigation of similar breaches at major retailers across the country.

The consequences of the hack will probably be felt by its victims for years: With this trove of sensitive personal information, the hackers have an unprecedented opportunity to commit identity theft, signing up for credit cards and loans under other people’s names. Any such fraudulent accounts will appear on victims’ credit reports, and when those accounts fall into delinquency, it will look like victims have failed to pay off their debts, the story continues.

Credit bureaus and background-check companies, including Equifax and others, tend to argue that applicants’ credit history sheds light on their trustworthiness and character. Employers’ embrace of credit reports can be understandable: Predicting how a candidate will behave if hired is a very tricky task, and who wouldn’t want more information?

To read the complete story click here.

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